On Thanksgiving Day 2012, nearly 150 cars were involved in a pile-up on I-10 near Beaumont, Texas.  The pile-up was sparked by two cars that collided during heavily foggy conditions. Additional vehicles were added to the crash scene as they drove into the fog  and slammed into one another.

The collision left two dead and two miles of cars, trucks, 18 wheelers, motor homes and other motor vehicles piled up and mangled along the highway. The Sheriff’s Department reported that nearly 100  people were transported to hospitals by ambulance with injuries ranging from whiplash to broken bones to life-threatening injuries.  About a dozen of the injured people were reported in critical condition.

The two who were killed were a couple from Pearland, Texas: Vincent Leggio (64) and his wife Debra Leggio (60). The couple died after an 18-wheeler collided with and crushed their SUV.

Historically, insurance companies claim that the fog is an Act of God that created an unavoidable accident–an accident was not the consequence of any person's negligence.   In a negligence-based tort system like in Texas, to recover from their insurance company, the injured victims must prove negligence on the part of someone else.

With cautious and careful driving, accidents involving fog are almost often avoidable.  While driving in foggy conditions can be very dangerous and is generally not advised, it can be done safely by following these simple rules:

• Reduce speed.
• Activate your hazards. Turning on your hazards will make you more visible to others.
• Roll down your window and turn off any noise-making devices within the vehicle. Listen for the sounds of other cars.
• Do not turn on your high beams. High beam lights in fog tend to reflect back into your eyes exacerbating visibility issues of the fog.
• Allow extra space between the vehicle ahead of you.
• Do not stop on the roadway. If you must stop, pull off the road as far as possible and turn off your driving lights.  If you do leave the roadway in your car, get out of the car and get as far away from the road as possible.

It is important to remember that posted signs and speed limits are designed for optimal driving conditions, and are likely to be unsafe during foggy weather.

If you do need to hire an injury attorney to assist with an accident, consider the law firms listed on this web site.