Chain-reaction crash in New York injures 27 people

Among the most devastating crash scenarios are chain-reaction accidents. Now that winter weather has come to New York, we can expect to see more of these multi-vehicle accidents on roads and highways throughout the state.

Last week, a drunk driver was allegedly responsible for causing a chain-reaction crash that left at least 27 people injured. The accident, which occurred just outside Syracuse on Interstate 81, also involved a semi truck and a tour bus full of people headed toward New York City.

According to news sources, the 2:30 a.m. accident started when a drunk driver struck a guardrail, which brought the vehicle to a stop on the highway. At some point, the drunk driver allegedly abandoned the vehicle.

In an apparent effort to protect and warn other drivers, the driver of a tractor-trailer pulled over near the stopped vehicle. Shortly thereafter, both the car and the semi truck were struck by a tour bus carrying over 50 passengers from Canada to New York City.

Amazingly, there were no fatalities associated with the accident. However, 27 people aboard the bus were injured, including the bus driver. It took emergency crews nearly two hours to free him from the vehicle. He and other victims were transported to area hospitals by 10 ambulances at the scene.

Police did not have to travel very far from the accident site in order to find the drunk driver. He was arrested and could potentially face civil lawsuits as well as criminal charges.

Like many chain-reaction crashes, this seemed to be a “perfect storm” of factors that either make crashes more likely or more serious. Some of these factors include highway driving, drunk driving, traveling at night and traveling alongside large vehicles.

If you or a loved one was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident caused by another driver’s negligence, you do have options. Please share your story with an experienced personal injury attorney.

Source: Reuters, “Bus, car and truck crash injures 27 people near Syracuse,” Matthew Liptak, Nov. 6, 2014