One of the most important things to remember when you have been involved in an auto accident is to be aware of where you are after the accident. If you are on a busy freeway or road and are involved in an accident do not step out of the car and walk around your car unless you are very sure it is safe. Obviously if the car is on fire carefully get out of the car and watch for traffic. One must be careful and try to avoid walking around outside their car after an accident. Many people are hurt by being hit by an errand car after they are involved in an accident. These second accidents are at times caused by other drivers not paying attention to the accident up ahead.
One of the most dangerous jobs on the road is that of a tow truck driver and CHP officer. Tow truck drivers put their lives on the line while trying to hook up a car on the side of the road. This is also true when a police officer pulls somebody over for speeding on a busy highway or freeway. This happens all over California, including Sacramento. In fact the Sacramento Bee reported on March 25, 2012, that the California Highway Patrol finally arrested an individual in Newcastle in connection with a hit and run accident on I-80 in Placer County. The tow truck driver was struck on march 20, 2012, while standing outside of his tow truck on the side of the freeway. The person charged allegedly hit the tow truck driver and fled the scene of the accident. The suspect was caught when the police were tipped off to a car covered up in a driveway. They found a damaged Honda with no plates under the tarp that was allegedly the vehicle that fatally struck the tow truck driver on I-80 in Placer County.
If you have been driving on the freeway or a busy road lately you must have noticed that people cleaning up along the road have a new “watchman” that walks backwards looking at the oncoming traffic with a loud blow horn in his or her hands. If they see a potential accident or a worker about to be hit by a car, he or she can blow the horn to warn them.
Probably one of the most dangerous jobs on the road are the actual road or highway workers who stand right next to speeding cars. The accident rate for pedestrians on the side of the road is high. I have heard that between 1995 and 2002 approximately 844 roadside workers were killed by either an automobile, truck or flying debris. Hopefully now that these workers have police officers with their lights on and individuals looking on with a blow horn maybe the fatalities might be drastically reduced.
The lawyers at Penney and Associates have handled cases where people have been injured while standing outside their cars or other similar pedestrian accidents. Penney and Associates has offices throughout California including Newport Beach, Sacramento, Roseville, Rocklin, Chico, Loomis, Fairfield, Santa Clara.