At least one semi-truck involved in I-80, 19-car pile-up

With colder weather comes the driving conditions that can endanger Pennsylvania drivers. On the I-80, the number of vehicles on the road can turn slippery road conditions into a multi-car pile-up. Such was the case on the I-80 recently when it was believed two separate accident caused a chain reaction involving 19 vehicles and resulting in at least one fatality and one seriously injured person.

In addition, nearly 15 drivers and passengers were attended to for their resulting injuries at a nearby Red Cross and Penn Highlands hospital. Posted speed limits during times of inclement weather are not always safe.

Pennsylvania State police were investigating the causes of the multi-vehicle and truck accident injuries. Negligence can be determined in cases, which multiple vehicles are involved by a complete investigation.

One helpful tool, when determining if negligence played a role in semi truck accident and car accident injuries, is to examine how all the vehicles came together. Witness testimony as to how nearby drivers were operating their vehicles can be a tip-off as to what caused a car accident.

For the family that lost their loved one in the wreck, they will no doubt be seeking answers. Those injured may want to collect if there was an instance of negligent behavior on behalf of a truck driver or motor-vehicle driver. Although weather may be a compounding factor after truck accident injury, it is not an excuse. All drivers are expected to respect limitations on speed and following distance due to weather conditions. If a driver was driving too fast for weather conditions and it resulted in accident injury to an innocent driver, they could be held accountable. The claim would be related to driver negligence.

Source: WJACTV, “At least 1 dead in Interstate 80 pileup,” Ron Musselman, Jan. 30, 2017