Authorities Urged By Legal Experts To Work Quickly To Investigate ‘Shocking’ Incident

By Rob Dixon

Legal experts who specialise in providing support to victims of road traffic collisions have called on authorities to work quickly to determine the cause of a series of crashes on the A249 crossing in Kent, which reportedly involved more than 100 vehicles and left a huge number of people injured.

Kent Police have confirmed officers were called to the London-bound carriageway at 07.15am this morning (September 5th) following reports of a multi-vehicle collision, with further reports then revealing the significant extent of the problems.

It is now believed eight people have been seriously injured in the incident, with around 200 other people thought to have suffered minor injuries.

Eyewitness accounts have suggested that the crashes occurred in thick fog on the £100 million crossing, which opened in 2006. Emergency services remain at the scene dealing with the aftermath of the incident.

Commenting on this terrible incident, Colin Ettinger, a specialist lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s London office, who specialises in helping victims of serious incidents including road traffic collisions, said many questions would be raised following the incident.

He outlined: "All of those involved in this shocking incident, as well as their loved ones, will be demanding answers over how this awful series of events came to emerge.

"Road traffic collisions on any scale can have major physical and psychological consequences for victims, often leaving them needing long-term rehabilitation and support to recover from the problems they have been through. The priority at present is ensuring victims get the help they need. 

"While it is too early to speculate on the cause of the problems, major concerns have already been raised regarding the weather conditions and visibility on the crossing at the time of the incident and this will be among a number of factors that will be considered in investigations by police and other authorities.

"There were some concerns over the safety of the crossing following its opening in 2006 and this incident will undoubtedly lead to fresh calls for a review to ensure that everything is being done to ensure road users can use the route safely.”

Ettinger added: "An incident of this magnitude also serves to highlight the huge importance of motorists always driving in accordance to the hazardous conditions they face, as well as guaranteeing they are always doing everything they can to keep other road users safe.

"It is imperative that as much information as possible can be gathered from investigations into this incident, with an ultimate aim of discovering how lessons can learned which will hopefully prevent something as shocking as this from ever happening again."

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in relation to Road Traffic Accident Compensation Claims