Most killed in truck accident with bus died from inhaling smoke
A crash back in April, between a truck and a bus, resulted in an inferno when the vehicles caught on fire and burned on the side of the road. Nine people lost their lives in the crash, which took place in Northern California. The reports have now come back in the wake of the accident, and the coroner has revealed that the majority of those who were killed did not actually die from the impact, but from inhaling smoke after they were trapped in the burning bus.
Of the nine who were killed, only two appear to have died from causes other than smoke inhalation.
The crash involved a truck being driven for Fed Ex, which was pulling two trailers, and each one was 28 feet long. It was on the 5 Freeway, going south, but it left those lanes, drove over 58 feet of median, and jumped up into traffic in the northbound lanes.
There, it struck a small sedan that was thrown out of the way. After pushing through that, it rammed into the charter bus, filled with high school students and their chaperons. Five of the students were killed.
After the wreck, those with injuries were taken to the hospital. One more person died there, bringing the total toll from the crash up to ten.
In the wake of a truck accident, those who have lost loved ones or suffered injuries may want to know what rights they have to seek financial compensation. They should also know if they have a right to seek it from the company for which the truck was being driven, if that truck caused the crash.
Source: Los Angeles Times, Most Orland bus crash victims died of smoke inhalation, coroner says” Joseph Serna, Jul. 22, 2014