The California Highway Patrol responded to the scene of a head-on collision that occurred on Jan. 6. The incident took place around 6:50 a.m. in Contra Costa County and initially involved a collision between an SUV and a Sedan. Police are still trying to identify what caused the motor vehicle accident but believe that one of the vehicles most likely crossed over the double yellow lines into oncoming traffic.
The first collision caused a separate accident involving a Chrysler 300 and a Ford Windstar minivan. The impact on the Chrysler was so severe that rescuers had to perform CPR on the woman from the vehicle. She was airlifted by a medical helicopter to San Joaquin General Hospital and was said to be conscious at that time. She and the male driver of the minivan sustained critical injuries; the other two involved in the initial incident sustained minor injuries and were also treated at a local hospital.
Because the specific events that lead to the first accident are still unclear, police may conduct an accident reconstruction to assist in the investigation. If any eyewitnesses were present, their accounts of the accident may also help in the case. For example, if a witness states that one of the drivers appeared to be swerving before the collision, police may take that information into consideration in their investigation.
It is always possible that one of the drivers who caused severe injury to the other two individuals was driving while intoxicated or distracted in some way. When an individual sustains severe injuries as a direct result of another driver’s negligence, compensation for the damages may be pursued with the help of an injury attorney.
Source: Contra Costa Times, “Contra Costa County: 4 hospitalized after head-on crash on Byron Highway”, Rick Hurd, Jan. 6, 2015