Lawsuit Filed Against Big-Rig Company And Emergency Services

Over-the-road truck drivers can be under a great deal of pressure to get their loads to their destinations as quickly as possible. That kind of stress can cause drivers to take risks they might normally take otherwise and poses a danger to other motorists that they are sharing the road with.

That kind of situation may have been what caused an accident near Indio, California a little over two years ago when a truck driver drove his big rig into a coned off area where emergency crews were attempting to rescue a woman in her overturned vehicle and killed her while she was still trapped inside.

News Channel 3, KSEQ reported on their website that the accident took place on February 7, 2016, along Interstate 10. Authorities say that 53-year-old Robbie Macias of Plumas Lake has been charged with vehicular manslaughter for his role in the death of Maria Vera. Investigators assert that Macias had been traveling along the Interstate 10 at an unsafe speed in an area that had been cordoned off emergency crews in response to a prior single vehicle accident.

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Vera had been traveling with passengers in her Volkswagen Jetta when the accident occurred. All passengers got out of Vera’s vehicle safely. Vera herself, however, was still pinned inside. Emergency crews with the Riverside County Fire Department and the California Highway Patrol were attempting to free Vera who was trapped inside. CHP blocked off all lanes except the fast lane. Macias ignored the cones, traveling at a speed between 60 -65 mph. The big rig skidded with brakes smoking. Emergency workers had to dive over a median in an attempt to get out of the way. The truck struck Vera’s vehicle, killing her.

Vera’s surviving family filed suit against Macias, the CHP and Riverside County Fire Department.

Macias was set to go on trial beginning next week. No further information has been released.

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