On Jan. 15 at around 6 p.m., an accident on Interstate 17 involving five vehicles resulted in two injuries and limited the flow of traffic to just one lane. Units from the Arizona Department of Public Safety were dispatched to the scene, as were units from the Sedona and Montezuma-Rimrock fire departments.
The accident was initially reported as a one-vehicle rollover. As the units were responding to the accident, they were informed that another four vehicles were involved in the wreck.
At the scene of the accident, two heavily damaged vehicles were on the right shoulder, and a travel trailer was obstructing the left lane. In the median, to the left of the other damaged vehicles, was another vehicle; it sustained rear-damage, and its air bags were deployed. South of these vehicles was a semi-truck with a trailer and a passenger car, both of which were also involved in the accident.
One of the injured individuals was struck by a vehicle when she left her own to see if anyone needed assistance. The other individual was a passenger in one of the other vehicles. Both were transported by ambulance to the Valley Medical Center for treatment and evaluation.
When an accident such as this occurs, evidence is typically gathered by accident reconstruction specialists, law enforcement and possibly other parties. This evidence may then be used by a personal injury lawyer in order to help his or her client receive compensation for damages resulting from the wreck. It is not uncommon for duty of care, a legal obligation to practice reasonable caution when carrying out actions that might cause harm to others, to come up in cases such as this. Establishing that the defendant abandoned his or her duty of care when the accident occurred is oftentimes an important first step to winning a case.
Source: Verde Independent, “Interstate accident involves 5 vehicles,” Jan. 17, 2015