A police officer, a fighter and two other people were hospitalized with injuries after being stuck by two other vehicles while at the scene of an earlier accident at the intersection of Magruder Boulevard and Hampton Roads Center Parkway in Hampton, Virginia (VA). The accident occurred at the end of the evening rush hour on September 17, 2014. The injured individuals are expected to recover. It is unclear whether any charges will be filed in relation to the chain-reaction crash.
According to a description of the accident provided by WAVY-TV 10, the two emergency responders arrived at the accident scene of the first wreck separately. Their city vehicles were then rammed into by drivers in a Honda and a Jeep, respectively. Regardless of whatever else occurred, it appears that the people behind the wheels of the private vehicles failed to observe laws requiring drivers approaching crashes and stooped emergency vehicles to slow down and move around crash sites as safely as possible. Those so-called “move over” laws are in place to protect police, fire personnel, tow truck operators and EMTs from injuries and death.
In all, the chain-reaction crash involved six cars and SUVs. It also left four people injured and multiple individuals with varying degrees of liability for causing physical harm and damage to both private and public property. While it is good news that everyone survived the several rear-end and sideswipe collisions, sorting out all the legal and insurance issues could take months, if not a year or longer. Everyone involved would be well advised to seek a free consultation with an experienced Virginia personal injury lawyer to learn how to protect their rights and secure deserved compensation.
EJL