How Is Liability Determined in a Multi-Car Accident?

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shared that more than 13,000 fatalities happened due to multi-car accidents which involved passenger cars. The multi-car accident means that more than one car got hit in the crash, and the challenge lies in identifying who triggered the scenario.

A Multi-Car Accident: Who Is Liable? 

In a situation where a multi-car accident has occurred, and the cars piled up after the incident, it takes more time to identify the court and judge who is mainly responsible. 

The following options are sought to resolve the case: 

Negligence 

Multi-car accidents cause a sufficient amount of confusion in the court, where judges face difficulty coming to a concrete conclusion as to which of the drivers was the primary culprit. The victims keep blaming one another for causing the car crash and expect to receive a heft share of compensation, but how to spot the one? The judges then favor ‘negligence’. 

The negligence approach means that even if one of the drivers was at least 1% at fault for contributing to the collisions, then they should not receive any sort of compensation for the damages. The rules vary from state to state; therefore, experienced Pittsburgh car accident lawyers suggest carefully reading the laws in your state before stepping ahead to file the case. On the other hand, the states that strictly follow ‘comparative negligence’, compensate the drivers on the basis of the percentage of fault surfaced. 

Talk To The Witnesses 

Whenever the accident happened, there must be a chance that some people must have witnessed the car collision, who bumped into whom, and what the driver was doing. Questioning the drivers is likely to remain futile as they will never accept their responsibility for violating the duty of care on the road and blame other drivers for being the root of the chaos. 

Therefore, witnesses can make the case easier by sharing their side of the story about what exactly happened. If there is a solo witness, then it may be possible that they might not remember every detail but can solve the mystery up to some extent. Did multiple eyewitnesses see the car accident that you were involved in? Then be grateful as that will elevate the case, and without wasting a single moment, note down their names, locations, numbers and times when they saw it happening. 

Otherwise, take the help of the CCTV cameras installed on the road and use the technology accordingly. 

Involve Police In The Matter 

After the accident has done the uninvited damage, immediately call the police and involve them. File a car crash report that will assist you in holding the person accountable for the accident. Make sure you write the necessary and relevant details related to the accident. The law enforcement representatives will attentively address the case. They will leave no stone unturned and pay attention to every minor detail that triggers doubts. 

If need be, they will watch the video of the time of the accident on the CCTV. It may show whether the driver was sober or drunk, driving usually or showing rash behavior by breaking the signals, tailgating, cutting in the traffic, and violating the speed limit. The police will take pictures as evidence to support you, build a report strong enough to show in court and seek your deserved compensation. 

Hire An Attorney

You have the right to seek a fair share for whatever injuries you have incurred and endured as well as for property damage instead of relying on negligent compensation. For that, you must hire the correct and experienced attorney to tackle the situation where others wonder who is responsible. As far as the insurance companies are concerned, they won’t be much help considering their benefit. 

Conclusion

A multi-car accident creates immense confusion in determining whose fault it is, therefore these measures are taken to resolve the case and are compensated accordingly.   

Author: Brandon Park