Submitted by Aiken Jacobsen on
Bad weather happens, and we have had more than our share of it California this winter. Unfortunately the weather has been responsible for road conditions which have caused numerous car accidents and fatalities for California drivers this year.
Last week icy roads and winter weather resulted in car and truck accidents which shut down Interstate 80 near the Yuba Gap. According to the California Highway Patrol the accident initially occurred when a big rig rolled over onto several other vehicles and blocked traffic.
The accident ultimately became a 45-vehicle pileup including 7 big rig trucks. One driver was killed in the accident, while another sustained critical injuries. More than 20 other drivers were treated for minor injuries. The Interstate was shut down for more than 24 hours as crews cleaned up the scene.
Unfortunately another fatal accident occurred the same day on Interstate 80 near Blue Canyon. This time a combination of bad roads and irresponsible driving resulted in one man's death.
Icy roads caused a Jeep Cherokee to slide into the highway embankment. In an attempt to help the Jeep driver, a big rig driver parked his truck, got out and cautiously approached the Jeep. Another driver, traveling too fast for safety, lost control of his truck and struck the big rig driver. He was rushed to the hospital but died shortly after arrival.
It is true that bad weather and poor road conditions sometimes cause accidents. More often, however, these factors only create the conditions for an accident. The accidents usually occur because drivers do not drive defensively and safely when road conditions are poor.
California is a big state with diverse geography and sometimes unpredictable weather. Tragic accidents like these remind us that we must slow down and drive carefully when bad weather arrives. With ice on the roads it only takes one irresponsible action to cause a catastrophic chain of events.
Source: Sacramento Bee online, "Trucker who stopped to help at I-80 accident hit, killed," Cathy Locke, 17 March 2011
