A three-vehicle accident in the western part of Phoenix left one person dead. Additionally, five other people involved in the accident were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. Police described all of these injuries as non life-threatening, but the full extent of the injuries was not known.
The accident involved two SUVs and a passenger sedan. The driver of one of the SUVs pulled out of a private lot and struck the sedan, which was traveling on a city street. The impact forced the sedan into the path of another SUV coming from the other direction. The end result was a separate head-on collision that left the driver of the sedan dead.
The driver of the SUV that originally struck the sedan, as well as all the occupants of the SUV, were taken to nearby hospitals after the accident, which occurred in the evening hours.
Police are continuing to investigate and had to close the street while doing so. Police did say that they do not suspect that drugs or alcohol were involved.
Still, this tragic story illustrates the importance of taking basic safety measures like double-checking for traffic before pulling out of a driveway, an alley or a private parking lot. In general, motorists who are coming out of a parking lot or driveway must yield the right of way to drivers already on the street.
Unfortunately, when drivers do not yield, the result is not always merely a “fender bender,” where the only damages are vehicular. For instance, in this car accident, one person died and several people suffered injuries that required a trip to the hospital. Victims of these sorts of accidents may want to determine what steps they need to take if they choose to pursue compensation for the damages they suffered.
