52-vehicle Pile-up On A Highway A31, Emsland Autobahn, Germany

Multiple-vehicle collisions are particularly deadly as the mass of crumpled vehicles makes escape for survivors difficult. Even if a survivor is able to exit their vehicle, another car may strike them. A fire in one part of the accident can quickly spread via spilled gasoline and cover the entire crash area. Individual vehicles in a multiple-vehicle collision are often hit multiple times at high speed, increasing the risk of injury to passengers who may have survived the first impact. Collisions after the initial collision may occur from the side where the car is more vulnerable. Multiple-vehicle collisions can also overrun local firefighting, ambulance, and police services making speedy rescues more difficult.
The large scale of these accidents can close important routes for several days. The destruction and intense heat of fires can also damage roadways, particularly by melting and burning the asphalt. Bridge structures can also be weakened by the heat. A pileup inside a tunnel is most serious, as there is little means to escape the tunnel and the confined heat may damage the structure of the tunnel.