Kansas City, like most cities, has its fair share of traffic. Depending upon the time of the day and the day of the week, you may be sharing the road with quite a few other drivers. Driving on crowded roads can feel uncomfortable because there is not much room to maneuver. When one vehicle collides with another on a busy road, other vehicles that are nearby may also become involved in the wreck. These kinds of situations are often referred to as pile-up accidents or chain reaction accidents.
Chain reaction accidents in and around Kansas City can happen on busy roads, and they can also happen when road conditions and visibility are poor due to inclement weather. Rain, ice, and snow have been the cause of several chain reaction accidents in the area in recent years. One of the most recent pile-up accidents in the area happened in March of this year. Light snow was falling in the early morning hours of March 24, 2014. The snow caused slippery road conditions, and twenty two vehicles became entangled in a chain reaction accident on a ramp near Highway 69 and Interstate 35.
Since chain reaction accidents can happen at any time of year and in any sort of weather, Kansas City drivers should know that there are things that they can do to avoid them. One very important thing to do is adjust your driving to the current weather and road conditions. Rain, fog, snow, and sleet can affect your traction on the road surface, and they can also decrease visibility. Both of these things increase your risk for having an accident, or for being unable to avoid piling on to an accident which is already in the roadway. If you drive slower when the road could be slippery or when it is difficult to see, you give yourself more time to respond to anything that you see on the road, whether it is an accident, an animal, or the brake lights of the vehicle in front of you.
A second way to avoid becoming involved in a chain reaction accident is to stay far enough away from the vehicle in front of you. Leaving a space of one car length for every ten miles per hour of your speed gives you space to see what is going on in front of you, and an opportunity to respond to it. When drivers follow other vehicles too closely, they increase the chance that they will collide with the vehicle in front of them if it stops short.
Unfortunately, not all accidents can be prevented by implementing safe driving tips like the ones discussed above. Even when you drive safely, other drivers who are sharing the road with you may not. If you have been injured in a pile-up accident or any other type of automobile accident, it is important that you speak with a Kansas City Automobile Accident Attorney as soon as you can. Your attorney can help you to determine the amount of damages that you have suffered as a result of the accident, and they can help you to pursue the financial recovery that you need and deserve.
The knowledgeable Kansas City Personal Injury Attorneys at Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. help clients from throughout the region, including St. Joseph, Independence, Lees Summit, Columbia, Warrensburg, Overland Park, Olathe, Atchison, Lawrence, Topeka, and many other Kansas and Missouri communities. Please call us today, at (816) 472- 4673 to arrange for an initial consultation.