Recently, there was a deadly multi-vehicle accident in Colleton County. According to WCSC 5, the fatal wreck happened on Interstate 95 near mile marker 53. The incident took place on a Sunday afternoon and involved six vehicles. The vehicles were traveling southbound on I-95 when the accident happened. Reportedly, all six vehicles collided.
Two of the vehicles caught on fire. The three people who died in the wreck were trapped in one of the vehicles that caught on fire. Bystanders attempted to rescue the three people trapped in the burning car but were unable to free them.
Eight others were injured in the chain-reaction accident, including a 17-year-old girl who had to be flown to a trauma center. At the time of this report, South Carolina Highway Patrol was still trying to determine what caused the incident.
What Can I Do to Avoid Chain-Reaction Car Accidents?
There’s no way to guarantee that you will never be involved in a chain-reaction accident. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t things you can do while you’re driving that can lessen the chances that you’re in a chain-reaction car accident. The following are four tips that can help you avoid chain-reaction auto accidents:
- Avoid Tailgating – You need to give yourself ample time to stop if the vehicle in front of you stops suddenly. Under normal circumstances, a 3-second following distance is usually safe. However, if weather, road, or traffic conditions are bad, you may need to give yourself as much as a 10-second following distance.
- Don’t Speed – The speed limit is posted for a reason. It is meant to make sure vehicles are traveling at the safest speed for traffic, weather, and road conditions. When you speed, you not only endanger yourself but also anyone else sharing the road with you. The faster you’re driving, the less time you have to react to sudden changes in traffic and the more time you need to stop your vehicle.
- Keep an Eye on the Road – Road conditions can change quickly, especially when you’re driving on the interstate. If it starts raining, the roads can become slick quickly, which makes it more difficult to stop in time to avoid wrecks. In addition, construction zones can sometimes seemingly pop up out of nowhere, leading to the need to make sudden stops. Fog is another weather problem that can appear suddenly and make driving on the interstate more dangerous. You must stay aware of everything, especially when driving at high speeds and sharing the road with others.
- Keep an Eye on Other Drivers – It’s not only important to avoid tailgating, but also to keep a safe distance between your car and other vehicles behind you and beside you on the road. Keep an eye on your rearview mirror and make sure you’re not being tailgated, and if you are, maybe change lanes and let that vehicle pass you. In addition, try to avoid driving directly beside other vehicles for longer than a few seconds. If either of you needed to change lanes suddenly, it could lead to a wreck.
Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Experienced Car Accident Lawyers Today
Pierce, Sloan, Kennedy & Early LLC has been protecting the rights of car accident victims and their families for over 20 years. We’ve seen how the aftermath of multiple-vehicle pileups can impact victims and their families.
Our experienced car accident attorneys can help injury victims bring those responsible for their pain and suffering to justice, including recovering the compensation victims and their families need for loss of income, current and future medical costs, living expenses, and more. Let us carry the legal burden while you concentrate on recovering and getting your life back on track.
For more information about what to do following a chain-reaction accident, call us at (843) 968-0886 or contact us online today for a free, no-obligation consultation with our experienced car accident lawyers.