Every day, people share the interstate. There are all types of vehicles in these lanes, including 18-wheelers, compact cars, pickup trucks, and everything in between. When there are different types of vehicles barreling down a road at high speeds, accidents can be very dangerous. A good example of this type of accident would be a recent accident that occurred on I-95 in Laurel.
The Crash
At first, police had some difficulties determining the actual cause of a four-vehicle-collision that included a tanker truck. The tanker itself overturned, which spilled diesel fuel over the interstate and led to hours’ of cleanup. At first, police thought that a 23-year-old driver was responsible for the accident, but he was later released because the actual cause was a driver of a small Ford Focus.
The driver of the Focus was traveling down the interstate at a very high rate of speed and changing lanes aggressively. His abrupt lane changes led to a chain reaction, which caused four different vehicles to be involved.
The Charges
The driver of the Ford Focus, Christopher Rhodes, is being charged with numerous different citations, including unsafe lane changes, failure to control speed, reckless driving, and more.
One person was injured in the four car collision, and that person will likely have a personal injury lawsuit against the driver at fault for the accident. They will need to seek the help of an attorney to determine the best way to proceed.
The Problem
One of the problems, when people share the road, is that careless drivers in smaller vehicles don’t fully understand semi-trucks. When a truck is traveling at 55 miles per hour, which is fairly common on the interstate, they will need about a football field’s length to stop. So, if a vehicle cuts them off or abruptly changes lanes in front of a semi-truck, there is a very good chance that an accident will happen. Trucks often jackknife when they attempt to stop quickly, as well. That is what happened in this particular accident. When the tanker truck jackknifed, the tanker itself overturned and the resulting diesel spill closed down I-95 for several hours as crews worked to clean up the mess.
Often, people drive very aggressively on interstates, where they can change lanes easily and travel at a high rate of speed. As a result, accidents happen and these accidents can easily involve numerous vehicles because the interstates are so busy. In this case, someone was very clearly at fault. Because of his reckless driving, the person behind the wheel of the Ford Focus will likely face more than just citations from the courts. Any injured parties would have a case against him too.
If you have been injured in an accident and someone else is at fault, you will need to contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible. You may have a case against the person who was at fault and you may be due compensation for your injuries and medical expenses. However, you won’t be able to seek this compensation without legal representation.
