Multi-vehicle accidents can sometimes be messy and chaotic. Once the (often proverbial but sometimes literal) smoke clears, these crashes can be difficult to sort out in terms of who is at fault. However, if it becomes clear that one driver initiated all of the turmoil, then it is likely that he or she will be blamed for all of the ensuing injuries and deaths which occur during the accident.
With this in mind, let’s examine a multi-vehicle crash which took place in Las Vegas on Monday morning. Shortly after 7:45am, a 2003 Hyundai Tiberion was traveling eastbound on Tropicana Avenue near Sandhill Road when it slammed into the back of a 2002 Chevrolet Corvette moving in the same direction. The Corvette spun into oncoming traffic and struck the driver’s side of a 1993 Dodge Stealth which was traveling westbound. Then the spinning Corvette hit a 2001 Toyota Highlander that had stopped on the westbound side of Tropicana. The 58-year old man who was behind the wheel of the Corvette was rushed to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center with critical injuries.
Other than the Tiberion driver, no one else was injured in the pileup. But if there had been people in the Stealth or Highlander who were hurt or killed, the Tiberion’s driver probably would have been held responsible since the Corvette would not have impacted either vehicle had the original rear-end collision not occurred. Of course, the Corvette driver may wish to file a personal injury lawsuit against the driver of the Tiberion in order to collect damages relating to medical costs, lost wages from work absenteeism, and emotional distress.