Out on Highway 17 in Leland, North Carolina (N.C.) there was a four car accident on that delayed traffic for more than 2 hours Friday morning. Police in Leland said the impact caused one of the four cars involved to burst into flames.
After the initial crash a truck slammed into the back of an already wrecked sedan. Officials have reported that at least 10 people were involved in the accident. There were six accident victims that had to be taken to the hospital with various injuries related to the traffic accident. The cause of the accident is still being investigated.
As a rule of thumb, crashing into another car is equivalent to crashing into a rigid surface (like a wall) at half of the speed. This means that rear-ending a still car while going at 30 mph is equivalent, in terms of forces, to crashing into a wall at 15 mph. The same is true for the vehicle crashed into.
A typical medical consequence of rear-ends, even in case of collisions at moderate speed, is whiplash. In more severe cases permanent injuries, e.g. herniation, may occur.
BM