It’s tempting to believe that if you’re a careful enough driver and always wear your safety belt, you don’t have to worry about getting injured or killed in a car accident. If there were no other vehicles sharing the road with you, that might actually be true. Unfortunately, we can’t control the actions or distractions of other drivers who might run into us. As soon as another car gets involved in an accident, the drivers, their insurance companies and police get to work to determine who caused the crash and should therefore be held financially responsible.
When more than two cars are involved in an accident, things get even more complicated. Multi-vehicle accidents are more common on major highways and interstates, especially in inclement weather or near the site of a previous car accident. What causes two cars to collide on a highway often causes even more cars to crash, leading to a liability nightmare.
An example is the nine-vehicle pileup that happened last Friday on Interstate 83 in Harrisburg. Just as the rush hour was beginning around 3:30, traffic began to back up near mile marker 42; five vehicles were stopped completely when a driver approaching the traffic jam failed to stop in time and rear-ended another car. That collision led to a chain-reaction crash into the five already-stationary vehicles. At the same time of the first impact, a driver in another lane rear-ended yet another car.
A number of drivers and passengers were injured, and several of them were taken to Harrisburg Hospital. Most of the affected vehicles had to be towed away. Now these drivers have the unenviable task of figuring out who hit and injured them, and whether they injured anyone else. Those who accrued medical expenses will want to ensure they’re properly compensated, which could be difficult if the drivers’ insurance companies don’t agree on the costs. This is where a personal injury attorney can come to the rescue. In crashes like these where determining fault is difficult, a legal professional experienced in complicated accidents is often the best person to help you sort out the details so you can get back on the road again.
Source: The Sentinel, “Police: I-83 crash involved 9 vehicles,” Nov. 18, 2012