While on the road, drivers are constantly trying to avoid accidents by watching out for other drivers. But sometimes it’s not the other drivers that we need to be concerned about. A car accident can occur when anything unexpected disrupts our driving routine.
In some cases, an animal can be the initial cause of a multi-car accident. This past weekend, a man driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike swerved to avoid hitting a deer, causing five vehicles behind him to crash. Sorting out a multi-vehicle accident like this one can be complicated, especially when determining who is at fault.
The man driving the car that swerved to avoid the deer was seriously injured and hospitalized. Some of his family had been in the car with him, and while their injuries were not as serious as his, they too were hospitalized. This means higher bills for medical care and treatment for their family.
The financial piece is only part of the damages that resulted from the crash. As in many cases where the injuries are serious, the driver of the car may not be able to go to work and provide for his family. He will also have to file a claim with his insurance company. Because insurance companies often have their own procedures and requirements, seeing any tangible results can take longer than desired.
The driver of the car that caused subsequent accidents could responsible for the damage to the other vehicles. In this case, there are four other vehicles involved. If he was swerving to avoid a deer, is he really liable for the entire car crash? Eventually he will need to find the answer to this question.
When an accident occurs, the consequences do not end with the immediate physical damage. Resolving a car accident can take a long time, depending on the complexity of the situation. For this Pennsylvania man and his family, the process has only begun.
Source: Pittburgh Tribune-Review online, “Deer causes five-vehicle crash on Pennsylvania Turnpike,” 16 October 2010
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