Riverside, CA — The truck driver who caused the massive accident on the 91 Freeway last week was apparently reaching for a water bottle when he rear-ended a car and started a pileup wreck, according to the news. Several people were hospitalized by the accident, including Celeste Torres, 18, of Corona and Kiston Williams, 23, also of Corona.
This happened on Thursday, October 15, 2015, around 12:30 p.m. in the afternoon.
Celeste Torres was headed east on the 91 Freeway that afternoon in her Nissan Sentra when traffic began to slow down, so she braked. Truck driver Leonardo Rodriguez, 55, was also driving east on the 91 Freeway in his 18-wheeler, but he apparently took his eyes off the road and bent down to get a water bottle in his cab.
When he looked back at the road, traffic had slowed down and he crashed into the back of Celeste Torres’ Nissan, pushing it into the back of a Ford F-150.
Then, Rodriguez’ 18-wheeler hit the back of a Chevy Camaro and a Chevy Suburban, forcing the Suburban to flip over. Rodriguez’ 18-wheeler truck then tipped over itself, landing on a Chrysler 200, which was driven by Kiston Williams. Also involved were a Honda Civic and a Nissan Armada.
The news said that Celeste Torres and Kiston Williams had the most serious injuries and had to be rushed to a hospital. As of last weekend, Williams was in critical condition. The other drivers/passengers who were injured were:
- Kenneth Turney, 36, Ford F-150 (moderate injuries)
- Mark Kent, 29, Chevy Camaro
- Antonio Cardenas, 47, Chevy Suburban (minor injuries)
- Caranaravina Jones, 34, Nissan Armada (slight injuries)
- Christopher Young, 46, Honda Civic
Right now, it looks like Leonardo Rodriguez may be facing potential citations from the CHP for failing to keep his eyes on the road.
Map of the Area
Commentary:
At the end of the day, it seems pretty obvious that this trucker was at fault for this wreck. However, that doesn’t mean that his trucking company (whoever it is) is going to be fair and take responsibility for their drivers actions. In a perfect world, it wouldn’t take legal arm-twisting to make people answerable for their negligence, but when it comes to profitable businesses having to cut into their bottom line because one of their negligent employees caused an accident? Well, that’s a different story.
Based on my experience with these kinds of accidents, I would guess that this trucking company is going to try and put some distance between their driver and them. By making it seem like he wasn’t their employee (arguing that he was a contractor, for example), the trucking company this man worked for may be able to skirt liability and save themselves money and future business.
That’s a problem, because it’s not the responsible thing to do. Let’s not forget that this trucker was taking his eyes off the road by his own admission, plus he was fumbling around in his cab for a water bottle. Folks, I don’t care if this guy dropped his favorite lunch on the cab of his truck, that’s no excuse to take your eyes off the road and put everyone else in danger. I’m guessing there are tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage here (and that’s being conservative), but at least this trucker can say he’s not thirsty anymore.
— Grossman Law Offices
