Four vehicles were involved in a recent accident on U.S. 74 in Shelby, according to authorities. The August 4 pileup reportedly occurred at around 1:18 p.m.
That is when a silver Hyundai struck two vehicles that were stopped at a red light at the intersection of Washburn Switch and Poplar Springs roads, a Lexus SUV and a tractor-trailer, authorities reported. A fourth vehicle, a Toyota driven by a 20-year-old man, became involved in the wreck when it was rear-ended by one of the vehicles. Yet, it was unclear immediately following the event which of the other vehicles struck the Toyota.
Law enforcement officials charged the 17-year-old driver of the Hyundai with failure to reduce speed, and further charges are pending, reportedly. According to authorities, the Hyundai driver told officials that he had fallen asleep at the wheel. Emergency personnel transported him to Cleveland Regional Medical Center for treatment of injuries the teenager suffered in the accident.
A passenger in the Lexus and the driver of the tractor trailer also received treatment at Cleveland Regional Medical Center, authorities stated. The nature of their injuries was not clear in the immediate aftermath of the incident; yet, authorities stated that none of the injuries was life-threatening.
The severity of an accident-related injury does not always reveal itself in full immediately following the incident. In some cases, the extent of the injury does not become manifest until several days after the impact of the crash. At any rate, accident-related injuries often require lengthy hospital stays, costly medical procedures and long-term rehabilitation and therapy. Consequently, accident victims must cope with not just pain but also financial stress.
For this reason, many accident victims retain a personal injury attorney and file suit against the party at fault for the accident. If successful, victims might receive financial compensation for economic damages related to their injuries.
Source: Shelby Star, “U.S. 74 crash caused by falling asleep at the wheel“, Joyce Orlando, August 05, 2014