A multi-car accident on Highway 4 left multiple drivers and passengers needing medical care and a number of vehicles with serious damage. The accident occurred near Antioch where a stray bumper had fallen onto the freeway. As speeding cars tried to avoid it, one stopped, triggering a pileup that involved four other vehicles. At least 10 people were treated for injuries, with reports that three people were listed in critical condition. Five ambulances and four helicopters responded to the scene to tend to the victims.
Road debris like this is dangerous – auto-parts, bumpers, loose and unsecured cargo as well as other auto-parts are a serious hazard. Motorists are required to have their cars in working order. Identifying information left on auto-parts, bumpers, tires, payload or other components can often be traced back to the original negligent operator who left the debris on the roadway. Leaving hazardous material on California highways is a violation vehicle code can give rise to liability. When high-speed chain-reaction freeway collisions like this occur the resulting litigation is inherently complicated with multiple insurance carriers, drivers and defenses.
The individual liability and financial responsibility of all drivers in multi-vehicle accidents needs to be assessed, and experts in automobile reconstruction, driver performance, human factors and vehicle handling are typically involved in analyzing what occurred, and the degree to which any and all drivers could have avoided causing injury or harm. An established and experienced automobile liability law firm is necessary when high-speed freeway collisions cause injury or death. At the Walkup law firm in San Francisco, we have been handling these types of claims for more than 50 years.
Source: CBS Bay Area, “Multi-Car Crash Shuts Down WB Highway 4 In Antioch, At Least 10 Hurt,” April 1, 2017
