TRIAGE TAGS DETERMINED INJURY SEVERITY ON PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE

It has been a couple of weeks since Feb. 14 came to a close. It was a day filled with flowers, chocolates and candlelight for many couples. For some Bucks County romantics, their plans may have been halted when they got stuck in traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It wasn’t just a bit of a backup caused by rush-hour travel. For some drivers, this traffic jam lasted from morning to night.

What caused this lengthy delay? The delay was caused by just a few chain-reaction collisions, but those collisions involved enough vehicles that they caught national attention. There were up to 100 vehicles involved in these collisions, including several tractor-trailers that had jack-knifed across the lanes.

It could only look like pure chaos at the scene with one vehicle mashed into another, stretching for a mile-long in at least one spot. With the mass of twisted metal, it was difficult for emergency responders to simply get to the victims, let alone provide immediate aid to every single individual that needed it.

Eventually, the responders were able to reach the victims by extending ladders from the opposite lanes and across the concrete impediments separating them. Once on the side of the victims, the rescuers were able to pick through the mess and determine which victims would need their attention first. The victims were tagged by color — yellow, green or white based on the severity of their injuries. Food was passed to those others that were trapped but not in need of immediate medical assistance.

One can only imagine what this mess looked like on that day. Imagine being a victim that was seriously injured in one of these collisions. Some of those victims may have been determined to be in critical condition, some in serious condition and some were probably left wondering how it all happened. How did they find themselves in this situation? What are they going to do next? Is a personal injury claim a viable option?

These are all questions that a Doylestown personal injury attorney can help victims or their families answer.

Source: The Morning Call, “PA Turnpike pileup: 50-100 vehicles crash on I-276 in Bucks County,” Tracy Jordan, Feb. 14, 2014