California man dies after multi-vehicle wreck

A five-vehicle accident on Interstate 405 in Irvine, California, took the life of one man and hurt three others on August 4. The chain-reaction auto accident was reported during rush-hour traffic just after 6:00 p.m.

Investigators with the California Highway Patrol said the incident began when a Ford Windstar in the left-most lane of the southbound side of I-405 came up on traffic that had stopped. Authorities say the 52-year-old driver did not see the stopped cars ahead of him until it was too late and hit the back of a 2013 Toyota Prius driven by a 34-year-old Rancho San Margarita man.

After being hit by the Windstar, the Prius struck a 2012 Volkswagen Passat. The Passat was forced into the rear end of a Chevrolet Trailblazer, which in turn struck a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. Emergency personnel who responded to the scene found the driver of the Prius was trapped in his vehicle. He was successfully extracted and transported to an area hospital with traumatic injuries, but he later died as a result of those injuries. Three other individuals suffered only minor injuries.

A driver's failure to keep his or her eyes on the road, especially in heavy traffic, can spell disaster for other motorists. The carelessness of a distracted driver can have far-reaching effects for the families of fatal accident victims. Those effects are sometimes financial in nature and can include losing a decedent's income as well as incurring medical bills and funeral expenses. A victim's surviving family members may decide that a wrongful death lawsuit is in order, and an attorney could help counsel those facing that sort of decision on their best course of action.

Source: Orange County Register, "Driver killed in multi-vehicle crash on I-405", Salvador Hernandez, August 07, 2014