A tragic car accident in Nebraska claimed the lives of three people after the wreck left their vehicles ablaze. The crash began when a sport utility vehicle ran through a stop sign and collided with a tanker truck. It is unknown what the truck was carrying in its cargo. After that initial crash, a third vehicle — a semi-truck — struck the vehicles. Not much is known in terms of specifics of the crashes and the people inside the vehicles. The police haven’t identified the three deceased victims, and it is unknown which vehicles the victims were riding.
The accident is more complicated than it may seem, though. A road crew was working at the intersection where the crash occurred — and they were removing a stop sign so that it could be replaced.
Did the construction confuse the driver of the SUV, thus causing the accident? How will this factor into the liability of the accident should any surviving accident victims or the loved ones of the deceased choose to file a lawsuit?
There are still other questions that need to be answered as well. Even if the stop sign wasn’t there, and even if we assume the driver of the SUV was confused by the construction, he or she still should have driven at a slower speed given that construction was under way. Was the driver speeding?
As this story unfortunately demonstrates, car accidents can be much more complicated than they seem. Anyone who has suffered harm from a car accident needs to consult an experienced personal injury attorney if they are considering legal action.
Source: Omaha.com, “3 killed in fiery northeast Nebraska crash,” Associated Press, May 20, 2014