The attorney representing the plaintiff in a lawsuit against a trucking company whose big rig struck and paralyzed a pedestrian in Santa Ana says that there must be greater public awareness about truckers and their lifestyles so motorists and pedestrians understand the potential dangers they pose. Anna Tran of Lexton Law in Irvine successfully represented the family of Xuan Mai, a father and husband, who was struck and severely injured while crossing the street near his Santa Ana home. Though Tran was able to secure a large settlement for the family, they remain devastated and do not want his injury to have occurred in vain.
“Injuries and fatalities involving truckers have risen commensurate with the explosion of online shopping that requires these massive vehicles to transport an increase volume of goods oftentimes under a deadline,” said Tran. “This has contributed to higher incident rates for accidents and driver deaths.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, truck drivers and delivery workers had the highest number of workplace fatalities in 2016, more than any other occupation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that, annually, in its latest survey, 4,317 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks with 72% of them being occupants of other vehicles, 17% occupants of trucks and 11% pedestrians.
Tran says that since 86% of truckers are classified as overweight or obese, their reaction time is slower and they are more likely to fall victim to drowsiness. Combine that with such distractions as texting, eating and drinking, changing radio stations, searching the cab for lost items and taking drugs to stay awake and you have a recipe for disaster.
“Drivers of passenger vehicles must exercise extreme caution when sharing the road with 18-wheelers,” said Tran. Among her safety tips:
· Avoid blind spots & make sure driver can see you
· Pass trucks on the left & maintain a consistent speed
· Give trucks as much space as possible
· Don’t pull in front of a truck as they can’t stop quickly
· Avoid merging in front of a truck especially during slow traffic
· If a truck passes you, decelerate slightly to minimize passing time
· Don’t use your brights at night as they can blind the truck driver
Lexton Law has earned a reputation for taking on well-known entities and emerging victorious, earning clients multi-million dollar verdicts. The firm has distinguished itself by building reproductions of actual courtrooms in its offices complete with judge’s bench, jury box and tables for the plaintiff and defendant. This isn’t an aesthetic consideration, but rather where the legal staff conduct pre-trials. They hire mock “juries” to hear cases before presenting them to real ones so they can shape and reshape arguments for maximum impact. For more information for visit www. lextonlawfirm.com