Massive Fire and Accidents on I-275 in Northern Kentucky
On December 14, 2022, at approximately 4:30 pm, an auto accident involving several vehicles occurred on I-275 East in Kenton County, Kentucky and two vehicles caught on fire. The entire I-275 East was closed into the night and road repair will need to be made before at least one of the 3 travel lanes can be used. No life-threatening injuries have been reported at this time, but one person was taken to the hospital.
How can fires occur in an automobile, truck or motorcycle?
It is unusual to have a massive fire due to an auto accident and there are no reports at this time to explain how the two vehicles caught fire in this Kenton county accident. I can recall only one of my cases over the past 36 years where an auto accident caused a fire in the vehicle. The auto accident was a rear-ender and the impact caused the spare tire underneath the vehicle to compromise the fuel tank and an immediate fire resulted in the back of the vehicle burning two children severely. It was determined that the location of the spare tire was a design defect because rear-end accidents are common and the design of the vehicle allowed the spare tire to be driven into the fuel tank during a rear-end accident. It is this design defect that I believe has led to government regulations preventing the placement of a full-sized spare tire under most vehicles. Most car manufacturers have gone to “donut” spare tires that can easily be placed in the trunk due to their small size.
According to my research, the top cause of vehicle fires is rotted fuel lines that leak gasoline or diesel onto hot engine parts. Gasoline at a temperature of 45 degrees or higher can catch fire from a simple spark. The second most common cause of fires is an electrical system failure. The battery's charging cycles can cause explosive hydrogen gas to build up in the engine bay and the electrical current the battery provides can produce sparks that can quickly ignite fluids leaking in the vehicle. Obviously, it is important to properly maintain your vehicle to avoid many of the causes of vehicle fires.
Today, battery powered vehicles are very popular due to the perception they are more environmentally friendly, but they are more likely to produce a car fire because they have lots of batteries and they can be ignited by leaking fluids such as coolant.
Accidents can certainly cause vehicle fires. Accidents cause the leaking of flammable fluids and if those fluids are ignited by a spark from a battery or other source, then a fire results. If the car manufacturer, fails to properly protect the fuel system in the event of an accident, this can lead to fires as it did in the case I described above.
Contact Kentucky Auto Accident Lawyer
The circumstances in the above Kenton county accident will require the services of an experienced Kentucky auto accident attorney to investigate the cause of the accident and maximize all benefits available to the victims in this auto accident. Matthew Troutman, a Kentucky auto accident lawyer, of the Troutman Law Office has been handling auto accident claims, almost exclusively, since 1986 and has the experience and talent to obtain the best result for the victims in the above car accident. It is very likely that the at-fault driver will not have enough insurance to fully compensate the victims in this car accident, and, therefore, it will be important for there to be underinsured motorist benefits available.
If you need legal assistance due to a motor vehicle accident, contact Kentucky auto accident attorney Matthew Troutman directly at 859-696-0001 or 502-648-9507 and he will meet with you in the hospital, your home or wherever is convenient for you. He will give you direct access through his cell phone and guide you through the difficult process necessary to obtain the best result possible for you in your car accident claim. To learn more about Lexington car accident attorney Matthew Troutman and the Troutman Law Office, click here.