They seem more common these days. A crash occurs when traffic is slowed for some other reason, such as congestion on the highways around Nashville or for road construction that is ever present. Sometimes a second crash occurs after the first crash caused traffic to backup and another vehicle crashes in that congestion.
Near Clarksville a few weeks ago, traffic was slow due to the afternoon rush hour. A pickup approached the line of backed up cars and apparently did not notice the stopped traffic until it was too late to slow down. He apparently swerved across the centerline to avoid a rear-end crash only to plow head-on into oncoming traffic in the other lane.
Four people died as a result of that decision. It was the last mistake the driver would ever have an opportunity to make and, tragically, three other innocent individuals died in the other vehicle after the collision. The pickup flipped after the crash and caught fire.
Police noted that speed was the principle factor in why this crash occurred and why it was deadly. Had the pickup driver not been traveling excessively fast, he likely would have had time to slow and would not have gone into the other lane. It is unlikely this slowdown during evening rush hour was a surprise.
Anyone who has driven expects traffic to be slow at such times. All that is called for is caution and a recognition that you may have to stop unexpectedly. It is simply negligence to race from intersection to intersection. Even on area interstates at that time of day, congestion is as predictable as sunset.
It is unclear if he may have been distracted by texting or cell phone use, but if you are ever the victim of such a crash, you should have your attorney investigate the other driver’s phone records to determine if cell phone distraction was a contributory factor.