I-80 Accidents and Multi-Vehicle Pileups in Luzerne County
Interstate 80 cuts across the southern end of Luzerne County, past Hazleton, Drums and White Haven, and meets Interstate 81 just outside Hazleton. It is one of the busiest freight corridors in the country, with long grades, high speeds and some of the fastest-changing weather in Pennsylvania. When something goes wrong on I-80, it often involves more than two vehicles, and those crashes raise legal questions that a typical fender-bender doesn't.
Why I-80 crashes are so often serious
Heavy truck traffic. Tractor-trailers make up a large share of I-80 traffic, and a crash involving an 80,000-pound truck is rarely minor. See truck accidents.
Snow squalls and fog. Visibility on the mountain can drop to almost nothing in seconds, and road surfaces can go from wet to ice in a few miles. See snow and ice crashes.
Speed and following distance. When traffic stops suddenly at highway speed, drivers following too closely have no room to react. See rear-end collisions.
Work zones. Lane shifts and narrowed shoulders add risk on a road with little margin. See construction zone accidents.
Multi-vehicle pileups: who is at fault?
"The weather caused it" is not a legal defense. Pennsylvania law expects drivers to slow down for conditions, keep a safe following distance and stay in control. In a chain-reaction crash, more than one driver can share fault, and each driver's share is measured separately. A driver who rear-ends the car in front is often responsible for that impact, but not always for every impact in the chain.
Pennsylvania uses modified comparative negligence: your recovery is reduced by your share of fault, and you generally can't recover if you are more than 50% responsible. See comparative negligence. Under Pennsylvania's Fair Share Act, each defendant generally pays only its own share of the damages, unless it is found 60% or more at fault. That makes it important to identify every driver and company that contributed.
When there are many injured people and limited insurance
A pileup can leave a dozen injured people making claims against the same few insurance policies. If an at-fault driver carries low limits, those limits can be used up quickly. Your own coverage may become critical: underinsured motorist coverage, stacking and first-party medical benefits. See who pays your medical bills.
Evidence moves fast on the interstate
Vehicles are towed, debris is cleared and the road reopens, sometimes within hours. Crash reports for I-80 are typically prepared by the Pennsylvania State Police, and in a large pileup the report may take longer to finalize. See how to get your crash report. If a truck was involved, the carrier's electronic logging and vehicle data can be overwritten unless someone asks for it to be preserved early.
What to do after an I-80 crash
Get medical care, even if you feel okay. See delayed symptoms after an accident.
Photograph your vehicle, the road, the weather and any other vehicles if it is safe to do so.
Get names and insurance information for every driver you can, along with any trucking company names on the doors.
Be careful about recorded statements to other drivers' insurers. See talking to the adjuster.
Pennsylvania's two-year filing deadline applies to most injury claims. For more on highway crashes in our area, see I-81 accidents in Luzerne and Lackawanna County and our page for the Hazleton area.
Hurt on I-80? Joyce, Carmody & Moran is a Luzerne County personal injury firm with an office at 9 N. Main Street, Suite 4, in Pittston. Personal injury cases are typically handled on a contingent-fee basis: the attorney's fee comes from a recovery, and if there is no recovery there is no attorney's fee. Clients may still be responsible for certain case costs depending on the outcome and the written fee agreement, which we explain before you sign. Call 570-602-3560 or request a free consultation.
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