Typically, a Palm Coast driver who’s involved in a caraccident won’t need to consult an attorney unless someone is killed or seriously injured. Right now across Florida, several families are grieving – and wondering whom to blame – for the fatal pile-up that took the lives of 10 drivers near Gainesville on a smoke-enveloped Florida interstate. As Palm Coast residents who follow the news are aware, the fire might have been due to the actions of a malicious arsonist. But it may be Florida’s highway officials who find themselves on the receiving end of the lawsuits that Palm Coast car accident attorneys are no doubt busily preparing.
Arson has been discussed as the cause of the gruesome caraccident, which in addition to the fatalities, sent at least 12 people to the hospital. A fire on the highway produced so much smoke that drivers were instantly blinded. The result was a pileup out of a Hollywood disaster movie: a dozen cars and six tractor trailers, some of which burst into flames. Cars were crushed under semis, and the wreckage from the accident was strewn for a mile. Some bystanders described the scene looking as if cars had been picked up and tossed across the highway.When emergency workers arrived on the scene, visibility was so low that they had to locate victims by their screams and moans.
Palm Coast car accident attorneys looking into the families’ claims will no doubt seize on the fact that this section of the highway had been closed some time earlier because of the fire. But when visibility improved, state highway officials made the fateful decision to reopen the road. It’s not yet clear how long after the highway was reopened that the accident took place, but federal and state investigators will be looking into the tragedy for some time. In the meantime, dozens of agonized family members are left to wonder whether this horrific disaster could have been averted had officials been more cautious.
But this terrible accident is not the first to be blamed on highway fires in the state. In 2008, a series of crashes caused by smoke and fog from highway fires on Interstate 4 injured up to 38 people and involved at least 70 vehicles. Strange to say, fires are one hazard to add to the list of possible dangers facing Palm Coast residents and drivers throughout the state. Whatever the cause, more victims may decide to consult with a Palm Coast car accident attorneys. Ironically, some may end up holding responsible the same state officials they depend on to keep the highways safe.
