Big Rig Burns in an Accident along 101 Freeway

One early Monday morning in June, the California Highway Patrol reported a deadly truck accident involving a big rig that suddenly slammed into the center divider before ending up in flames. While no one was injured in the accident, this has caused the closing of some of the lanes of the 101 Freeway in Westlake Village. Moments later after the accident, the westbound lanes of the freeway were reopened. However, the eastbound lane remained closed until the road was all cleared.

Big Rigs, Big Accidents
Trucks are very useful modes of transportation. These huge vehicles make the seemingly impossible task of moving the heaviest things from one place to the other. Given its size and results. According to the US Department of Transportation, there are around 500,000 truck accidents recorded every year. Of these mishaps, thousands of people get injured or end up dead because of these accidents. Usually, these accidents are caused by driver error. However, studies prove that more than 75 percent of those accidents are actually caused by other drivers on the road as well.

Dodging Accidents Caused By Big Rigs
Driving alongside trucks can really get scary. That is why one should find ways on how to avoid such accidents. Here are some tips that you should keep in mind to stay safe from these mishaps:

•    Be alert at all times, especially when approaching a large truck.
•    Be conspicuous at all times. One should prevent staying in blind spots as you can end up
•    Avoid passing a turning truck. A vehicle this long and hard to drive may need more space to do so.
•    Drive safely around these big rigs. Driving recklessly can get you into trouble especially with these big rigs.
•    Be a defensive driver. By exercising safe driving habits, you can lessen the chance of you getting involved in a crash with these huge vehicles.
•    can help apprehend these reckless truck drivers and prevent possible mishaps.

Filing Claims
As a victim, it is your right to file a claim against these irresponsible and reckless truck drivers. Prepare a claim and represent you in the case you are filing, helping you have better chances of winning your claim, getting the justice you deserve and teaching such irresponsible drivers a great lesson.

Common causes of Truck-related Accidents

Whenever accidents occur between two vehicles and one of them happens to be a truck – most probably the one to be blamed was the one driving the truck. However, contrary to that prepositioned  belief, according to the recent studies made by the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Motor Carriers (OMC), these motorists  are actually the ones  who execute safety over other vehicle drivers. The research further showed that there are about 3,197 fatal crashes involving trucks just in 2009 alone.

They even released certain reasons why trucks are often getting mixed into accidents. Meanwhile, the following are the violations commonly done by passenger vehicles:

• Trying to cross the lanes near a truck
• Driving in front of the truck but afterwards failing to accelerate
• Changing lanes while there is a truck along  the road
• Driving at “no zones”
• Attempting to pass at an insufficient headway
• Attempting to turn at an insufficient headway
• Shifting lanes and then breaking at the front of truck
• Doing other activities while driving, this is also termed as distracted driving. Some examples include   handling the cell phone or taking a nap  due to fatigue
• Turning right while the truck is still moving
• Not recognizing that there’s a truck in the way
• Moving in the middle of  two trucks while on the road