While massive pileups don’t happen frequently, clearing the roads can take hours, investigations can take weeks, insurance claims checks may not arrive for months, and lawsuits can drag on for years.
A massive pileup can stretch for miles and involve hundreds of vehicles. Here are a few examples from past years:
- In February 2018, there was a 70-car pileup on Interstate 35 near Ames, Iowa
- A January 2013 pileup in Ohio on Interstate 275 involved 103 vehicles and about 200 people. There were 27 injuries and one death. A snowstorm dropped visibility to zero and glazed the road over with ice.
- Heavy fog in Texas resulted in a 140-car pileup on Thanksgiving Day 2012. Two people were killed and 80 were injured. The initial crash started on the eastbound side of the highway, which led to a chain reaction of collisions on both the eastbound and westbound lanes.
With so many moving vehicles, blame is difficult to pin down. And even if the blame is obvious, who’s got enough liability insurance to pay for dozens of totaled cars? (See a map of minimum state car insurance requirements.) That’s why it’s always wise to buy full car insurance, including collision coverage.
How they happen and who’s to blame
Drunk drivers, red-light runners and speeders often cause smaller pileups by starting a chain reaction when they plow into a car in front of them. Experts say that assessing blame in these types of accidents is usually pretty straightforward. Almost always, you are responsible for the damage to the car immediately in front of you because you were following too closely.
In the case of massive pileups, the weather is usually a contributing factor.
Even if the police cannot pinpoint the exact cause of a pileup, drivers may still end up with a ticket. Lt. Chris Miller of the Florida Highway Patrol and sub-district commander of the Lakeland District, who investigated a 47-car crash on Interstate 75 in October 2012, says that while the weather is often a contributing factor, the driver is responsible for adjusting his speed and the gap between the cars. Nineteen drivers were cited in that October crash.
Colerain Township, Ohio, traffic investigation specialist Mark Meyers issued a report on the Ohio crash, hundreds of pages long and weeks in the making — but wrote “fault cannot be placed.”
Insurers, hoping to avoid big payouts, conduct their own investigations. Ward confirms that insurers put investigators in the field who review the police report, interview witnesses and examine the physical evidence to decide what to do about each claim.
Let the insurers sort it out
In most cases, you are on your own when it comes to pileups.
The truth is that no one carries enough coverage to pay for the damage caused by a massive pileup. If one person is responsible for the accident, their liability coverage would quickly be used up.
This is when your collision coverage will earn its keep. Collision insurance covers damage to your vehicle if you are involved in a wreck and you are at fault, the other driver lacks insurance or is underinsured, or if there is no way to determine fault.
Don Johnson, past Property and Catastrophe claim Associate Vice President with American Family Insurance warns that pile-up claims can take months to settle because more than one party often shares the fault. Evaluating comparative fault prolongs the settlement process. The process can become even more involved if significant injuries occur as insurers seek to sort out their exposure and recovery options.
You will have to pay your collision deductible, but you might get that back if your insurance company can claim successfully against another driver.
Why you should file a claim quickly
So, what happens if you don’t carry collision coverage? Getting your car repaired is going to be a lot more complicated.
If you know which car hit you, you can make a claim against that driver’s liability coverage. Ward advises gathering as much information about the driver and his or her insurance company at the accident scene, filing a claim as soon as possible and then crossing your fingers.
A quick claim is also important if the blame falls on a single driver as even a small pileup will exhaust a driver’s liability coverage.
Getting your claim in first will put you at the top of the payout list. If you wait too long or the responsible driver carries low coverage levels, you will have to repair your own vehicle or pursue damages in court.
— Mark Vallet contributed to this story.
Get advice from an experienced insurance professional. Our experts will help you navigate your insurance questions with clarity and confidence.
Browse all FAQs