38-Vehicle Wreck in West Virginia Causes Nine Victims to Suffer Serious Injuries
The WV Gazette reported a car wreck that one state highway official described as the worst accident he had seen in the state of West Virginia over the course of his 40+ year career in law enforcement. The accident involved 38-vehicles and resulted in nine victims suffering serious injuries and being transported to local area hospitals. 
Our Weirton accident lawyers know that multi-vehicle car accidents are common in bad weather situations when cars are traveling in close proximity. The circumstances leading to this accident show how important it is for drivers to slow their speeds to adjust to weather conditions and to maintain a safe driving speed at all times.
38-Vehicle Accident Likely Caused by Bad Weather
According to the West Virginia Gazette, the 38-vehicle crash occurred on the Interstate 64 Bridge between Nitro and St. Albans. Witnesses to the accident indicate that heavy rains had resulted in a lot of standing water on the bridge and one driver said that he had seen the water before the crash occurred.
Unfortunately, it is believed that drivers were traveling too quickly on the bridge in light of the rain and the wet conditions. When there is bad weather like this, not only does it increase the chances of an accident happening involving a single vehicle or two cars, but it also significantly increases the chance of a multi-vehicle collision.
When these multi-vehicle crashes occur, typically the problem starts with either one or two cars losing control on the road and being involved in an accident. Other drivers who are in close proximity and who are going too fast for the road conditions are then unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the first impaired cars. The bad weather can make visibility difficult so people do not see the crash right away and the slick roads can result in drivers having a hard time stopping.
A chain reaction then occurs, wherein more vehicles come upon the crash, cannot stop in time and become involved in the accident themselves. In this 38-vehicle crash, this happened on a large scale as many vehicles crossing the bridge were unable to get our of the way of the ever-increasing number of impaired cars. That it occurred on a bridge also exacerbated the problems because there was really no place for cars to go upon approaching the wreckage.
Fortunately, despite the number of vehicles involved in this accident, there were no fatalities. However, 22 people suffered injuries and nine of the injured victims had sustained harm serious enough that they needed to be taken to the hospital. The injured victims may have a legal cause of action against those responsible for the crash, but sorting out who is to blame will be very difficult with so many cars involved in the wreck. Experienced legal help will be critical to recovering appropriate compensation.
If you’ve been in an auto accident in Ohio, Pennsylvania or West Virginia, contact the personal injury attorneys at Recht Law Office. Call us today at 1-800-HURTLINE for a free case consultation.
