Jason Cavanagh Killed, One Injured in Truck Accident on I-10 in Cabazon, CA
Cabazon, CA -- April 19, 2022, 38-year-old Jason Cavanagh was killed in a fiery collision with an 18-wheeler on Interstate 10 in Cabazon.
Authorities say the incident happened shortly before 2:00 a.m. along eastbound I-10 close to the Main Street interchange. Preliminary investigation and witness statements suggest that an eastbound commercial tractor-trailer crashed into a passenger vehicle that was already on its side in the roadway. After the impact the big rig overturned on its side and at least one vehicle caught fire.
Cavanagh, reportedly the passenger vehicle's driver, was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver suffered severe burn damage and was transported to an area hospital.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Jason Cavanagh Accident on I-10 in Cabazon
While investigators are looking further into this crash I hope they're able to figure out the exact timing of events. What do I mean by that? Well, determining how much time and space the truck driver should have had to react to the overturned car will be important when figuring out if the fiery collision could have been avoided or its damage reduced.
To be clear, I'm not automatically pointing the finger at the commercial driver. From reports it seems as though the victim's vehicle was already flipped over in the roadway and it's quite possible there was little to nothing the trucker could have done under the circumstances. However, early reports still lack a lot of important details. How long was the car there before the truck approached? What was the victim's status inside the overturned vehicle? Was he still conscious? If he was injured, to what degree? Is that area well-lit at night, or was visibility limited? Were the big rig's lights on? Was the truck driver's full attention on the road? If not, why not? Could the collision have been affected by any other factors, like road conditions or other traffic?
Some will see those questions as just an attorney grasping at straws while looking for someone to blame, but I'm only saying what I always do: The only way to know for sure how everything went down is to obtain all the facts with careful and thorough investigation. The story is best told by objective and unbiased facts, and finding those often takes more effort than law enforcement puts in. If there are concerns about how much work police are putting in, the victim's loved ones may be best served by launching their own investigation with the help of independent professionals.
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