May 22, 2007
Your Commute: Huge Accident on 101
Wow, almost everything we've posted today on SFist (except for SFist Tonight) is transportation-themed. Well, we're sorry to have to continue the trend with this news item: there's been a bad accident on 101 near Redwood City, involving a big rig that hit the center divide and burst into flames. What's going on with all these trucks combusting around here these days?
One report said that the cab of the big rig exploded with the driver trapped inside, and a rock from the debris flew up and shattered the windshield of another driver. The previous reports of a fatality seem to have been withdrawn, at least, which is good.
It sounds like they've got traffic moving again, at least. But it's going to be a bad drive home tonight, and we're wishing a speedy recovery to the injured drivers.
Update: The Merc News reports that this is the longest 101 has ever been closed in both directions for traffic. The SUV driver and her passenger are recovering in the hospital, and the truck driver and his passenger escaped unhurt. No one died. The truck was carrying cardboard and moving at about 55 mph in the slow lane when the driver lost control and hit the median. The driver had been with the trucking company for less than a month.
Picture from ABC 7
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Great, Just when I return to the Bay Area with a nice car ( that might be for sale ) all the freeways start to collapse, catch on fire, or swallow vehicles whole.
If anything it would be more motivation to use public transit if Muni, Caltrains, SamTrans, BART would stop running people over.
Bummer
The Chronicle (or sfgate.com) is reporting that someone did die in this accident.
I was just about to update this post with that information -- the driver had been airlifted with serious injuries from the scene of the accident but subsequently died at the hospital.
The reports yesterday had originally stated that she had died on the scene, which is why I'd said in the post that the previous reports of a fatality had been withdrawn.
Our sympathies go out to the victim's family and friends.
Yeah, from what I gather, her injuries were the result of huge amounts of concrete flying into her windshield. Okay to watch on a movie screen, but in real life, must have been a horrific thing.