Fully 20 vehicles were involved in one chain reaction car crash in Northern Nevada earlier today. Fortunately, early reports are that no one was seriously injured. Early reports from the scene indicate, however, that at least eight people suffered injury from this crash, which reportedly was started by a commercial vehicle negligence in Washoe County. One woman was said to have been airlifted to the hospital. However, this woman was not reported to have been involved in the accident itself, she was just in the middle of pregnancy labor and in need of professional obstetric care. As you can imagine, a 20 car accident near Reno closed down the highway completely in one direction (Interstate 80 in the western direction, to the east of Sparks). Both lanes of the freeway were closed for over three hours, with the full freeway not reopening for roughly five hours after the crash. If you were in labor and stuck in that kind of a traffic snarl, you’d probably need a helicopter to get you to the hospital, too! She was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Reno. Again, as far as we’ve heard thus far, the vehicle she was in was not involved in the accident.
The cause of the crash is said to have been a commercial truck negligence in Northern Nevada. A commercial truck carrying gravel was said to have spilled all or part of its contents across the freeway. This created the havoc that saw 8 people injured across a 20 vehicle span. Though have been reported to be minor injuries, they’re still injuries. You can just imagine how gravel spilling across the freeway would cause some drivers to lose control, in turn causing other drivers to lose control trying to avoid them. Stopped traffic then getting struck from behind by vehicles who were either not paying attention momentarily, did not have the time to react, or were speeding in Nevada.
If you’re involved in an accident like this, Benson & Bingham can help. Our top commercial truck accident attorneys in Southern Nevada and Northern Nevada know how to prosecute your case, and can get you the best coverage available for your injuries. Contact Benson & Bingham today for a free consultation.