According to news reports 32 cars were involved in a pileup that occurred in the early morning hours of Monday Nov. 29 that sent 10 people to the hospital and caused the roadway to be shut down. The initial accident occurred around 5:30 a.m. as a northbound vehicle was slowing down to make an exit at Division Street off of State Highway 360 in Arlington. Another vehicle rear-ended the slowing car and spun off into traffic causing the multiple-vehicle pileup. All northbound lanes of Division Street were shut down. 10 people were sent to the hospital but none of the injuries were believed to have been life-threatening. Lanes reopened by 8:30 a.m. While the cause of the accident is still being investigated Arlington police believe rain on the roadway may have been a factor.
In multiple-car pileups it can sometimes prove challenging to assess liability. In these instances the notion of proximate cause often comes into play. Proximate cause simply means that a liable party contributed in some fashion to an accident causing injury or death. For example the driver that caused the initial accident could be considered a proximate cause of the multiple-vehicle accident since their apparent negligence started the chain of events that resulted in injury to 10 people. However proximate cause is highly dependent on the specifics of the accident and it can often take an independent investigation in order to ascertain who was responsible for what in such a massive accident. Its fortunate that such a large scale accident did not involve a fatality or apparently any serious injury. However this accident is yet another reminder to drive carefully especially in the early morning hours and when the road conditions may not be favorable.
