blog home Truck Accident Family Involved in Highway 101 Big-Rig Accident Files Lawsuit

By Renee Nordstrand on January 24, 2013

It’s been a year since a family was rescued from a BMW that was left dangling precariously from a bridge on Highway 101 near Buellton after it was struck by a gravel truck. Now, the family is suing the estate of the truck driver, who died in the fiery crash, and the trucking company that he worked for, seeking damages for personal injuries and emotional distress.

The incident occurred on Jan. 12, 2012, when the tractor-trailer rear-ended the sedan while they were both heading north on Highway 101. A mother and two children, ages 10 and 10 weeks were in the BMW sedan at the time.

After the collision, the truck plummeted some 100 feet into a creek bed. It burst into flames and the driver was killed. It was later determined the 48-year-old truck driver had been under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the accident.

Rescue workers — aided by Navy Seabees who used a forklift to keep the teetering sedan from falling off the bridge and into the creek bed below — were able to extricate the family. They were all transported to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara. The mother and the oldest daughter spent eight days in the hospital before they were released. The infant was uninjured.

The family’s attorney claims the trucking company, R&R Auto Wrecking, was negligent for hiring the truck driver, alleging the driver had a long criminal record of drug abuse. He says that his clients are still suffering from the emotional and physical ramifications of the accident.

“Their Injuries are permanent,” he told Noozhawk.com.

If you’ve been injured in an accident involving a negligent truck driver, the truck accident attorneys in Santa Barbara at the Law Offices of Renée J. Nordstrand will aggressively work for you to see that any negligent parties are held accountable for their actions. You may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, hospitalization, emotional distress and other damages.

For a free, no-obligation review of your case, call our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022 or contact us online to discuss what we can do to protect your legal rights.