Washington Co, UT (August 02, 2022) – A driver was arrested just outside of Washington for reckless driving after they crashed into at least five other vehicles on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 2nd.
Troopers from the Utah Highway Patrol said the incident started in Arizona and ended in Utah on Interstate 15 near mile marker 17 when the reckless driver of a passenger vehicle tried to pass between cars on the interstate.
At least four vehicles were struck on the Utah side, and one was struck on the Arizona side.
When questioned by officials, the driver said they were unaware that any crash had occurred.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety is assisting in the investigation, which has not yet ruled out impairment or a medical issue as factors.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that several people sustained non-critical injuries during the incident.
Our thoughts are with the injured victim and their family at this time. We hope for their full recovery.
After a collision involving a drunk driver, you must seek immediate medical care. Vehicle collisions often cause their victims to undergo critical injuries. Additionally, you can make any existing injuries a lot worse by refusing medical attention.
In this situation, the smartest thing you can do is consent to an examination by the emergency medical services team even if you feel fine and are not showing any obvious signs of physical injury.
Some of the most common injuries that victims of drunk drivers in Utah sustain are:
- Broken Bones: Broken bones vary in their severity. A broken bone can encompass anything from a hairline fracture to a compound fracture where the bone is protruding through the skin. Although broken bones eventually heal, it can take some victims a long time to fully recover.
- Traumatic Brain Injury: When people think of head injuries, they often imagine something simple such as dizziness and headaches. There are cases, however, when these symptoms indicate something much more serious, like a traumatic brain injury. In order to ensure that a TBI is properly identified, a professional medical diagnosis is required.
- Burn Injuries: In some circumstances, a vehicle crash can lead to a fire. Vehicle fires often cause collision victims to sustain serious burn injuries and even asphyxiate.
- Crush Injuries: A crush injury occurs when a part of the body is trapped in wreckage from a crash. A medical team needs to quickly extricate you in order to prevent the crush injury from becoming increasingly severe.
Just like in other personal injury cases, victims are eligible for compensation from the liable party. They will, however, have to prove that the driver’s carelessness was the cause of their accident. If the victim is able to demonstrate the negligent driver’s liability for the crash, they could be eligible to collect:
- Punitive Damages: Punitive damages are intended as a punishment rather than recompense. A court may appoint punitive damages to the respondent if they feel that their behavior was grossly negligent.
- Non-Economic Damages: Drunk driving victims often endure emotional anguish or other emotional health problems following either their accident or one in which they lost a family member. In these cases, a victim is able to demand non-economic damages from the respondent. These are immaterial losses that do not have anything to do with the victim’s finances.
- Economic Damages: Economic damages are tangible, calculable losses that impact the victim’s financial resources. The person liable is required by the law to compensate the victim for their losses. The victim of a drunk driving accident is able to collect remuneration for their medical costs, lost earnings, and damage to their property.
If you were hurt due to someone’s irresponsible driving, contact a personal injury attorney from Jardine Law Offices P.C. in Utah by calling 801-350-3506 to schedule a free case review.
Notes: The details and information utilized to create this post were gathered through the use of secondary sources. The details surrounding this accident have not been independently verified by the writing staff at Jardine Law Offices P.C.. These sources include but are not limited to newspaper stories, local news sources, local and state police reports, and eyewitness accounts about serious accidents that take place in Farmington and Salt Lake City, Utah. If you locate any information that is inaccurate, please contact us right away so that we can update the post with the most accurate information available. If you would like the post to be removed, please let us know and we will remove it as soon as possible.
Disclaimers: The attorneys at Jardine Law Offices P.C. have worked hard through the years to build a solid business reputation in the community. We write about these serious incidents to bring awareness about the dangers associated with driving in hopes that our fellow community members will use an abundance of caution when operating a motor vehicle and avoid being involved in a serious accident themselves. This story is not intended to be a solicitation for business. The information provided in this post should not be misconstrued as medical or legal advice. The photos used in this post are not taken from the scene of this accident.