Five people were injured and one killed in a four-vehicle pileup in Northwest Houston over the weekend. A driver was stopped in the roadway on I-45 North with a flat tire when another driver slammed into the rear end of his disabled vehicle. The rear-end crash triggered a chain-reaction collision involving two more vehicles.
At least one pedestrian was caught in the pileup when he became trapped under a METRO bus involved in the crash. Emergency responders were unable to save the man on foot – he received fatal injuries in the crash and died at the scene.
Four people were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and another person was examined and released at the scene. None of the injuries were life-threatening. METRO officials are investigating the crash.
Liability In Texas Chain Reaction Crashes
Multi-car crashes or chain reaction crashes can create unique issues of liability for injury and property damage, particularly when government entities – like a city bus – are involved. Often each person involved in the crash believes that it was someone else’s fault and because there is no clear at-fault driver, the insurance companies involved may decline to cover the crash until liability is resolved.
Filing a lawsuit may be necessary to resolve insurance issues after a multi-car crash. A fight over liability in a multi-car crash typically means that your claim won’t be resolved quickly. When fault is determined, or when the involved insurance companies agree to share in the cost of damages, you should receive payment for your losses.
In the meantime, you should pursue a claim with your own insurer if your car was damaged and you carry collision coverage. If you need medical attention, those expenses should be submitted to your health insurance provider.
Multi-car collisions may also create an issue with insurance policy maximums. If one person is found to be at-fault, the maximum limit of his or her coverage may or may not cover all costs to others in the chain-reaction crash. This is another reason to engage a personal injury attorney – he or she can ensure that you receive the maximum benefit to which you are entitled from the available insurance funds.
Source: KTRK-TV Houston, “Person trapped under bus, killed in crash,” December 16, 2012