A driver in a car failed to pay attention today, November 17, 2008, and didn’t notice that traffic in front of him had stopped because of construction on the south side of the I-15. As a result, the driver’s car crashed into the back of a lifted Ford pickup truck. According to KSL.com, the car crash happened in the Sandy, Utah area and the car actually slid under the pickup truck because of the truck’s raised height. The car driver’s personal injuries were quite serious and he was cut out of the car and flown by helicopter to a
n area hospital.
In this case, the construction on the freeway wasn’t to blame. It was driver inattention that caused this crash to happen. The fact is, at any given time, there can be a situation on the freeway or other street that we have to react to. This is why there is the “two-second” rule, so that drivers who encounter these situations can have enough time to properly react. The two second rule, however, presumes that drivers are paying attention.
It would seem that the driver of the smaller car was distracted by something in his cabin. Perhaps he was on his cell phone, or text messaging someone at the time. Although there is no rule against using a cell phone or texting, there is a law that says that drivers are supposed to avoid activities that can cause distraction.
Obviously, the pick-up owner has a claim against the driver of car that slammed into him for this car wreck. The claim would be against that person’s insurance. If he was uninsured, it would be against his own insurance company. Naturally, he will also make a claim with the at-fault insurance company to have his truck repaired.
Ron Kramer is a personal injury attorney with offices in Draper and in Bountiful, Utah.
Published by: Ron Kramer
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