Two Injured in 3-Vehicle Collision in St. Cloud on April 7, 2011

According to the St. Cloud Times, two people were taken to the hospital after a three-vehicle collision on Thursday, April 7, 2011 in St. Cloud.

The three vehicles were in traffic at 14th Avenue and Highway 23, when the third car rear-ended the second car, which pushed the second car into the first car. The driver that initiated the chain reaction crash was cited for inattentive driving.

Be careful out there on Minnesota’s roads!

To avoid being involved in a motor vehicle collision, check out these safe-driving tips:

Know your blind spots. All vehicles have blind spots. Most cars have blind spots at the sides near the rear of the vehicle, which means you can’t see anything in these areas by looking in your mirrors. Check your mirrors while you’re driving, and turn your head and check your blind spots before making a lane change.

Avoid distractions. If you stop paying attention to the road for even a second or two, it can be long enough for an accident to happen. Some of the most common driving distractions include eating, drinking, applying make-up, taking or texting on a cell phone, reading a map, adjusting the radio or MP3 player, dealing with kids in the backseat, or even just taking to passengers. At 60 miles per hour, you travel 90 feet per second, which means if you look down for one second to change songs on your IPod, it can be long enough to rear-end a stopped vehicle in front of you.

Avoid backing up. Take special care to make sure you don’t back up without visually clearing the area behind your vehicle first. Each year, many children are run over in their own driveways because drivers didn’t look behind their vehicles first. Once you’ve checked the area behind your vehicle, turn and look to the rear while you back up. Parking lot back-up accidents are extremely common. Always look behind you while you’re backing up to avoid hitting another vehicle, or a pedestrian walking through the lot.

Beware of intersections. Intersections are one of the most dangerous areas for drivers. Over 80% of all city collisions involving injury or death occur within controlled intersections, or intersections where there is a stop light. The majority of collisions at controlled intersections happen within 4 seconds of a light change. Don’t assume that because you have a green light that someone else on the road won’t mess up and hit you. Keep an eye out for the other guy.

Be a freeway pro. Freeways, expressways, and interstates require special driving skills. Due to the high speeds and density of traffic on freeways, mistakes are much more likely to cause an accident. For example, most on-ramps allow enough space for you to get up to freeway speeds before you enter the freeway. Get up to speed before you enter the freeway and watch freeway traffic to allow yourself to enter safely. Before you change lanes, turn your head and look over your shoulder to check for vehicles in your blind spots. Drive at a safe speed. Excessive speeds or driving too slowly increases dangers for everyone on the freeway.

For more great safety tips, click here.

If you’ve sustained a personal injury in a car accident as a result of someone else’s negligence or carelessness, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, wage loss, and pain and suffering. For a free, no-obligation consultation about your personal injury case, contact Ron Meuser or Jen Yackley at 877-746-5680 or click here to send us an email.