Cell phone use and driving do not mix well, especially on Los Angeles’ busy streets and freeways. A recent truck accident in Gardena shows how a driver using a cell phone may have triggered a sequence of events that killed the driver and injured the passenger.
A woman driving a Nissan Sentra was heading west on El Segundo Boulevard when she side-swiped a semi-trailer truck waiting to make a left turn. The impact of the side-swipe collision caused the Sentra to spin into the east bound traffic lanes where it was hit head-on by a big-rig. Video images from the crash scene showed the Sentra almost totally destroyed. The firefighters who responded to the crash needed fifteen minutes to extricate the driver, who was declared dead at the scene. The passenger was taken to a near-by hospital with apparently serious injuries.
Several witnesses reported to police that the driver was using her cell phone at the moment she side-swiped the first big rig. Police investigators are attempting to verify these reports. Many other questions remain. Was the first big rig entirely within the turn lane? Had it turned on its signals? How fast was the second big rig traveling?
Anyone who has been injured or lost a loved one in a collision with a big rig may wish to seek advice from an attorney who specializes in such cases. As this case shows, a thorough investigation of the accident is necessary to determine who may have been at fault. An experienced lawyer will know how to conduct such an investigation and to provide advice on potential legal strategies and the likelihood of recovering damages for medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering.
Source: KTLA5, “23-Year-Old Woman Dies, Passenger Hospitalized After Head-on Crash With Big Rig in Gardena,” Melissa Pamer and Rick Chambers, Dec. 23, 2015
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