Oregon Injury Lawyer Blog
An outbreak of wintry weather led to a massive chain-reaction crash in eastern Multnomah County last month. Frequently, multi-vehicle crashes, while they may involve natural phenomena like ice, snow, rain, fog, wind, and smoke, are not situations where “Mother Nature” alone is to blame. Often, the problems- and the injuries or deaths that result- are caused (or at least made worse) by drivers driving negligently. If you have endured serious harm or have lost a loved one in an accident like this, finding out who was responsible can be an immensely complicated and daunting process. Rather than tackle such an undertaking alone, call an experienced Oregon auto accident lawyer to get the legal representation you need.
The recent Multnomah County accident involved at least eight collisions and ended with 100+ vehicles trapped on westbound Interstate 84 near Multnomah Falls. The crash left between 20 and 30 vehicles damaged, and numerous people suffered harm, but at the time of FOX 12’s reporting, authorities had recorded no serious or fatal injuries.
“Near whiteout” snow conditions and slick, icy roads were prominent factors in the accident.
Interstate 84 is no stranger to serious wintertime accidents. A late February winter storm caused a massive pileup in the Cabbage Hill area three years ago. That accident impacted 15-20 vehicles and included reports that emergency responders attending to the initial collision “could hear additional crashes occurring behind them” as they worked the original scene.
While last month’s accident and the 2022 Cabbage Hill crash involved wintry weather, serious multi-vehicle crashes can result from various weather reasons. In October 2022, dense fog mixed with wildfire smoke created near-zero-visibility conditions, leading to a 60+ vehicle crash in Linn County. One person died in that accident.
In August 1988, seven people died in a major collision on Interstate 5 south of Albany. That crash occurred after a sudden shift in the wind carried thick, black smoke from a nearby burning field over the highway.
Driver Negligence in Multi-Vehicle Crashes
Drivers can be negligent in bad weather accidents in a variety of ways. One common form of negligence is a driver (or drivers) driving too fast. Excessive speed can be an issue even if no driver exceeds the posted speed limit. While drivers must drive at or below posted limits, they also bear a responsibility to maintain a speed that is “reasonable and prudent” given the traffic, the weather, the state of the road, and visibility conditions. In other words, it is possible to drive 45 mph in a 65 mph zone and still be speeding if it is midnight, the road is covered in black ice, and blizzard conditions are occurring.
Another variety of negligence that can cause—or worsen—these crashes is distracted driving. Research conducted by a university in England found that distractions lowered the reaction times of the drivers studied by over five seconds. In addition to the slowed response itself, this delay may also lead to drivers panicking and losing control on a slick roadway.
Pursuing Accountability in a Multi-Vehicle Crash
Multi-vehicle crashes present a unique challenge for injured people. By definition, they involve numerous drivers, any one of whom may have been partly to blame, entirely at fault, or totally blameless.
Consider a hypothetical three-vehicle rear-end crash. It is possible that drivers 1 and 2 drove appropriately, but driver 3 was asleep at the wheel and slammed into car 2, sending it into car 1. (Driver 3 – 100% culpable.) It is also possible that driver 1 inappropriately stopped in the middle of an open travel lane, and drivers 2 and 3, despite best efforts and proper driving, could not avoid crashing. (Driver 1 – 100% culpable.) It is likewise possible that Driver 1 stopped for slowed traffic ahead; Driver 2 was distracted and, despite ample time to react, slammed into Car 1 while Driver 3, despite driving properly, could not stop. (Driver 2 – 100% culpable.) It alternatively could have been the case that driver 1 properly stopped for traffic congestion and drivers 2 and 3 were both going too fast for the weather conditions. In that example, drivers 2 and 3 could bear some culpability.
These are just a few of the possibilities in a three-vehicle scenario. Now imagine if you were hurt in an accident involving 23 autos, not three. The point is that a huge array of possibilities exist, and if you are going to succeed in holding the right people/entities accountable for hurting you, you have to know who did what. That means you need a skilled legal team that not only understands the law but also knows how to conduct a prompt and proper investigation to obtain all the factual evidence you need to present a winning case. Look to the experienced Oregon auto accident attorneys at Kaplan Law LLC for powerful and personalized legal representation. We have successfully represented injured people in all types of serious auto accidents, so we have the knowledge necessary to help you meet your needs. To learn more, call (503) 226-3844 today or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.
