Three people, including a 3 year old child, died in a horrific Woodland accident that sent 5 cars up in flames following a chain reaction collision on southbound Interstate 5 near Woodland on Monday. Seven other people were taken to area hospitals for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash. The crash, which occurred at 12:45 p.m. near County Road 102 involved two sport utility cars, a Jeep, a four-door passenger car and a  bobtail freight truck.  Bystanders  tried to rescue the 3 year old who was riding in a safety seat in the passenger but were pushed back by flames.  Two adults in an SUV were also pronounced dead at the scene. Investigation into the crash and fires was assigned to CHP’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (“MAITT”), and the causes had not yet been determined late Monday.  The Woodland I-5 accident remains under investigation.

Nothing is more devastating than losing a loved one, especially if it is unexpected and as the result of someone’s negligence. The law provides that certain family members, usually a spouse, child or parent, have the right to recover compensation for certain losses if someone is liable for causing another person’s death. These losses include both economic and non-economic damages. The most significant economic loss recoverable in a wrongful death claim is typically the loss of financial support and other benefits that the deceased would have provided in his or her lifetime to the person making the claim. Other damages include the loss of love, support and companionship of the deceased person.

Anyone seriously injured in an auto accident has a number of serious issues to deal with after a collision like this. First, legal responsibility for the collision must be determined. Sometimes that requires investigation beyond what is contained in the police report. Second, the medical bills must be paid. Even if there is health insurance to pay for the bills initially, the health insurance company will likely seek reimbursement from any liability insurance recovery. That means that the health insurance company will be competing for money that otherwise would go to the injured victim. Third, when there are multiple people injured in a crash, they will often be competing for a proportional share of a limited amount of insurance money. Lastly, insurance companies will do whatever they can to avoid paying fair compensation for not only medical bills, but lost income and pain and suffering as well.

Because of these and many other issues, wrongful death and injury victims involved in a tragic accident like this are strongly urged to consult with an experienced California Personal Injury Attorney who will make sure that the victims’ rights are protected.

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The Demas & Rosenthal personal injury law firm is not currently representing anyone mentioned in this article at the time it was posted. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your legal rights and options, call us or another well recognized and respected personal injury law firm. Please do not rely or act solely upon the information provided in this article. Please consider getting a consultation immediately. The best personal injury law firms will provide a free consultation. Demas & Rosenthal will provide a free, confidential consultation to the persons who were not at fault named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.