Biggest Car Accidents in History

Finland: March 2005

A multi-vehicle collision is often referred to as a ‘pile up’ and is generally the result of an accident between two or more vehicles travelling at speed on a motorway or other major road. Extreme weather conditions often play a part and result in drivers not leaving enough space for adequate braking between vehicles.

Amongst the most notable pile ups in history is the multi vehicle incident which occurred on 17 March 2005 near Helsinki in Finland. At least 300 cars crashed resulting in 3 deaths and more than 60 injuries. In this case heavy snowfall together with a week of clear weather had conspired to give drivers a false impression of safety in what turned out to be treacherous conditions.

Germany: July 2009

The German Autobahn system is famous for having no upper speed limit restrictions and this usually works well in practice. Unfortunately, on 19 July 2009, 259 vehicles were involved in a pile-up due to heavy rain on the A2 near in Lower Saxony. Thankfully there were no fatalities but dozens of people were injured, with ten critically.

Brazil: September 2011

More recently in Brazil on 15 September 2011 at Rodovia dos Imigrantes in São Paulo, 300 vehicles were involved in a major incident which left one person dead and 50 injured. The accident occurred during heavy fog conditions.

Japan: December 2011

Another recent example of an expensive and large scale car crash, this incident in Japan saw 14 cars – 12 of which were sportscars – collide with one another. The incident was claimed to generate around £2 million worth of scrap metal while ten people were admitted to hospital with minor injuries.

The accident occurred on the Chugoku Expressway with two Ferrari F430s and Lamborghini Diablo amongst the list of expensive cars involved.

The aftermath of car accidents

Accidents which involve multi vehicle collisions cause problems for rescue services due to the way in which debris blocks access to victims. Of course, the large scale of these accidents can also close important routes for long periods of time whilst clean-up operations are in progress.

The destruction caused by the intense heat of fires can damage the surface of the road itself by melting the asphalt. Other major infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels can also be made unsafe and require expensive repair work over a period of months.

If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in such an incident where the initial circumstances causing the accident are unclear you can find out more about what you should do regarding claiming compensation by contacting a firm of personal injury attorneys.