Orange County police vehicle involved in multi-car accident

Drivers on the I-5 earlier this week may have noticed traffic was a little heavier than usual. A multi-car accident occurred Wednesday morning that involved three cars.

When a crash occurs the accident can affect a number of people, not just the individuals in the cars themselves. In some instances, an accident can cause a secondary accident, especially if other drivers are not watching when traffic begins to slow down.

The Wednesday morning crash in Orange County involved a police car, a fire department vehicle and another car. Details are sparse and it is unclear how the accident actually occurred. Two of the three individuals in the police car apparently suffered only minor injuries and were not brought to a hospital. The third person, the police officer, as well as the driver of the fire department vehicle were fine.

At this point, law enforcement is likely investigating the incident to determine what happened. What caused the crash? Was anyone at fault? Could the accident have been prevented? Which vehicle was hit first? Had a driver been distracted at the time of the collision?

These questions and more likely surfaced in the wake of the accident. Fortunately in this particular incident, no one was seriously hurt. But in many other accident scenarios the injuries can be serious or even fatal.

But car accidents don't just cause personal injury to people involved. A collision can also cause serious damage to the vehicles themselves, leaving injured drivers with car repair bills in addition to medical expenses.

Source: The Orange County Register: "Crash involving cop, fire official stalls I-5 traffic," Alejandro Molina, Nov. 9, 2011