Henry Wei, 49, was killed in a San Diego truck accident the morning of May 5, 2009 after he crashed his box truck into a big rig on the 5 Freeway, according to a news report in the North County Times. Wei was driving a Ryder box truck that failed to brake and crashed into a tractor trailer, which had slowed down to about 5 mph. California Highway Patrol officials say they are not sure why Wei did not brake. One tractor-trailer was stopped; about to exit the freeway and a second tractor trailer behind it was going at 5 mph when the box truck Wei crashed into it at full speed. CHP officials are inspecting all three trucks for possible car defects such as mechanical problems.
My heart goes out to the family and friends of Henry Wei for their tragic loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Wei. Please keep them in your prayers.
According to statistics provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there were 4,808 fatalities and 83,908 injuries involving big-rig and large truck accidents in the United States in 2007. During the same year in California, the federal agency reports 363 deaths and 5,959 injuries involving big rig accidents..
The focus of this fatal San Diego truck accident investigation seems to be whether the Ryder box truck had any car defects such as mechanical problems, which caused the brake failure. The brakes may have also failed as a result of an inherent product defect in the truck. If this accident was caused by a product defect, the truck manufacturer or the manufacturer of the defective product could be held liable for this truck crash and resulting fatality.
The family of Henry Wei will definitely benefit from a consultation with a leading California product defect lawyer, who can have the truck independently examined by a nationally renowned expert for mechanical malfunctions, product defects or other evidence. It is very important that the truck be preserved in its current, crashed condition, unaltered, until it can be thoroughly examined. The best California personal injury law firms will offer a free and comprehensive consultation to injured victims and their families.