Over the weekend, an unusual truck accident in Van Nuys left one woman seriously injured. The woman was on a sidewalk outside of a pharmacy on Sepulveda Boulevard when all of a sudden, a U-Haul truck came hurtling toward her.
For some reason, the U-Haul truck veered off the road and went crashing through the wall and several aisles of the pharmacy. The pedestrian woman was either hit by the truck or by debris from the crash. She suffered serious injuries. Fortunately, no employees or shoppers at the pharmacy were hurt.
Although police are still working on figuring out exactly what caused this truck to drive into the pharmacy, this accident clearly shows the kind of destruction that a truck accident can cause. If a fairly small U-Haul truck can cause this serious incident, imagine what can happen when a huge tractor-trailer loses control on a busy freeway.
Fortunately, the federal government has recognized the danger that large vehicles can impose on our roadways. To minimize risk, the government has established regulations that truck drivers and trucking companies must follow. The rules place a cap on the number of hours a driver can be on the job at a time and require trucking companies to perform regular maintenance on their vehicles.
When a person is injured in an accident with a tractor-trailer, it is important that they consider the federal regulations when determining if the truck driver or trucking company was at fault. If federal rules were violated, both the driver and the company could be held accountable through California’s personal injury laws.
Source: CBS Los Angeles, “1 Seriously Injured When U-Haul Truck Crashes Into Pharmacy,” Sept. 14, 2013
