A frightening multi-car pileup claimed at least one life in western Los Angeles County Monday night. The California Highway Patrol responded to the scene sometime after 9 p.m. along Highway 101 between Calabasas and Thousand Oaks on January 16, 2023.
NBC Los Angeles reported the accident occurred near the Las Virgenes Road exit in the westbound lanes. In reports from the scene, the collision was said to involve anywhere from 8 to 10 vehicles. One of the vehicles sailed over the center divider on Highway 101 to land along the eastbound lanes. Several badly-damaged vehicles were left overturned after the collision.
The California Highway Patrol confirmed that at least one victim involved was killed in the crash. Two other injured victims had to be freed from their vehicles by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. An update on the conditions of those victims hasn’t been released.
The California Highway Patrol continues to investigate the circumstances that led to the devastating accident.
Multi-Car Accident Dangers on Highway 101
Highway 101 carries so many motorists from one side of Los Angeles County to the other each day. Local traffic mixes with drivers heading across the state to form a dangerous mix of careless drivers.
A single glance at a cellphone screen or a driver who decides to blow right past the speed limit can cause a scary collision that often affects more than just two cars. The force of an impact can send vehicles in every direction to draw in other approaching motorists and even those drivers in the opposite lanes.
The California Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) logged just over one thousand accidents on Highway 101 involving injury. Those accidents left at least 13 tragic fatalities in their wake. At least 24 of those accidents involved at least one overturned vehicle.
These frightening chain-reaction accidents happen in an instant and leave little room or time for approaching motorists to avoid getting involved and perhaps needing an immediate trip to the nearest emergency room. Even the smallest mistakes by drivers are magnified by highway speeds. It’s well worth it for every driver to slow down even five miles per hour if it means more travelers get home safely each night.
A word for victims and their families after a Calabasas car accident…
If you or a loved one has been victimized in a collision in Los Angeles County, you should be aware of the benefits available to you and your family through an insurance claim. Financial support should at least be expected to assist surviving victims with every hospital bill.
Families who have lost a loved one must also be able to depend on support for funeral costs and the loss of income the victim can no longer provide to close relatives.
You can read more about earning insurance support on my page about car accident claims in Los Angeles County.
