A weed trimmer, which had apparently fallen off a vehicle, caused a November 13, 2009 Orange County car accident involving three vehicles. The Orange County Register reports that the weed trimmer that was spilled in the southbound 57 Freeway near Katella Avenue in Anaheim, caused three cars to collide with each other as they tried to avoid the object on the roadway. One of the drivers, Nhu Trong, who was driving a Honda Accord, sustained minor injuries after his car struck the rear of a green Chevy pickup. Another commercial van was also involved in the accident. The trimmer was apparently on the number two lane when the white van stopped. The Chevy truck then stopped behind it. Trong apparently slammed on his brakes but still crashed into the Chevy, California Highway Patrol officials said.

I'm relieved that no one sustained major injuries in this traffic accident, especially Trong. This car accident could certainly have turned out a lot worse.

Car Accidents in Orange County

There were 30 deaths and 2,006 injuries in 2007 involving car accidents in Anaheim, California, according to the California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS). In Orange County as a whole, 178 deaths and 14,185 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of car accidents.

This news report does not state who dropped the weed trimmer on traffic lanes. Debris on the freeway caused by drivers who do not secure their loads properly has caused devastating accidents in California. The California State Department of Transportation (Caltrans) estimates that 140,000 cubic yards of debris is dumped on California’s roadways each year. Highway debris has caused 155 California car accident fatalities just in the last two years.

Laws Pertaining to Debris on the Roadway

California law prohibits anyone from throwing or dumping debris on the highway. California Vehicle Code section 23112 (a) states: "No person shall throw or deposit, nor shall the registered owner or the driver, if such owner is not then present in the vehicle, aid or abet in the throwing or depositing upon any highway any bottle, can, garbage, glass, nail, offal, paper, wire, any substance likely to injure or damage traffic using the highway, or any noisome, nauseous, or offensive matter of any kind."

In cases where car accidents are caused by debris on the freeway, the person or commercial entity that was responsible for dropping the debris on the roadway can be held liable for the accidents and resulting injuries. If the debris causes injury or death to others, these negligent individuals can be held civilly and criminally responsible. The Orange County personal injury lawyers at BISNAR | CHASE have successfully handled many injury and fatality accident cases caused by highway debris. Victims of an auto accident caused by highway debris have a right to be compensated for their injuries from the person who dropped the debris on the roadway. But if the responsible party is never identified or found, the uninsured motorist provision of an auto insurance policy may compensate the injured victim or the family of a deceased auto accident victim. A knowledgeable car accident lawyer will be able to explain their legal rights and options as well as how the victim's car insurance policy would apply to a roadway debris accident.

We are not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call a reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free confidential consultation to "not a fault" persons named in this article and their family members.