Tenacious Advocacy For The Injured

Illegal trailer parking must end

On Behalf of | Mar 9, 2020 | Trucking Accidents |

Truck drivers too often park their trailers in the road or on the shoulder close to roads.This creates deadly hazards for night time drivers. There are no lights on these trucks or trailers to warn the public of their presence close to the road and sometimes in the middle of the road in turning lanes. These deadly hazards cannot be seen until it is too late for a driver to be able to avoid them or to stop before hitting them.

The recent fatal crash killing a 39-year-old working mother with a 4-year-old son and close family members should never have never happened. This fatality occurred at the Port of Oakland when an unattached truck trailer was illegally parked in the left-hand turn lane on Middle Harbor Road in Oakland. Port workers have been complaining to the Port, the City and to Oakland police for years about illegally parked trucks or trailers left in the median of Middle Harbor Road. Some truckers illegally park their trucks, trailers and empty trailer chassis in the median of Middle Harbor Road to reserve aspot in line when the Port of Oakland’s west gate opens the next morning. Those vehicles cannot be seen until a driver is right up to them and then it is too late to avoid a deadly crash.

The Port officials blame the police for not enforcing the law but Oakland police spokes person said they have not received any complaints about illegal parking. Someone is not providing accurate facts about this ever increasing problem.

Less than two years ago an Oakland police officer was critically injured when his patrol car crashed into a parked semi-truck in the dark. These injuries or deaths do not appear to be enough to stop truckers from illegally parking their tractors and trailers in dangerous locations.

Trucks and trailers are often left next to roads, under overpasses or near industrial areas.The public is unaware of their existence at night and often run into these deadly obstacles, resulting in severe injuries and deaths. Shoulders next to the road provide a clear zone for recovering from an inadvertent or accidental move off the road by a motorist. This safety zone is often blocked by trailers left on shoulders, often with part of the trailer sticking out into the road Police departments need to enforce the law and ticket and tow these illegal vehicles. A traffic fine for impeding a lane of traffic is only $63. Heavy fines, criminal charges and towing will help stop these dangerous practices, not only at the Port of Oakland, but in all cities, towns and rural areas.

For over 45 years, the Van Blois & Associates has specialized in representing individuals and families who have suffered harm from deadly truck accidents caused by negligent truck driving and illegal trailer parking. Contact us if you or a loved one experiences harm from negligent truck driving or illegal parking.

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