Even though it has been slowed, there is still fracking going on in California. What many people may not think about is that fracking presents dangers beyond just its impact on the environment. Now, there are studies that have shown that fracking can actually increase the risk of a fatal accident with a truck that is carrying wastewater away from the fracking site.
Wastewater is a large byproduct of fracking as water is necessary to blast the oil out of the shale oil formation. The water needs to go someplace as it cannot simply be discharged into the waterways. Heavy trucks arrive at the site and physically take the wastewater away.
There was a study done that looked at the experience in North Dakota which is a center of fracking in the U.S. In the areas surrounding the fracking site, the risk of a fatal accident with a truck went up appreciably. The addition of one fracking well raised the possibility of a fatal truck accident by eight percent. Localities and state governments should deal with this by taking traffic safety measures to keep cars out of harm’s way such as special lanes for the trucks exiting the fracking well area. Until then, drivers are at risk because they stand a greater risk of getting seriously hurt in a truck accident.
Those who have been injured in a truck accident may benefit from the assistance of a Costa Mesa truck accident injury compensation law firm. The damages in these accidents are considerable and there may be some negotiation necessary with the insurance company in order to receive the highest possible settlement. While many of these cases do settle, there is the possibility that the case will need to go to court if an adequate settlement offer is not made or the insurance company will not settle the case.
