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Three people were injured in a freeway accident on I-5 in Woodland.

Truck accident: Three people were injured Wednesday evening in an accident involving a car and two big-rigs on Interstate 5 in Woodland.

•       Two big-rigs were following a car on the I-5 freeway when traffic ahead of them started to slow down.

•       The car and the first big-rig slowed, but the second big-rig failed to slow down and crashed into the first big-rig.

•       Both truck drivers and one of their passengers were taken to the hospital to be treated.

The freeway crash occurred just before 5:30 p.m., according to a report in the Woodland Daily Democrat.

California Highway Patrol Officer Bryan Konvalin said 42-year-old Sergio Robles Angel of Sacramento was driving a 2006 Nissan Altima southbound on Interstate 5, on the Yolo Bypass, when the accident happened.

A 2012 Freightliner semi truck,  driven by 65-year-old Harry Vaughn Boatright of Marysville, was following the Nissan.

Another big-rig — a 2012 Volvo big-rig driven by 29-year-old Mandeep Singh of Turlock — was following the Freightliner truck.

Angel saw traffic ahead of him slowing down and reduced the speed of his Nissan sedan, Konvalin said. Boatright noticed and began to slow his Freightliner big-rig, but Singh didn’t see the slower traffic ahead.

Singh’s big-rig rear-ended the Freightliner truck, forcing the Freightliner to crash into the Nissan. The front of the Volvo was underneat the rear of the Freightliner.

Both of the big-rigs were fully loaded, and the impact was forceful enough to cause major damage to all three vehicles, Konvalin said.

Boatright and his passenger, 66-year-old Patsy Boatright, both were injured. Singh also was hurt. All three of them were taken to UC Davis Medical Center to be treated.

Woodland Truck Accident Lawyers

A crushed Cadillac was all that was left after a big-rig rear-ended the car on Highway 99 near Modesto, killing three people. (Photos: Modesto Bee | modbee.com)

Triple-fatal truck accident: Three people were killed Monday when a big-rig rear-ended their car on Highway 99 in Ceres, about 5 miles south of Modesto.

•   Six men were in a disabled car on Highway 99 when they were struck from behind by a big-rig.

•   Three of the men in the back seat of the car were killed immediately.

•   The other three men in the car were hospitalized with serious injuries.

•   The truck driver was not hurt. 

The deadly highway accident occurred just before dawn, at about 6:20 a.m., according to a report in the Modesto Bee.

California Highway Patrol officer Chuck Leon said a southbound  Cadillac with six people inside was either traveling very slowly or stopped in the slow lane of Highway 99, possibly due to a flat tire, when the accident occurred.

A big-rig driven by 43-year-old Varinder Badial of Yuba City was traveling southbound at about 57 mph when it hit the Cadillac from behind.

The impact crushed the rear of the Cadillac, killing three men in the back seat. The men were identified as  Jose Jaime Botello-Herrera, Erasmo Tello Jaimes, and a third man whose name was withheld pending notification of his next of kin. The Bee reported that Botello-Herrera and the unidentified man were in their 20s, while Jaimes was in his early 50s.

A fourth man who was riding in the back seat, 18-year-old Bryan Aranda, survived but suffered serious head injuries. The driver of the car, 53-year-old Rogelio Reyes Leon, suffered major injuries, and the front seat passenger, 26-year-old Antonio Lopez, suffered moderate injuries. All three of the men were hospitalized.

All of the men in the car were migrant workers who were traveling to a local farm to install sprinklers, according to the Bee report.

The truck driver was not injured.

Leon said the CHP does not suspect that drugs, alcohol, or texting were involved in the accident.

Fresno Truck Accident Lawyers

A truck driver struck a car on Hwy 99 near Fresno on Monday, killing the driver. He fled the scene. (Photos: KSEE News | ABC News)

Fatal truck accident: A truck driver who fled the scene Monday after he hit and killed a pedestrian on Highway 99 near Fresno told police he didn’t know he had hit anyone.

•    A man driving a car with seven passengers inside tried to pull off of the highway when the vehicle stalled.

•    The man opened the driver’s-side door to get out and was hit by a passing big-rig. He died at the scene.

•    Police later found the truck, but the driver said he didn’t know he hit anyone. He said he thought he had a blowout.

•    The District Attorney’s office is reviewing the evidence and will decide whether or not to charge the truck driver with felony hit and run.

The deadly highway accident occurred shortly before 6 a.m. on Highway 99 north of Traver, according to an ABC News report. Traver is about 25 miles southeast of Fresno.

California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Avery said a 45-year-old man from Visalia was driving a Honda Accord that had earlier been reported stolen.

When the car developed mechanical problems, the driver tried to pull over to the side of the road but was unable to get completely off the highway, Avery said.

The man opened the driver’s-side door to get out of the car and was hit by a big-rig. The truck drove away, witnesses said.

