Multiple car pileups happen for a number of reasons and almost always involve injuries and trips to the emergency room. Within the first week of August, dozens of new articles have surfaced, telling of pileups that have recently occurred in the United States. For example, in Anchorage Alaska state troopers found one person dead and others injured in a three-car pileup on the first of the month. The deceased driver hit two other vehicles head on in the collision, and the other drivers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. On the same day, 10 cars were involved in a pileup in San Diego, California that closed the interstate for a few hours. The crash occurred at about 5:30 am and paramedics arrived at the scene but didn’t transport anyone to the hospital immediately.

A pastor in Liberty, Ohio was taken to the hospital after being injured in a six-car pileup during the afternoon on the same day. The police say that they are still trying to determine which car ran a red light that caused the collision. The 77-year-old pastor was conscious when he was airlifted to the hospital, which is where he has remained up until the present. One day later, three cars were smashed in a pileup in Davis, California. One of the drivers told local news that all the cars simple flashed break lights, but she was travelling too fast and it was suddenly too late. The woman plowed into the car in front of her, and a line of cars started crunching and swerving in a collision. The emergency personnel were able to get all the victims from their cars and take them to the UC Davis Medical Center for treatment. Various people involved in the accident suffered back injuries.

All of this to say, car pileups are frequent and dangerous. Most often, people receive neck and back injuries from the whiplash in a car pileup. The men and women who are victim to these collisions are normally jostled this way and that as their vehicle is hit from others from all sides. The person responsible for a car pileup is usually the man or woman in the back of the line who started the domino collision because he or she did not observe brake lights ahead. Yet there are also times that a pileup will happen because the front running driver slams on the breaks too fast, or because an intoxicated driver is swerving back and forth. There are also situations where a pileup occurs because of a semitruck jackknife, or because an item that was not secured falls out of a truck bed and onto the road.

Fog and smoke can also create a pileup because people do not have adequate visibility to see cars stopped ahead. In 2008, smoke and fog caused a horrific pileup in Florida that resulted in the death of many people involved. Wind, rain, and other extreme weather conditions can also limit visibility and add to the possibility of a pileup. If you were involved in one of these multiple car accidents, you may be wondering who to blame. Which car was responsible for the accident and which driver should have the responsibility to pay for your medical expenses? You will want to look at the police reports from the accident and talk to witnesses to determine whether or not someone can pinpoint the driver at fault. Also, determine whether or not one of the drivers involved in the pileup was disobeying traffic laws or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Evaluating all of these factors may help you to identify a defendant that you can sue for damages in the accident. Talk to a car accident lawyer today if you want more information.