A crash generally becomes a chain reaction accident when there are three or more vehicles involved. Because there are multiple vehicles involved, determining fault can be a complex issue. Generally, the person who caused the initial accident is determined to be at fault for the entire chain reaction, though that becomes a more complex issue when more than four vehicles are involved. Generally, without the presence of surveillance cameras or eyewitness statements determining that another vehicle has fault, it can be determined that the initial vehicle is at fault. When determining fault, insurance companies will put heavy emphasis on police reports and if there were citations issued.
The Lutz, Florida Patch reports that the infant daughter of a firefighter has died following a chain-reaction crash.
Last Friday, Pasco County Fire Rescue firefighter Hunter Garcia, his wife Kayla, and their infant daughter were driving along Van Dyke Road when they became involved in a multi-car crash.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the crash. Initial investigation has revealed that a vehicle traveling on Brown Street ran a stop sign and T-boned a car that had been traveling on Van Dyke. This initial crashed caused a chain reaction that eventually involved four vehicles, including Garcia’s vehicle.
Garcia suffered from a fractured orbital bone and his wife suffered from fractures to her back and pelvis. The baby, who sustained life-threatening injuries, succumbed to those injuries yesterday.
Garcia had been with the fire department for two years. Prior to that, he had worked for five years at Winn Dixie while he worked towards his dream of being a firefighter.
Initial reports indicated that their daughter was seven months old, but a family friend said that the baby was just four months old.