Roosevelt Blvd. Car Accidents Rock North Philadelphia

Car accidents come in many varieties. There is no formula or predictor for how bad a car accident will be, other than general factors, such as the speed traveled and the size and weight of the vehicles involved. In the early morning hours of February 21, 2016, a series of late night car accidents on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia, PA demonstrated the catastrophic unpredictability of these events.

Police say that 11 people, including two 7-year-old children were injured in 3 separate car accidents on a 1 mile stretch of Roosevelt Blvd. in North Philadelphia.

The first accident occurred between Wissahickon Ave. and Broad Street. The driver of an SUV lost control of his vehicle, collided with the median, and rolled over. This terrible collision caused the driver and a 7-year-old child to be ejected from the vehicle. A second 7-year-old child was trapped inside. All three were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Four other passengers were treated for minor injuries.

After that terrible car accident, two other vehicles, each with two passengers, collided along the same stretch of Roosevelt Blvd. The condition of the passengers was not released. Police have not determined the cause of the car accidents.

As for the first car accident, a driver of a vehicle has a duty to keep his vehicle under control at all times. History has shown that, for SUVs, this may prove more difficult, as SUVs are more prone to rollover car accidents than other vehicles. Why does this happen? Any vehicle can rollover, however, SUVs are more susceptible to rollover accidents because they are taller and narrower, giving them a higher center of gravity. Sideways forces, such as when a vehicle rounds a curve too fast, can dramatically shift the balance of the vehicle, causing it to rollover.

As for the subsequent car accidents, while the police have not suggested a cause, some car accidents are caused by motorists being distracted by the sight of another car accident. Did you know that in the United Kingdom, police may put up large screens around car accident sites, mainly to prevent traffic congestion? This is because, as human beings, it is difficult to resist the sight of twisted metal. We also want to be sure that everyone involved is okay, so we slow down and look at the car accident scene, instead of the road ahead. In the U.K., people who slow down to look at car accidents are called “rubberneckers.”

While the facts are not known as to what caused the later car accidents on Roosevelt Blvd., it is possible that “rubbernecking” could have played a role.

At The Beasley Firm, our Philadelphia car accident attorneys have well over 100+ years of combined experience advocating for our clients who are injured or killed in every type of car accident. If you or a loved one was injured or killed in a car accident, use our contact form and put our experience to work for you.