According to recent reports from the Nevada Highway Patrol, two teenagers died after the vehicle in which they were traveling crashed with a semi truck on Highway 50 in Dayton, a small town near Carson City. Ana Laura Munoz, 18, and David Arroyo Lama, 18, of Carson City and Dayton, respectively, were critically injured when Munoz turned left onto Highway 50 near Six Mile Canyon into the path of an oncoming Volvo semi-truck. The driver, Gary Alan Williams, 61, of St. George, Utah, was unable to stop in time and struck the driver's side door of the car, pushing it off the south shoulder of the highway. The truck then continued across the east and westbound lanes and overturn onto the north shoulder. All westbound traffic was blocked after the crash. Munoz and Lamas both died within days of being transported to an area hospital. Williams sustained minor injuries and was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Renown.
TRUCK ACCIDENTS CAN BE DEADLY
Accidents involving large trucks often cause serious injury or death to passengers in smaller vehicles. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation:
- Large trucks are defined as vehicles that weigh more than 10,000 pounds when empty.
- About 500,000 accidents involving large trucks occur each year. About 5,000 of these accidents result in fatalities.
- About 98 percent of the fatalities in truck accidents occur with occupants of passenger vehicles.
- Nearly 68 percent of all fatal truck accidents occur in rural areas rather than in cities.
- About 66 percent of fatal truck accident occur during the day, and 78 percent occur on the weekend.
Truck drivers are required to maintain inspection records and travel records showing how much they have driven in a given time period. This means that these drivers and the companies they work for are held to a standard that, if not met, can be the basis for liability on their part for any accidents they cause. However, finding this information requires a knowledge of the trucking industry and experience in forcing these companies and drivers to produce this type of information. The car accident attorneys in Las Vegas, NV at High Stakes Injury Law have years of experience in working with clients who are suing trucking companies and truck drivers for damages. Contact them today to discuss your case and learn more about how you may be able to recover damages for the injuries you sustained in a trucking accident.