Orland, CA — Ten people are dead in an accident in Orland, California, that took place on Thursday, April 10. The accident occurred when the driver of a FedEx truck crossed a median and crashed into a bus full of students traveling to Humboldt State University.
The accident took place at around 5:30 on Interstate 5 in Glenn County, just north of Orland.
Killed in the crash were five students and three adult chaperones, as well as the drivers of the bus and the truck. Officials estimate that over thirty people were injured. Victims were taken to hospitals in the surrounding area, including Enloe Medical Center in Chico, Mercy Hospital in Redding, and the Shasta Regional Medical Center, also in Redding.
According to reports, the FedEx truck was seen driving erratically before the collision, causing investigators to speculate that it may have been trying to avoid another passenger vehicle also involved in the accident.
In a statement released Thursday night, FedEx spokeswoman Bonnie Kourvelas said that the company is cooperating fully with the authorities’ investigation.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
I can almost guarantee that the only two words going through FedEx’s head right now are “damage control.” There’s nothing here that makes them look good, so they’re going to try and resolve this as quickly and quietly as they can. Now, for those involved, this may seem like an open and shut case. But if there’s one thing I can say from my years of handling accidents like this, there’s no such thing as an open and shut case. Time and time again I’ve seen companies make their decisions based on how it affects their bottom line, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they started playing hardball once they start dealing with the individual families. Very rarely are these companies working with the best interests of the injured parties in mind, and that’s something the victims and their families need to be aware of.
To zoom in and take a look at the accident itself, I have some questions for the driver of the FedEx truck. Reports have said that people saw the truck swerving on the road just before the accident occurred. What was going on with the driver? Was he distracted? Was he paying attention to the road? Some have said that he may have been trying to avoid another vehicle involved in the accident, but reports haven’t made mention of any other car driving erratically before the accident.
Now, anything is possible, but the fact of the matter is, losing control of your vehicle is much harder to do when you’re driving responsibly and at safe speeds. We’ll need to wait and see what the authorities’ investigation turns up to see how things played out here. But I can say with near certainty that, regardless of what the investigation finds, time and the preservation of evidence is key in a case like this. Because the more time that passes, the more time a company has to try and push off its liability.
— Grossman Law Offices
