The holidays are an exciting time, but as you brave the weather to get those last minute gifts and travel to see your family you must keep the weather conditions in mind and drive carefully. After spending several years as an auto accident attorney in a Kirkland personal injury law office I have seen the horrible devastation a holiday auto accident can bring to a family.
This last Saturday, December 18th a 5 car pileup occurred on Interstate 90 which sent 7 people to local hospitals. The multiple car accident was in the Eastbound lanes of I-90 near Roslyn, Washington. The auto accident injured 9 people between the 5 cars involved and sent 7 of these victims to hospitals in Bellevue and Ellensburg, Washington. One of the victims was expelled from a vehicle in the auto accident.
There were a variety of injuries in the car crash including; pelvic injuries, leg injuries, head injuries, arm injuries and injuries to the abdomen.
Investigation into the accident is ongoing, but it is suspected that road conditions may have played a role as ice and snow covered the Interstate.
Amazingly nobody was killed in this severe car crash, but thousands of drivers every year are not so lucky. The best advice for navigating the snow and ice is simply to stay home if the weather conditions are treacherous. This, however, is not always possible, so here are some tips to help you navigate the streets better in poor weather conditions:
- Make sure you have adequate tire tread for the conditions. Driving in rain, snow and ice all require different amounts of traction on the road.
- Drive Slowly! Many winter auto accidents are caused when drivers try to drive too fast for conditions.
- Keep your distance: You need much more space to stop in snow and ice and so it is important to keep appropriate space (3 times the normal distance) between you and the vehicle in front of you.
For more tips on driving in the winter and how to use change to measure you tire tread read the article: Preparing Your Vehicle for a Snow Storm.