A car accident outside of Kansas City involved a vehicle that caught fire from the collision. Luckily, the two people who were hurt suffered only non-life-threatening personal injuries.
Vehicle in Rollover Car Accident Catches Fire
The incident happened yesterday afternoon in the Merriam neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, on 75th Street’s overpass of Interstate 35. According to initial reports, two vehicles were involved in the collision. One of them had flipped over from the force of the collision and caught fire.
The two occupants of that vehicle had already escaped by the time police responded to the accident, though it was unclear if they had been ejected from the rollover. They were brought to the local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The High Human Costs of Car Fires
While this particular incident did not prove to be fatal, many crashes that involve a vehicle catching fire can be.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there are around 267,600 vehicle fires per year involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, buses, and recreational vehicles. Out of these fires, approximately 441 people lose their lives annually – more than one every day – often because they are unable to escape the flames after being hurt in the initial collision. Additionally, 1,326 people get hurt from car fires annually, adding to the human toll of vehicle fires.
Surprisingly, the NFPA estimates that 17% of all reported fires in the U.S. involve vehicles. However, vehicle fires only account for 12% of the fire deaths in the country and only 8% of the injuries sustained in fires.
Financial Toll is Staggering
Added on top of the human toll of car fires are the financial costs of all of the property damage. Car fires are almost guaranteed to total a vehicle from the damage that they cause. Even if the underlying car accident was not a severe one, if it creates a fire in the vehicle then the fire damage alone is often enough to make repairs more expensive than the value of the car.
The NFPA’s numbers support this: Every year, the estimated 267,600 vehicle fires lead to approximately one billion in property damage. This means that, on average, a car fire causes more than $3,700 in damage – enough to total a significant portion of the used vehicles on the road.
Car Accident Lawyers at the Smith Law Office in St. Joseph
While car accidents are serious events, those that spawn car fires are even more severe. The odds of suffering a serious or even fatal personal injury skyrocket when the crash causes a fire, especially if the accident was traumatic enough to prevent you from escaping the blaze. Even if there were no injuries or those that were sustained were minor ones, the property damage from a car fire can be significant.
Recovering compensation for your losses in these situations is crucial, especially if you were not the one who caused the collision, in the first place. The car accident lawyers at the Smith Law Office in St. Joseph can help. Contact us online or call our law office at (816) 875-9373.