Galt, CA, September 29 – A collision between a car and a big rig in Galt left one person dead early Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash occurred when the car struck a truck and later came to rest on a frontage road, where it was hit again and caught fire. The identities of those involved have not been released, and the cause of the crash has not been determined.
Galt Crash Between Car and Big Rig on Stockton Boulevard Kills One
The California Highway Patrol said the crash was reported around 4:10 a.m. on September 29 near 12916 Stockton Boulevard and Highway 99. Based on preliminary information, the car was in the far left lane heading south when it hit a truck that was traveling ahead of it. That impact sent the car drifting across multiple lanes and off the right shoulder of the roadway.
The car came to rest on a frontage road after leaving the roadway, where it was struck by a big rig, the California Highway Patrol said. Both the car and the big rig caught fire in that collision. The driver of the car did not survive, according to investigators, who have not released further details about the fire.
The identities of those involved, including the driver who died, have not been released. The California Highway Patrol has not said what caused the crash or why the car left its lane before striking the truck. It is also unclear whether the driver of the truck or the big rig was injured, as authorities have not addressed that publicly. The investigation remains ongoing.
Why evidence in a commercial vehicle case has a deadline of its own
A collision involving a commercial vehicle is not simply a larger car accident. The carrier holds records the other driver never has: electronic logging data, maintenance and inspection history, dispatch instructions and driver qualification files.
Those records are the best evidence of what happened and they do not last indefinitely. Retention periods are measured in months for some categories, so the window to preserve them can close long before the deadline to file a lawsuit does. A preservation demand sent early is the step that keeps them available.
The deadline that applies to a claim like this one
Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives two years for an action for injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another. The same two years covers an injury claim and a death claim; there is no separate, shorter period because someone died.
Who is entitled to bring a claim when someone is killed
Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60 decides who may bring a wrongful death action. The first group is the surviving spouse, domestic partner, children and the issue of deceased children, or, where there is no surviving issue, whoever would take the estate by intestate succession.
A second group may bring the action only if they were financially dependent on the person who died: a putative spouse and their children, stepchildren, parents, and the legal guardians of the person who died where the parents are deceased. Parents are in that second group, which is the part families are most often surprised by, because dependency has to be shown rather than assumed.
Talking to someone about it
Culver Legal represents people injured in collisions across California. A conversation about what happened costs nothing, and we work on a contingency fee, which means there is no fee unless we win. If we do not win, we do not pass the case costs on to you either.
Nothing on this page is legal advice about any particular case, and the facts of a reported collision often change as the investigation continues.
