When a tractor-trailer collided with several cars on Interstate 95 near Fairfield, Connecticut recently, it spilled the majority of its load and created a major traffic jam that slowed both sides of the Interstate to a near crawl for several hours. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in this Fairfield truck accident, although four people, including the truck driver, were sent to the hospital with minor injuries.
Fairfield residents are growing accustomed to these types of delays, as accidents on I-95 in Connecticut are all too frequent. Truck drivers need to be aware of the dangers caused by this congestion as well as the threats they pose to smaller vehicles on the road. Accident officials will determine if the truck driver and potentially his trucking company can be held liable for the injuries this accident caused.
Five-car accident
Law enforcement officials who monitored the scene said that two cars collided with the flatbed truck, then all three crashed into the median and then into oncoming traffic, hitting two more cars. At that point, the flatbed lost its belongings, sending bricks and pacers across the crowded Interstate. Its saddle tank was pierced, which caused fuel to spatter across the road and into the storm sewer.
Liability for any injuries suffered in this truck accident may seem clear, since the truck started the chain-reaction crash; however, determining liability in multi-car accidents is rarely so cut-and-dried. Other drivers may have contributed to the accident and determining what insurance pays what can involve extensive investigation. Experienced personal injury lawyers will look at all possibilities for liability to help injured parties recover compensation for their economic and noneconomic damages.
Source: Connecticut Post, “Truck, cars in messy crash on I-95 in Fairfield,” Apr. 19, 2012.