Multiple-Vehicle Vacaville Crash Causes Injuries
I’m Ed Smith, a Vacaville personal injury lawyer. Early on Saturday, August 12, 2017, a collision involving multiple vehicles injured two people and caused the total shutdown of the westbound portion of Vacaville’s main highway, Interstate I-80, for more than an hour.
Accident Details
California Highway Patrol (CHP) indicated to reporters that an accident occurred at around 8:14 a.m. on I-80 close to North Meridian Road. CHP reported that the collision was initially caused by three cars that stopped after noticing a large garbage can obstructing the roadway. A fourth car that had been driving behind the cars that stopped for the garbage bin reportedly did not stop and collided with the parked cars.
CHP Officer Dawn Dwyer reported that the initial collision caused a “chain-reaction” that ended up involving a total of seven different vehicles.
Injuries
Two individuals reportedly received traumatic injuries during the incident and were promptly transported to a nearby hospital to receive medical attention. Authorities did not specify what types of injuries the individuals received but noted that they were not severe.
Traffic
The pileup caused CHP to shut down all lanes of westbound I-80 as emergency responders provided care and work crews removed wreckage from the highway. According to reports from drivers in the area, traffic was severely affected by the shutdown and vehicles were backed up for around 10 miles east of the crash site, all the way to Pedrick Road in Dixon.
Reportedly, CHP opened the far left lane to traffic at 9:20 a.m. and opened a second lane at 9:48 a.m. Officers had completely opened the freeway and left the crash site by 10:00 a.m. However, traffic delays lasted for a significant time afterward.
Investigation
CHP is currently investigating what causal factors played a part in causing this accident. Officers have not yet indicated whether or not they suspect DUI to have been involved in this crash.
Distracted Driving
Rear-end collisions, such as the one that triggered this chain-reaction crash, are almost always caused by the driver who collides with the vehicle in front of them and, in many cases, the driver fails to stop because they are not paying full attention to the road.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Institute (NHTSA), distracted driving accidents claim more than an average of 3,000 lives annually. Distracted driving is defined as any activity that takes a driver’s attention away from the road.
Most people associate distracted driving with text messaging and are right to assume that texting and driving is a big problem. However, distracted driving can also include things like eating food, interacting with people in the back of the car, adjusting a stereo, and looking at yourself in a mirror.
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Vacaville Personal Injury Lawyer & Car Accident Attorneys
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