Not all car accidents are in the same category, and car pile-ups stand out as the most frightening, most complex and most damaging of all.
How do pile-ups happen?
Pile-ups often occur in low-visibility conditions or on highways where dense traffic travels at high speed. If one vehicle suddenly stops, due to a breakdown or a crash, and the vehicle behind does not have the time to stop or does not see the obstacle until it is too late, the collision triggers a chain reaction, each successive vehicle slamming into the previous one. As vehicles try to swerve past the wrecks, the pile-up spreads to all lanes and shoulders.
The multiple dangers of multiple-vehicle accidents
In some cases, the pile-up will not stop until it has reached enormous proportions. Some major pile-ups have involved 100 to 200 vehicles. Even in an accident involving one or two dozen vehicles, the result is likely to be a scene of devastation. When the first victims try to recover from the shock or get out of their cars, another vehicle may strike them. Many vehicles will be hit repeatedly, and from different angles, increasing the severity of injuries. A tractor-trailer slamming into the crash scene may bring chaos and devastation to a new level. Leaking or exploding gas tanks may spread fire, and overwhelmed emergency crews may not even be able to reach the victims.
You can reduce the odds of being trapped in a pile-up
If you are traveling in low-visibility conditions, if you feel uncomfortable with the high speed of dense traffic surrounding you, you should immediately change course and:
- Exit the highway to take a break and wait until conditions improve, or
- Exit the highway to take safer secondary roads.
If you have been injured in a car, truck or motorcycle accident caused by someone else, call today the Daytona Beach attorneys of Johnson & Gilbert PA toll free at (800) 556-8890 and locally at (386) 673-4412 or send our lawyers an email to arrange a free consultation.