The victim died at the scene. The seven passengers in the car — an adult male, a mother, and her six children — were not injured.

In an updated story, KSEE News reported that the truck continued all the way to Bakersfield but was found by police on Highway 99 north of Kingsburg. CHP Officer Avery said the big-rig driver claimed he did not know he had hit anyone.

“If he was aware of the incident, of course he would face hit-and-run charges,” Avery said.

The truck driver told police he felt the impact and pulled over immediately after the accident, but he thought he had a blowout. He said he did not know he hit anyone.

The CHP did not arrest the truck driver but they did impound the truck so investigators could examine the evidence. The District Attorney’s office will determine whether or not charges will be filed.

Fresno Truck Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented truck accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Two drivers were hospitalized after a big-rig crashed on I-10 in Baldwin Park. (Photo: Carlos Aviles | Baldwin Park Patch)

Two drivers were hospitalized with head injuries Tuesday after one of them lost control and his big-rig jacknifed on Interstate 10 in Baldwin Park.

•   A truck driver lost control of his big-rig, crashed into the center divider, and jackknifed across the freeway.

•   An approaching tank truck was unable to avoid crashing into the jackknifed big-rig.

•   Both drivers suffered head injuries and were transported via ground ambulance to USC Medical Center to be treated.

The truck accident occurred at 7:19 p.m., according to a Baldwin Park Patch news report.

California Highway Patrol Officer Kerri Rivas told the Patch news site that 59-year old Elias Rivas of Carsol was driving a big-rig eastbound in the No. 3 lane of Interstate 10  when the accident happened. His rate of speed was unknown.

Rivas  veered to the left for unknown reasons and crashed into the center divider wall.  The tractor trailer went completely out of control and jackknifed across three freeway lanes, Officer Rivas said.

A 2011 Ford tank truck, driven by 29-year-old Miguel Martinez of Rialto, was traveling eastbound in the No.2 lane at about 45 mph and was unable to avoid crashing into the jackknifed big-rig. The impact damaged the big-rig’s fuel tank. About 50 gallons of diesel fuel spilled onto the freeway.

Both drivers suffered moderate head and bodily injuries, Officer Rivas said. Both of them were conscious at the scene. They were transported to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center to be treated.

Authorities closed all lanes of the freeway for about three hours in order to clear the scene and clean the oil spill.

The accident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Baldwin Park CHP office during normal business hours at 626-338-1164. After hours, witnessed may contact the Los Angeles Communications Center at 323-982-4900.

Baldwin Park Truck Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented truck accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A pickup truck driver was killed in a fiery big-rig crash near Fresno. (Photos: ABC News)

A pickup truck driver was killed Monday morning in a fiery head-on big-rig crash on Highway 145 near Fresno.

•   A pickup truck driver who was driving too fast crossed the center lane into oncoming traffic and crashed into a big-rig.

•   Both vehicles burst into flames.

•   The pickup truck driver was killed on impact. The big-rig driver escaped from his cab just before it was engulfed in flames.

•   The CHP said excessive speed was a factor. Alcohol and drugs were not involved.

The deadly highway crash occurred at 6:15 a.m., during the busy morning commute, according to a report in the Fresno Bee.

California Highway Patrol officer Brad Simpson said the Chevrolet pickup truck was traveling south on Highway 145 at a speed of about 55 mph when it crossed over the center divide into the northbound lane, directly into the path of a semi truck.

The pickup went out of control, spun around, and crashed into the big-rig. Both vehicles immediately burst into flames.

The pickup driver was killed on impact, Simpson said, but the big-rig driver managed to climb out of his cab just moments before it caught fire.

“The big-rig was completely engulfed,” Simpson told ABC News.

The big-rig driver  suffered a burn injury to his arm and also had pain in his leg. News reports did not state whether he was hospitalized.

Neither of the drivers’ names were released.

Caltrans shut down the highway for several hours while firefighters extinguished the fire and emergency crews cleared the roadway.

The CHP said alcohol and drugs were not factors in the accident. The ABC News story stated that speed was likely a factor, but other reports did not address that.

Here are more photos of the fatal accident. Click on a thumbnail to see it full-size.

Rural Highways are Dangerous

Only 23 percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, but 57 percent of all motor vehicle accident fatalities occur on rural roads, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration(NHTSA).

The NHTSA’s latest figures show that the fatality rate per vehicle miles traveled was 2.5 times higher in rural areas than in urban areas.

A large majority of car accident deaths in rural areas — 67 percent — occur on highways, where the speed limit is 55 mph or higher. In urban areas, the opposite is true: 68 percent of all fatal crashes occur on roads where the speed limit is less than 50 mph.

Rural highways often are only two lanes, which presents significant danger to motorists who use the oncoming traffic lane to pass at high speed.

Finally, hospitals are few and far between in rural areas. The risk of dying on the way to the hospital is significantly higher in a rural accident than an urban one.

Fresno Truck Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented truck accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.