A chain-reaction crash that began when a semitrailer collided with a stopped car on Interstate 65 in Marshall County left two people dead and two others injured Nov. 7. Some of the lanes in a southbound stretch of the highway were closed for several hours as 330 gallons of spilled fuel were cleaned up and debris was cleared.
The collision near mile marker 27 close to the Alabama state line began, according to authorities, when a semitrailer clipped the bumper of a Ford Taurus that was stopped in the middle of two lanes of travel. Another semitrailer approached the scene and was unable to stop before striking the car and its driver, who had reportedly exited the vehicle and was standing next to it in the roadway. The 56-year-old Racine, Wisconsin, man was killed by the impact, but his 57-year-old passenger inside the car was not reported to be injured.
Soon after the semitrailer struck the Wisconsin man, a 19-year-old Bethpage woman approached the scene in a Chrysler sedan and reportedly swerved to avoid striking the man’s body; the sedan then plowed into one of the semitrailers that had stopped at the scene. This impact killed her 20-year-old passenger from Georgia and left her with unspecified injuries. Lastly, one other vehicle became involved when it ran over the Wisconsin man’s body, which was still in the roadway; the driver was able to maneuver evasively to avoid striking any of the other vehicles.
After this complex automobile accident, the young Tennessee woman who was injured might be facing astronomical medical expenses and lost wages due to missing work to recover from her injuries if they were serious. While the reportedly responsible driver perished in the crash, it may be possible for her to file a civil claim against his estate in order to secure a settlement to cover her costs.
Source: News Channel 5, “2 Killed, 2 Injured In I-65S Crash In Marshall County“, November 07, 2013