Impaired drivers kill over 10,000 people a year in the U.S., and another 345,000 people are injured. While this number has come down in the last few decades, it is still a significant amount of deaths and injuries that most feel can be prevented.
Residents of Fresno unfortunately get their share of these often tragic crashes and know the pain and anguish that is caused by them.
Impaired Driver Causes Multiple-Car Crash Injuring Ten
On Tuesday, December 3, 2019, a 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired after an accident that involved four vehicles and sent 10 to local hospitals. According to the California Highway Patrol, the multi-car crash started when a driver was speeding in the area of Manning Avenue and S. Zediker Avenue and rear-ended an Audi SUV which was then pushed into oncoming traffic.
The Audi struck another vehicle which began a chain-reaction crash that included another passenger car and a semi-truck. Police say that the alleged drunk driver reached speeds up to 90 mph before hitting the Audi. The conditions of the injured, which included the alleged drunk driver, are unknown at the time of this report.
Rear-End Multi-Vehicle Crashes
There are several common scenarios that produce multi-vehicle crashes, and when someone is impaired, the risk for one is even higher. A rear-end crash can result in a chain reaction much like the one described in the above story. While this can happen at any time, when a driver is impaired, it slows the reaction time of the driver and makes the chances of a rear-end even greater.
Then the car that is hit can be shoved into another car, or across the centerline into oncoming traffic. This can result in serious injuries and death as more vehicles are potentially involved.
Liability in Multi-Vehicle DUI Crashes
One frustrating aspect of many DUI crashes is the lack of insurance for some of the drivers. For example, a repeat offender might have their license revoked and the will still driver. Without a license, it is impossible to get insurance thus leaving anyone injured to bear the costs themselves.
This is made worse in a multi-vehicle crash as then several vehicles are involved and each injured might have the same difficulty getting compensation.
An experienced attorney will often be able to help those injured find a source of compensation. For example, the victim might have their own uninsured and underinsured motorist’s coverage on their own insurance. This can be used when the at-fault driver has no insurance or when there is not enough to go around because of the number of cars involved and injuries.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer.
After any accident involving a serious injury in the Central Valley, contact attorney Martin Gasparian for a free consultation and case evaluation. Mr. Gasparian takes a hands-on approach to every case. He believes that every client should work directly with their lawyer, get honest advice and the personalized attention to detail their case deserves.
