Although only three (3) cars remained on scene, the pileup appeared to involve at least four (4) cars in the westbound fast lane of Palm Ave - just past 10th Street.
Accident photos clearly show considerable damage to the rear of the white ford truck - whose driver was injured - but there were no other cars except the sheriff's patrol unit, which did not appear to be damaged.
When I arrived on the scene, onlookers began assisting the injured driver while deputies spoke to driver of the lead vehicle, measuring the scene, and the waited in their patrol car. Several minutes later the first ambulance arrived from the east and paramedics began to treat the injured woman.
While IB's fire-station is only a couple of blocks away, the response time may have been delayed due to the short staffing of paramedics at the local station.
Last month I spoke with Tom Clark, the city's safety director, who told me the city is making use of a SAFER Grant to fund the hiring and training of up-to six (6) new firefighters/paramedics at the IB station for two years.
According to the law, the last driver in a pileup such as this is usually held liable for all the vehicles, however, with California's low limit of liability requirement of only $5,000 for property damage, clearly the state minimum required coverage would fail to repair all the damage.
If you think $5,000 is too low, did you know the state authorizes my insurance office to sell California's Low-Cost Auto Insurance Program with only $3,000 in property damage to low-income drivers?
Need auto, property or business insurance? Give us a try!
- Do you think California's auto insurance requirement amount should be raised?
- Did you see the pileup? How about that fourth vehicle?
