PLG Hired to Handle Serious Injury Car Accident in South Monterey County
PLG Hired to Handle Serious Injury Car Accident in South Monterey County
The car accident attorneys from the Piccuta Law Group were recently hired to represent a woman seriously injured in a car accident. The firm’s client was driving through an intersection in South Monterey County when a vehicle failed to stop for a red light and crashed into her car. As a result, her vehicle was impacted at a high rate of speed causing serious injuries including several fractured ribs.
Details About the Soledad Car Accident and At-Fault Driver
The crash occurred in Soledad, California. Soledad is located south of Salinas and in the Salinas Valley. Soledad has a population of approximately 25,000 people. It is surrounded by vineyards and agricultural fields.
It is also home to Salinas Valley State Prison. The prison provides housing for nearly 3,000 minimum and maximum custody male inmates and employs over 1,500 people. As a result, several of Soledad’s residents either work for the prison or in agriculture.
The person that crashed into our client worked for a major agricultural company. Specifically, he worked for Nutrien Ag Solutions. Nutrien is a major manufacturer of fertilizer and a publicly traded company. According to its website, it is the largest producer of potash and the third largest producer of nitrogen fertilizer in the world. The company boasts over 2,000 retail locations.
How the Soledad Car Accident Occurred
The crash occurred on Thursday June 30, 2022 at approximately 11:15 AM. At that time, the client was driving her 2016 Honda Fit. The crash was at the intersection of Front Street and Nestles Road. That Intersection is controlled by a four-way traffic signal.
The client was travelling southbound on Front Street with the flow of traffic. The client was travelling at approximately 30 miles per hour. As she passed through the intersection, the at-fault Nutrien employee drove his vehicle into the intersection and against a red light. In doing so, the front of his vehicle struck the driver side of the client’s Honda Fit causing a high impact car accident.
The at-fault driver was driving a company truck owned by Nutrien. The truck was a 2019 Chevy Silverado extended cab. When the truck crashed into the client’s Honda Fit, it was with tremendous force. It caused her airbags to deploy and the client suffered serious injuries.
The Forces Involved in the Monterey County Car Accident
The forces created by the car accident were serious. The forces transferred to our client and her vehicle were especially great because of how small her car was in relation to the truck. The Chevy Silverado was a four-wheel drive Series 1500 LT. The truck has a Class 2F weight rating. This means that its weight was between 7,001-8,000 pounds.
On the other hand, the client’s Honda Fit was a much smaller passenger vehicle. The Honda Fit has a Class 1B gross vehicle weight rating. This class is for vehicles that weigh between 3,001-4000 pounds. As a result, the truck weighed twice as much as the client’s Honda Fit.
Forces and Acceleration of Vehicles in a Car Accident Explained by Our Attorneys
As discussed above, the truck that crashed into our client was much heavier than her Honda Fit. The forces created in a car accident follow the basic force equation. The equation for force is: force equals mass times acceleration or F = m x a.
This means that the amount of force created by a car accident depends on both the weight and speed of the vehicles. In the crash involving our client, the weight of the truck was very heavy. It was also travelling at approximately 35 miles per hour. Since the truck weighed a lot and was travelling at a substantial speed, the force in the crash was great.
However, when two objects collide, the forces exerted on each object are equal. This is known as Newton’s third law of motion. Newton’s third law of motion states that in a collision between two objects, both objects experience forces that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. The forces are equal but in opposite directions.
In a car accident context, this means that an equal amount of force is distributed between the cars in both directions. The force a striking vehicle experiences is a backward force slowing it down. The force the the vehicle being crashed into experiences is a forward force making it accelerate.
What isn’t equal, when two objects collide, is the resulting acceleration of the objects. If two colliding objects have unequal mass, they will have unequal accelerations. The object with the heavier mass will experience less acceleration from the impact than the object with the lighter mass.
In much simpler terms, and in the context of a car accident, when a heavier vehicle crashes into a lighter vehicle, the acceleration the lighter vehicle experiences is greater. This was true in the car accident with our client. When the much heavier truck crashed into her Honda Fit, she was propelled with great acceleration. This caused significant trauma to her body as she was whipped about in the car.
The Injuries Sustained by Our Client in the Car Accident
At impact, the client’s airbags deployed. However, the impact was on her driver’s side door. The side impact airbags provided some barrier between our client and the inside of her driver door. However, she was still impacted by the inside of the door when it was pushed into the vehicle cabin by the truck. The driver’s side windows were also shattered causing glass shards to fly into the vehicle.
As a result, the client suffered spinal injuries, head injuries, multiple fractured ribs, bruises, contusions and facial lacerations. She was rushed to the trauma center of a nearby hospital by ambulance. The client continues to treat for her injuries and is now in physical therapy trying to return to her pre-crash condition.
The At-fault Driver Denied Fault But Evidence Showed He Broke the Law
A reporting officer arrived at the scene and took a statement from the driver of the truck. The driver of the truck stated that he had a green light. The officer investigated and concluded that the other driver was at-fault.
Thankfully, the intersection was monitored by a City video camera. The footage showed that the driver of the truck was at fault. Specifically, that he proceeded through the intersection against a red light.
The driver was cited with violating California Vehicle Code Section 21453(a). This code section sets forth:
“(a) A driver facing a steady circular red signal alone shall stop at a marked limit line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, then before entering the intersection, and shall remain stopped until an indication to proceed is shown…”
Since the driver drove into the intersection against the red light, he was cited accordingly for a violation of law.
Contact An Experienced Monterey County Car Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one was involved in a Monterey County car accident, contact one of our experienced car accident attorneys today. Our firm has attorneys here locally who can assist with your car accident case. We have been handling Monterey County car accident cases for over a decade. We have achieved record-setting results in Monterey County including the largest motorcycle accident verdict in the County for 2018. A consultation is free and you pay no fees until we recover for you.
About the author: The content on this page was written by California personal injury attorney and civil rights lawyer Charles “Tony” Piccuta. Piccuta graduated with honors from Indiana University-Maurer School of Law in Bloomington, Indiana (Previously ranked Top 35 US News & World Report). Piccuta took and passed the State bars of Arizona, California, Illinois and Nevada (all on the first try). He actively practices throughout California and Arizona. He is a winning trial attorney that regularly handles serious personal injury cases and civil rights lawsuits. He has obtained six and seven figure verdicts in both state and federal court. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers for six years straight. He is AV Rated by Martindale Hubble. He is a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, American Association for Justice, National Police Accountability Project, Arizona Association of Justice, and many local county and City bar associations.
Disclaimer: The information on this web site is attorney advertising and is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. Reading and relying upon the content on this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, you should contact our law firm for a free consultation and to discuss your specific case and issues.
References:
[1] https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH§ionNum=21453.
