Snow and Bad Weather Causes Massive Pileup on New York State Thruway

 One person was killed and another suffered serious injuries after a major pileup involving about 75 vehicles on the New York State Thruway just outside Buffalo. According to a news report in the New York Daily News, 11 other victims were transported to area hospitals after the crash, which occurred between the Depew and Pembroke exists. Officials said motorists were trapped in their vehicles. They estimated that at least 25 vehicles were directly involved in the accident. One witness who was traveling in the other direction on the thruway posted a video on Twitter showing cars backed up for about three-quarters of a mile.

Winter Weather Crashes
Winter has struck the northeast hard this year. We’ve already seen what has been described as a “bomb cyclone” that pummeled the area with snow. More storms and blizzards have been forecast for this winter. Unfortunately, with inclement weather, we tend to see more accidents occurring on our roadways.
Statistics from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) help show the dangers posed constantly by snowy and icy roads. More than 70 percent of the nation’s roads are located in snowy regions, those that receive more than five inches of snowfall annually. Nearly 70 percent of the nation’s population lives in these snowy regions. More than 1,300 people are killed and over 116,800 are injured in car accidents on snowy, slushy or icy roadways each year.
Also, every year, nearly 900 people are killed and nearly 76,000 injured in vehicle crashes during snowfall or sleet. About 24 percent of weather-related vehicle crashes occur on snowy or icy roadways and 15 percent occur during snowfall or sleet. And, winter road maintenance accounts for about 20 percent of the state department of transportation’s maintenance budget.
Driving Safely in the Snow
A number of winter-weather accidents are caused by negligent drivers who don’t take the necessary precautions while driving in the snow or in bad weather. There are a number of steps drivers can take to ensure their own safety as well as the safety of others on the roadway:
• Make sure your preventive maintenance is up to date before winter hits. Make sure your brakes are working properly. Worn brakes will be ineffective on icy roadways. Check the tread and air pressure in your tires. Tires lose pressure when the temperature outside drops. You will also want to make sure that your coolant, antifreeze, oil and gas levels are good to go and that your windshield wipers are working properly.
• Watch your speed. The biggest threat to drivers on wet, icy and snowy roads is the loss of traction. You should not drive on a road covered with ice and snow the same way you would on a sunny, clear day. When it snows, not only are roadways clogged and difficult to navigate, but visibility also gets poorer. So slow down and drive safely. Make sure you have plenty of time to make your trip and that you’re not rushing.
• Leave enough room between vehicles. When roads are icy, vehicles will take a longer time to come to a stop. So, make sure you leave plenty of space between your car and the vehicle ahead of you. The normal following distance rule of 3 to 4 seconds should become 8 to 10 seconds in winter weather. This will make it easier to stop if you need to.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a reckless driver or due to someone else’s negligence, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. For over 46 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims.
Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a man who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/massive-car-pileup-shuts-thruway-buffalo-article-1.3733662