Driving in Arizona means you could eventually end up in a dust storm. When these anomalies occur, the Arizona Department of Transportation advises all drivers to slow down, pull off the road, turn off all lights and wait for the storm to pass. Unfortunately, either people neglect to do this, or they cannot do it in time. That’s when a car accident is likely to occur. Maricopa residents have undoubtedly heard about the recent dust storm on I-10 that killed three and injured dozens more.
The National Weather Service issued an alert on Oct. 29 for a dust storm warning just before the storm hit. However, it still caught many by surprise and when the storm was over, three were dead and dozens others injured, some with life-threatening injuries.
The storm and the damage from the 19-vehicle pileup caused traffic to back up 10 to 15 miles going westbound and five to six miles going east. Wreckage from the accident site still remains on the side of the roadway.
All told, the accident included 10 commercial vehicles, one tanker, one recreational vehicle and seven passenger vehicles. In an accident such as this is it almost impossible to determine the cause of the crash, but investigators are attempting to piece together what happened. One authority stated that most likely human error occurred. Someone might have been driving too fast for road conditions and did not see a slowing or stopped vehicle in time, then another car did the same thing.
Those who could identify who damaged their vehicle could seek damages and have their vehicles repaired. Anyone who ends up with damaged property due to the acts of someone else could speak to a legal professional experienced in these types of situations. This individual could explain the options a person has in this situation and give the person the information they need to make an informed decision.
Source: AZ Central, “3 killed as multiple collisions close I-10 lanes near Picacho Peak” Domenico Nicosia and Miguel Otarola, Oct. 30, 2013