Both ice and dust storms have caused multi-car accidents in the state of Arizona. These accidents can be quite frightening when dozens of vehicles start piling up. Even more frightening is that there tends to be a cascade of continued accidents after the initial incident. Drivers unaware and unable to respond quickly enough to the upcoming accident can create further crashes and destruction.
What You Should Do
If you are involved in an accident such as this, make sure to call the police, document everything you can, and get yourself to a safe location. You should always seek medical attention, even if you are not injured enough to require an ambulance.
Multi-car accidents tend to need to be investigated to discover why, who, and how many people are responsible. However, regardless of why the multi-vehicle crash happened, after contacting the police and/or ambulance, your next call needs to be to the Tucson car accident attorneys Wattel and York! Avoiding this step could put you at risk of blame or risk of not receiving the help necessary if you require medical aid and the associated medical bills.
Read-end Crashes
Rear-end crashes account for approximately half of all multi-vehicle crashes. In almost all multi-car accidents, there is someone at the front of the accident line that may have needed to make an emergency stop. If you are that first person, you are in the best area to avoid fault. Emergency stops need to happen, and it is often the drivers behind you that will end up bearing the brunt of the blame.
Avoid Fault
Although accidents can happen at any moment to anyone. There are a few steps people can take to help make themselves less likely to be the cause of such an accident. Below are a few ways to help avoid being at fault for such accidents as a multi-car accident.
Distracted Driving
Stay off your phone. It is illegal to be on your phone while driving in the state of Arizona. If you are not using a hands-free device, you could be at fault.
Do Not Tailgate
Tailgating is following too closely to the vehicle in front of you. Allowing yourself an adequate amount of time to stop is crucial in ensuring you are not at fault. If someone in front of you needs to stop for an emergency, it is rarely ever them who is considered at fault. You must keep “AT LEAST” two full car lengths between yourself and the vehicle in front of you. When traveling at higher speeds, more is recommended.
Obey the Speed Limit
The Arizona Department of Transportation has created realistic speed limits for a myriad of reasons, but one of those reasons is for your protection. Breaking the speed limit could put you at risk of being at fault in a multi-car accident.
Conclusion
There are many ways you can help limit the chances of being involved in an accident, but accidents are never 100% avoidable. Vehicles break down, and you can’t control what other drivers on the road are doing. So whether the accident involved ice or dust, two cars, or two dozen cars, contact Tucson car accident attorneys Wattel and York to discuss your possible next steps!
