Inclement Weather And Low Visibility Reason For Two Big Pileups
On behalf of Lovett Law Firm posted in Truck Accidents on Friday, January 24, 2014.
As much of the nation focuses their attention on the serious 46-vehicle pileup that occurred recently in Indiana, many of our readers here in El Paso are reminded of a similar multi-vehicle crash that took place nearly two weeks ago on the Interstate 30 span over Lake Ray Hubbard. That’s because both crashes happened as a result of low visibility. And while the Indiana crash occurred because of white-out conditions due to snow, as this North Texas crash shows, dense fog can be just as dangerous.
For those of our readers who may not remember, the crash took place just northeast of Dallas when police believe that semi-trucks and other vehicles, whose drivers were blinded by the dense fog, collided with a vehicle that had hit the concrete median along the highway. These initial collisions caused several more chain reaction crashes that sent eight people to the hospital with minor, non-life threatening injuries. Reports, as of two weeks ago, indicated that one person had been taken to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas and had been admitted to intensive care, though their current condition is unknown at this time.
Just like in the Indiana crash, where blowing and falling snow reduced visibility to a quarter-mile or less, the dense fog that caused the 15-vehicle crash along Interstate 30 is believed to have significantly impaired the vision of drivers in the area and was likely to blame among other reasons. Although this may be the case, it’s important to point out that motorists across the state are still responsible for reducing their speeds during inclement weather. Failing to do so can result in serious accidents, such as the two mentioned above, and could even lead to civil litigation as well. And while the recovery of the accident victims is at the forefront of many of our readers’ minds, there is also a hope that they will receive the compensation they deserve as well.
Sources: NBCDFW.com, “Chain-Reaction Crash Shuts Down I-30 Over Lake Ray Hubbard,” Greg Janda, Jan. 11, 2014
Newsok.com, “Massive pileup on I-94 kills 3, more than 20 hurt,” Jan. 24, 2014