A multi-car wreck at Charleston’s Big Mix can put you in immediate danger, especially when one collision leads to another in heavy interchange traffic. At the I-64/I-77 interchange, several streams of traffic come together, so one collision may involve more than two vehicles. One car can hit you, then another vehicle could strike you soon after. Once traffic stops, you are often trying to work out what happened while also checking yourself for injuries.
Your first focus is usually getting somewhere safe and paying attention to how you are doing. After that, it helps to be careful when you explain the crash. With several cars involved at this busy Charleston interchange, you might have seen only one part of what happened.
Pay attention to your injuries
A pileup can expose you to more than one impact. Even if you stay awake and walk away from your car, pain or stiffness may not start right away.
If traffic around the Big Mix still puts you at risk, you might want to move somewhere safer when you can do so without putting yourself in more danger. New pain or other symptoms could also give you a reason to seek medical care. That visit gives you a record of what you reported and when you received treatment.
Talk about what you actually saw
More than one driver may share fault for the same wreck. In a multi-car crash, insurers often look at each driver’s actions when deciding who contributed to the collision.
When police or an insurer asks what happened, you could stick to what you remember seeing or hearing. You do not have to estimate another car’s speed or guess about events outside your view. Insurers often compare those accounts with available records before deciding how they believe the wreck happened.
Keep track of what happens next
You might want to keep your medical and repair papers together while you recover. Saving insurance messages in the same place can make it easier to follow what each company says about the wreck. If there is disagreement about fault, learning how a motor vehicle injury claim works may help you determine your next steps.