Our thoughts go out to a family suffering the loss of their five-year-old child that was killed in a terrible tragedy Thursday afternoon, June 20, 2019. Around 4:30 p.m. a chain-reaction that involved five cars left one dead and four others hospitalized, all from the same family.
The accident happened on a section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Lehigh County when a box truck failed to stop in time and hit the child’s family’s car which had stopped because of traffic. The force of the impact pushed that car into the rear of a pickup truck and the truck then hit and SUV and a tractor trailer.
The mother and father were released soon, but their two older children were still in the hospital. No word was given about their condition. The driver of the box truck and the occupants of the other cars were not taken to the hospital and some were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Chain-Reaction and Rear-End Crashes
Unfortunately, tragic accident like the one above happen all too frequently on our nation’s freeways. One of the deadliest crashes is a rear-end collision, and According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are around 1.7 million rear-end crashes each year (not all on freeways), and around 1,700 deaths come from those accidents.
One of the most common scenarios for a rear-end collision is a chain-reaction crash that often begins when cars slow down or stop on a freeway or multi-lane highway. Sometimes the stoppage is for another accident, and other times it’s just congestion or maybe a stalled vehicle.
Chain Reaction Injuries
What makes a chain reaction so dangerous is that in many cases, a car is impacted more than once. In one scenario, a car is struck from behind and then pushed into a car in front of it. In other cases, a car is rear-ended and then another car approaches and collides with the stopped car which suffers another impact.
Because of the violent nature of this type of crash, there are common injuries that occur. Some of them are:
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Thoracic Spine injury (Whiplash)
- Broken arms, wrists and legs
- Deep contusions
- Lacerations
- Organ Damage
- Fatalities
Should I Hire an Attorney if I’ve Been Injured in a Chain Reaction Crash?
It’s a question no one wants to ask because if means that someone has been injured or worse. But the truth is, you should at least talk to an attorney to find out the law and your options to help you recover financially from the losses that come from a car accident, especially if there was a serious injury or fatality.
Edith Pearce is the founder of The Pearce Law Firm, P.C., and she is known in her community as someone who is compassionate and understanding in dealing with sensitive cases.
Her passion for helping out the injured pushes her to work hard to get justice for those who have been involved in an auto accident. At The Pearce Law Firm, P.C., you can meet with an attorney in a free consultation, and you are not obligated to do anything but ask questions and get legal advice. Then you can make an informed decision on what to do next.