Early Morning Truck Accident Leaves One Dead

Early yesterday morning, a big-rig was unable to negotiate the turn on the Columbus Parkway off-ramp on highway 80 in Vallejo, struck a dirt embankment and caught fire. According to reports, at least one person was killed in the truck accident.

The most likely cause of a truck not being able to negotiate an off-ramp is excessive speed. California vehilce code section 23500 provides:

No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property.

Whether a driver is cited for violating section 23500 is typically a judgment call of the responding police or highway patrol officer, and is probably the most cited Vehicle Code section in my review of accident reports.

Pete Clancy is an Oakland personal injury attorney, and was named by SuperLawyers Magazine as a 2010 Northern California Rising Star.