Multi-car pile-up accidents usually result in serious injuries for many people, as well as complex claims for injuries, property damages, and liability.
Multi-Vehicle Crashes
Since pile-up accidents involve numerous people and multiple vehicles, they typically lead to complicated injury claims, substantial property damages, and liability that is shared between various drivers and entities.
Multi-car crashes often cause a chain reaction that leads to severe or fatal injuries. The driver at the front of the crash may be hit numerous times from multiple directions as a chain reaction occurs. In many cases, it’s not always clear who causes a multi-car crash. Since various factors are involved, it’s important to understand five points about multivehicle accidents that can impact an injury claim.
Determining Fault
Although pile-up accidents may be caused by a single driver’s mistake or carelessness, they may involve the negligence of multiple drivers. The initial determination of fault is usually stated in the police report, but pile-up crashes often require investigators and specialists who must reconstruct the accident scene to determine fault.
Multiple Driver Liability
In most car accidents, the front driver is assumed liable. In multi-car crashes, that may not be the case. If the front driver is stopped at a red light and is hit from behind, the second driver is likely at fault. If a third driver hits the second driver because he/she can’t stop in time, he/she may also be at fault for following too close.
Order of Impact
In a multi-car pile up, the order of impact matters. In a pile-up accident, police talk to each driver about what happened and how many impacts they felt. If the front driver was hit three times in the rear causing him to crash into a fourth vehicle, the front driver may not be liable for hitting the fourth vehicle.
Comparative Fault Laws
Nevada is a comparative fault state. An injured party can only recover compensation for damages if his/her fault for the accident is lower than 51%. Attorneys in Henderson NV are often involved in car accident claims with complex liability issues.
Uninsured Motorists
When a crash involves multiple drivers, it’s more likely that at least one driver may be uninsured making it difficult for personal injury lawsuits to recover compensation for injuries. Multiple drivers may mean multiple insurers who will take steps to protect their interests, reduce payments, or deny injury claims.