Tire tread from a big rig that was left on freeway lanes resulted in an Orange County car accident involving five vehicles. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the accident occurred the morning of November 17, 2009 on the northbound 57 Freeway past Imperial Highway in Brea, California. The five cars collided soon after a large truck tire tread fell in lanes. One of the victims was identified as 18-year-old Francisco Linares. He was driving his Mercedes Benz when he reportedly got caught in the middle of the chain reaction crash. He sustained injuries that were believed to be minor. No one suffered life-threatening injuries. The other vehicles involved were a Nissan Altima, an Acura, Ford Explorer and a Ford F-250 truck.

It is indeed fortunate that no one was seriously injured in what could have been a very serious car accident. I hope everyone who sustained injuries here makes a quick and complete recovery. This incident could have been a lot worse. I'm glad that it was not.

Car Accidents in Orange County

There were 260 injuries reported in Brea as a result of car accidents in 2007, according to CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS). In Orange County as a whole, 178 fatalities and 14,185 injuries were reported as a result of car accidents in 2007.

Based on this news report, it appears that the accident was caused by debris on the freeway, specifically the tire tread from a big rig. Freeway debris is increasingly becoming a leading cause of serious car accidents in California. The California State Department of Transportation estimates that 140,000 cubic yards of debris is dumped on California's roadways each year. In fact, roadway debris in California has claimed 155 lives between 2006 and 2008, according to Caltrans statistics. Tire tread is one of the common kinds of debris we see dropped on the freeway. Usually, they do not cause major accidents unless someone swerves to avoid it and ends up losing control and crashing. In this case, the tire tread was a lot larger because it apparently fell off a commercial truck.

Liability in Roadway Debris Cases

If this accident had resulted in serious injuries or death, the trucking company would have been held liable for the accident and resulting injuries. Under California law, motorists can be fined for dropping anything other than live bird feathers or water from their vehicles onto a roadway. The Orange County personal injury attorneys at BISNAR | CHASE have successfully handled several major injury cases caused by freeway debris.

Victims of an auto accident that was the result of highway debris have the legal 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 victim may be compensated through the uninsured motorist provision of his or her car insurance policy. A skilled car accident lawyer will help the injured parties file for compensation through these types of insurance claims.

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.