A multi-car accident in Norwalk on the morning of Saturday, January 14, 2012 caused a pickup truck to roll over and sent a family of six to the hospital. Fortunately no one was seriously injured, but the accident scattered cars across the Route 7 connector and prompted a sizeable emergency response.
According to state troopers on the scene, a 2004 Ford Focus traveling in the left lane veered into the center lane at about 11:17 a.m. and struck a 2005 Toyota Tacoma truck. The truck then hit a 2006 Toyota Corolla in the right lane. The driver of the truck swerved across the highway and lost control of the vehicle. The truck rolled over and came to rest on the side of the road. Connecticut State Police dispatched an accident reconstruction team, whose investigation is ongoing.
The truck's six occupants all went to the hospital for injuries. Two adults, including the driver, were in the front seat, while the back seat held one adult and three children. Both front seat occupants suffered abrasions, with the driver also complaining of leg pain. Initial reports suggested that one child was thrown from the vehicle, but this might not be accurate. According to a later news report, one child was not wearing a seat belt and suffered a "leg injury." The adult in the back seat complained of a back injury, and a child wearing a shoulder belt suffered abrasions and bruising. A child strapped in a safety seat suffered no injuries. None of the occupants of the other two vehicles reported any injuries.
The accident remains under investigation by state police. No conclusions have been released as to the cause of the accident and what caused the Ford Focus to first veer out of its lane.
Should the investigation conclude that a driver involved in the accident was at fault, that person could be liable for the damage caused and injuries suffered. It raises an interesting question about liability. A negligence claim requires proof of four elements: a duty of care, a breach of that duty, causation, and damages. This accident involved multiple collisions and separate decisions by different drivers. Arguably, one driver set a chain of events in motion, but a question that could come up in a dispute would be whether the first driver was legally liable for events several steps further down the chain.
To prove negligence, a plaintiff must show that the defendant's actions proximately caused the injuries. This generally means not only that the defendant's actions actually caused the injury, but that the injuries were the reasonably foreseeable result of those actions. In colliding with another vehicle on the road, it is certainly foreseeable that injury, or another collision, may result. It is perhaps reasonable to expect multiple collisions under highway conditions, but a defendant could choose to argue that, eventually, injuries cease to be reasonably foreseeable.
People injured due to the negligence or illegal actions of others are entitled to recover compensation for their damages. Connecticut automobile accident attorney Paul Levin encourages safe driving and represents the rights of injured persons. To schedule a free and confidential consultation, contact us today through our website or at (888) 560-7226.
More Blog Posts:
Connecticut Promotes Safety with "Safe Teen Driving Awareness Week," Connecticut Injury Attorney Blog, December 27, 2011
National Transportation Safety Board Recommends Ban on All Non-Emergency Cell Phone Use While Driving, Connecticut Injury Attorney Blog, December 19, 2011
Connecticut Teen Faces Charges for Stealing, Crashing Car, Connecticut Injury Attorney Blog, December 8, 2011
Photo credit: 'Road' by bertvthul on stock.xchng.
