A massive crash involving three trucks closed down the I-880 Nimitz Freeway in San Leandro, California on Thursday.

According to news reports, the truck accident was actually set off by a passenger car, which suffered a tire failure, and veered off course. One truck, which belonged to Waste Management in Alameda, veered to avoid the car, and in doing so, went over the divider. It landed on a truck that was delivering caskets, and flattened it. That driver was killed instantly. The garbage truck then struck a tow truck. That truck also suffered extensive damage.

According to news reports, the area was a fiery scene with flames from the big rig explosion clouding the sky for hours after the truck accident. All northbound and southbound lanes were closed to traffic, until the wreckage could be hauled away.

As of now, the driver of the casket truck is reported to be dead. He worked for the Batesville Casket Company, and has not been identified. The garbage truck driver also was killed, and he has been identified as Victor Mercado of Oakland. Early reports were vague as to the reason for his flight over the divider, but later news reports confirmed that a car in his path had veered off course, sending him off tangent too.

Like in most other truck accidents, when there’s a big rig involved, damage is extensive, and the loss of life is severe. Truck accidents almost always have devastating results, and this has been no exception. For now, it’s still too early to ascertain if there were other factors that contributed to the garbage truck’s jackknifing through the divider. Was there speed involved for instance? A garbage truck is a monstrously heavy vehicle, and for it to go over so easily suggests a lack of control by the driver. Investigations are still underway, however, and in the coming days we might have more details about the truck accident.

Whenever there is a truck accident, there is always an element of destruction. The force of all those tens of thousands of pounds of weight is enough to flatten lesser vehicles. Occupants of these other vehicles have a very slim chance of escaping alive or with modest injuries. Most often, death is instant, and injuries are life threatening and debilitating. Public opinion is constantly against the presence of these monster vehicles on the same road as other smaller sized vehicles. The odds of surviving a collision with a big rig are stacked too heavily against smaller car owners. We have to find a way for big rigs to not be such a destructive presence on our highways.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of truck accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.