On October 12, 2007, 34 vehicles crashed inside a tunnel along I-5 in Southern California. A diesel tanker spilled fuel onto the freeway which exploded. Three people died. Although the California Highway Patrol completed their accident investigation fairly quickly–and assigned responsibility to speeding drivers, including a trucking company using faulty brakes–the three surviving families have not recovered a dime for their losses. One of the dead, an entrepreneur carefully driving his recently purchased tractor-trailer on the slick roads, left a young family behind in dire financial straits. Tragically, the defense seems to be able to avoid paying money to help make up for the losses of these families by taking advantage of the sheer number of people involved in the crash and related pressures on the court system. Here is an L.A. Times article discussing the matter: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tobar-20100618,0,4762224,full.column
Tags: Car Accidents, Defense Attorneys, Justice, lawsuit, Motor Vehicle Collisions, Wrongful Death