Multiple Car Accident Injury Lawyer Kent, WA
A serious accident involving forty-five vehicles happened in Kent on Sunday, October 27th. The accident occurred around 1:40 in the afternoon on Interstate Five, just south of State Route 516 near 272nd Street. It is believed that the initial accident was caused by speeding, and not solely road or weather conditions. (It was wet and rainy in the area that day.) After the first car crashed, it caused a chain reaction that led to the pileup. Eighteen tow trucks were called to the scene to clear the crashed vehicles.
Traffic quickly backed up behind where the pileup happened. The accident blocked all the lanes on the interstate. By the middle of the afternoon, it had become a five-mile backup and was still growing. People were stuck in gridlocked traffic for hours as the accident scene was cleared. Road crews brought in sand so that they could clean up spilled oil and gas from the crashed cars. People were advised to avoid traveling in the area and to take alternate routes. Drivers were also warned to slow down. Official detours were happening near the SR-516 off-ramp, keeping people away from the scene. The southbound lanes on I-5 were blocked for about three hours. The lanes slowly reopened, and were all open by 4:40 pm.
Area fire departments and officials, including the Washington State Patrol, Department of Transportation, King County Medic One, Puget Sound Fire, and South King Fire and Rescue, quickly responded to the scene. Some of the accident victims were hospitalized for their injuries, but nobody suffered life-threatening injuries. It is likely, however, that many of the people involved will suffer from some form of trauma or other psychological effects, even if they were not physically injured.
This isn’t the first accident involving over forty cars to happen in the same area. Back in 1993 in King County, there was an accident involving 42 vehicles. It happened in April after rainfall. When the sun came out, it caused glare and visibility issues. People were driving too fast for the conditions, just like in Sunday’s case, which led to the crash.
Personal Injury Lawyer IN Kent, WA.
WSP Troopers will look at each vehicle and driver involved to determine any possible driving infractions, as well as fault. There is confirmed footage of the accident, which will be analyzed as part of the investigation. As of the afternoon of Monday the 28th, no infractions were issued. However, this is still a developing case and it is likely more information will be available soon.
It is very common for drivers to speed on I-5, despite posted speed limits and other deterrents. The Washington State Department of Transportation reports that there have been over 160 auto accidents on I-5 in Kent alone in the past two years. The accident that happened on the 27th could easily have turned fatal, although thankfully it didn’t. People need to drive safely and keep the other people on the road in mind. Drivers have a duty of care to others, which means that they shouldn’t engage in reckless behaviors that could put them at risk. That includes speeding.
Another way that pileup car accidents are referred to is multiple impact car accidents. Usually there is an initial crash that leads to a chain reaction. Vehicles driving behind may not be able to stop in time or avoid the wreck, leading to further crashes. In most cases, this type of accident happens on roads where drivers are traveling at high rates of speed. In many pileup car accidents, the additional impacts happen because the drivers were not paying attention to the road and weren’t able to brake in time, were driving too fast for the conditions, and/or were following too close to the vehicles ahead of them.
Because of the nature of accidents involving multiple impacts, they often cause significant vehicle damage and injuries. The more collisions there are, the higher chance there is that someone will be injured. A driver may be able to escape one impact unscathed, but be injured by one of the following impacts. Multiple impacts can have a cumulative effect on the human body, leading to serious injuries.
In many multiple impact car accidents, there is dispute over which impact caused a victim’s injuries. It can be difficult to determine when so many people are involved. The drivers will have different insurance carriers, and all of the insurance companies will try to place blame elsewhere. These cases can take a long time to resolve as everything is figured out. The insurance carriers will argue over how much they are willing to cover. The people that suffer the most in this situation are the victims, who often don’t receive the amount of compensation they need.
On a more positive note, however, a person injured in a pileup accident may be able to recover compensation from multiple insurance policies, instead of being limited to just one. These additional insurance policies could increase the total amount of compensation that you receive. Seattle Injury Law will argue your claim so that you can recover as much as possible. We want victims to be able to live their best lives possible after being in an accident.
There are many factors involved in assigning fault in a multiple impact accident. The driver that caused the first crash that led to the chain reaction will usually be held the most liable. If they had not been acting recklessly and caused the first collision, then the following ones would not have happened. Additionally, more than one driver could be to blame for what happened. Different drivers could share different percentages of fault. Washington is a comparative fault state, and the degree of fault for each party is assessed through an investigation. Compensation is decided based on each party’s level of fault.
Multiple impact car accidents are challenging to navigate, but at Seattle Injury Law we have the experience needed to handle your claim. We are prepared to tackle issues head-on to get the best possible outcome for our clients. You need a personal injury lawyer backing you up so that the insurance companies involved can’t take advantage of you.
Reach out to us today to receive a free consultation of your case.
