A recent collision involving three vehicles in Huntsville seriously injured two individuals and trapped one driver inside his Chevy S10 truck. It took nearly 30 minutes for respondents to extricate the man from his vehicle, which was hanging off the Memorial Parkway overpass following the car accident.
According to authorities, the wreck occurred when the man drove the wrong way on the stretch of the Parkway near Sparkman Drive and hit a Volkswagen Passat, sending it into a barrier. The truck then collided with a Mazda RX-7, coming to rest on the car’s hood while the back end of the truck dangled over the Parkway. The driver of the Passat reportedly sustained minor injuries, and the truck driver as well as the individual driving the Mazda are both reported to be in serious condition at Huntsville Hospital.
The accident remains under investigation, and no arrests have yet been made. Police administered a blood test to the truck driver and are awaiting the results.
Toxicology results, when properly obtained, are often sufficient evidence of per se negligence on the part of the driver who purportedly caused an accident. Most commonly, per se negligence involves driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which can severely impair one’s reaction time and judgment and potentially cause an accident that seriously injures or even results in the death of other individuals. Regardless of the criminal charges lodged against a negligent driver, however, the victims have legal recourse against a driver who was acting negligently or recklessly. With the help of a skilled Alabama personal injury attorney, they may file a claim against the driver in order to potentially obtain compensation to help pay for medical expenses, property damage, pain and suffering and other costs that their insurance company may not assist with.
Source: WSFA 12, “Truck hangs off overpass after 3-vehicle wreck,” March 29, 2013
