Liability and Compensation in Multi-Car Crashes

One morning, while heading to work, you end up stuck at a red light. Suddenly, someone slams into your car from behind. You emerge from your car, ready to give them a piece of your mind, but the driver points his finger at the truck behind him. The trucker hit him first, he claims. Now you’re confused. Who’s really at fault in this multi-car crash?

Insurance claims can quickly become very complicated when an accident involves more than two vehicles. Below, a bus accident lawyer explains how multi-car crashes can affect liability and the outcome of your claim.

What Causes Multi-Car Accidents?

Just like a regular accident, multi-vehicle accidents have quite a few causes. These include:

• Reckless driving: No matter how responsible you are behind the wheel, there will always be a few bad apples sharing the road with you. Reckless drivers frequently cause multi-car crashes by speeding, tailgating, aggressively switching lanes, and simply not paying attention.
• Bad weather: Whether you live in tornado alley or in a coastal locale that experiences hurricanes, you’re no stranger to how the weather can affect driving conditions. Icy roads, in particular, are a big cause of multi-car crashes.
• Alcohol: Drivers who indulge in one too many alcoholic beverages may tear down the highway with complete disregard for the safety of others.
• Night driving: About 50% of all fatal accidents happen after the sun dips below the horizon. The hours just before dusk are dangerous, too, due to the glare of the setting sun.

The Many Types of Multi-Vehicle Crashes

It’s important to understand what type of multi-car crash you were involved in, as that can affect liability and compensation. Common types of multi-vehicle crashes include:

• Rear-end collisions: Rear-end collisions happen when a driver rams into the back of the car in front of them, sometimes setting off a chain reaction of accidents. Typically, the driver who hit the leading car is at fault.
• Pile-ups: A pile-up involves vehicles that are crushed (or sometimes, stacked) together. After a pile-up, you might see cars scattered across the highway for miles. It’s often difficult to determine liability due to the number of drivers involved.
• Side-impact collisions: Side-impact crashes occur when a driver hits the driver’s or passenger’s side of a car. Such accidents commonly happen when someone fails to yield the right of way or runs a red light.
• Head-on collisions: Head-on collisions involve a driver hitting a car from the front. These accidents can happen when someone makes a turn without looking or drives into oncoming traffic.

How Multi-Car Accidents Can Affect Compensation

Imagine this scenario: Lucy is driving to pick her children up from school when another driver slams into the side of her car. The driver points to another car stopped at the intersection and claims that that driver hit them first. He wouldn’t have hit Lucy had that driver not been speeding. Who is at fault here?

This story illustrates how complex multi-car accidents can be. Multiple drivers could be liable, and it’s often hard to know which insurance companies to file claims with. Matters become even more complicated if one of the drivers was on the clock when they hit you. That driver’s employer might be liable, too.

Your state’s contributory or comparative negligence rules also play a big part in how much (if any) compensation you can win. In states that follow pure contributory negligence doctrines, you cannot recover damages if you’re even 1% at fault. These states include Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

Comparative negligence, on the other hand, reduces the amount of compensation based on a driver’s degree of fault. For example, if a driver was 30% at fault for an accident, they could recover 70% of their damages. In states that use modified comparative negligence, drivers can’t recover damages if they are more than 50% or 51% at fault. The majority of states follow some type of comparative negligence rules.

Determining Who Is at Fault in a Multi-Car Crash

After reporting a motor vehicle crash, the first question you’ll likely ask is, “Am I injured?” The second will probably be, “Whose fault is this?”

The process of determining fault begins with the responding officers who first arrive on the scene. They examine the accident’s aftermath, take pictures, interview witnesses, and talk to all the involved drivers. If they suspect any drivers of being intoxicated, they administer alcohol or drug tests.

Insurance companies will try to prove fault, too, and they have a vested interest in doing so. They don’t want to be on the hook for paying compensation, so they’ll fight tooth and nail to prove that it was the “other guy” who’s to blame. Insurers can squabble for months over which one is on the hook for the accident.

What if an insurer says the accident is your fault? In this case, you’ll need a lawyer. Your lawyer will thoroughly investigate the case and provide evidence that paints you in a good light. Having an attorney is especially important in pure contributory negligence states, where being just 1% at fault bars you from compensation.

What To Do After a Crash Involving Multiple Vehicles

To increase your chances of a fair settlement after a multi-vehicle crash:

• Collect as much evidence as you can at the accident scene, including witness statements and photos of your car.
• See a doctor promptly after the accident. Investigators can use medical treatment records to determine how the accident happened.
• Request the police report, which may have the responding officer’s opinions on who is liable.
• Call a car accident attorney to handle liability determination for your case.

Not Sure Who Is at Fault for Your Accident? Call Accident Hotline

Need help navigating your multi-car crash? If the insurance company says that you, not the defendant, are liable, call Accident Hotline at (844) 343-9609 for a free consultation. We’ll connect you with an attorney from our trusted network who will fight to win a fair settlement for you.