Freeway ramps are among the most dangerous locations for motorists in terms of their risk of being involved in a trucking accident. Estimates place the number of trucking accidents that occur on or near freeway on-ramps and off-ramps at between 20-30 percent. An additional 10-15 percent of tractor-trailer collisions occur at the intersection of freeway ramps and surface streets. This means that collectively 30-45 percent of all trucking accidents occur on or in the general vicinity of a freeway ramp according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. An interesting study published in the Journal of Transportation and Statistics reveals some interesting facts about trucking accidents involving freeway ramps.
The study reveals that driver error both in the tractor-trailer and the passenger vehicle cause many trucking accidents near freeway ramps, but that poor interchange design and inadequate warnings to tractor-trailer operators may also play a significant role in trucking collisions at interchanges and freeway ramps. Many freeway ramps that accommodate a high volume of tractor-trailer traffic were designed based on outdated trucking configurations and have not been modernized to accommodate longer tractor-trailer combinations and heavier rigs.
The study analyzed freeway ramp accidents on freeway ramps in Colorado over a 27 month period. The study found that there were certain factors that increase the risk of a freeway ramp trucking accident. Loop type freeway ramps were involved in more trucking accidents and also more serious collisions, such as tractor-trailer rollover accidents. It is not uncommon for lack of warning signs or roadway design to contribute to a San Francisco trucking accident. More typically, a trucking collision that is related to the roadway will be both caused by negligent driving of the tractor-trailer because of fatigue, speeding, drug impairment or other factors and negligent road design.
While a person may pursue a trucking accident claim against the negligent tractor-trailer operator, trucking company and public entity that designed the road in this situation, there are special procedures and timing requirements involved in pursuing a claim for personal injury against a government entity. A claim in writing must be provided to the public entity before a lawsuit in civil court can be initiated. The time limit within which notice must be provided to the public entity is far shorter than the statute of limitation for personal injury motor vehicle claims.
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If your are injured in a San Francisco tractor-trailer collision, our experienced San Francisco truck accident lawyers at Zimmerman Law may be able to help. If you or someone you love has been injured or a loved one has died in a San Francisco tractor-trailer accident, you should contact us as soon as possible because critical deadlines apply. We invite you to contact The Law Office of Ian Zimmerman for your free initial consultation. We are open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., speak Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, and are available for weekend, evening, home and hospital meetings and visits. We also offer free initial consultations and work exclusively on a contingency fee basis so that you pay nothing if we don’t win your case.