The family of truck driver Tahir Sheikh Fakhar is blaming Caltrans for his California truck crash death. The 56-year-old trucker died on Monday when his large truck fell off the Bay Bridge's S-curve at around 3:30am.
His big rig truck dropped 200 feet, crashing onto Yerba Buena Island. While the California Highway Patrol says that Fakhar lost control of his truck while driving 10 mph above the 40 mph speed limit, his brother, Naveed Anjum, says the design of the S-curve is to blame for the death.
Since the S-curve opened on September 8 there have been over 40 California motor vehicle crashes. The temporary roadway bend is there to allow for other bridge work.
Meantime, Caltrans is continuing to point to speeding as the cause of the Monday's truck collision and the other crashes while noting that over 16 million trips have been safely made on the S-curve.
The S-curve, located on Interstate 80, is a detour for drivers to use until the Bay Bridge's east span opens in 2013. Motorists have to make sharper turns when navigating the curve.
Caltrans says it is going to install additional speed limit signs, radar speed signs, and thick reflective stripes on both decks of the S-curve's guardrails. Raised roadway dots have been added to let drivers know when they've started lane drifting.
Truck Accidents Involving Injured Truckers
Truckers can also get hurt during truck crashes. While some California trucking collisions are a result of truck driver negligence, there are truck crashes that occur because another driver was careless, the truck malfunctioned or has a design defect, a road or bridge was poorly designed, the speed limit is not appropriate for the road and the regular flow of traffic, not enough safety measures have been implemented, or there are no warning signs about possible hazards.
Bay Bridge S-curve crashes mount, safety moves pondered, Inside Bay Area, November 10, 2009
Brother Of Truck Driver Killed In Crash Makes Emotional Plea, KTVU, November 11, 2009
Related Web Resources:
California Department of Transportation
If you or someone you love was injured in a Southern California truck crash that you believe was someone else's fault, contact our Orange County, California truck crash lawyers.
