A serious crash that involves multiple cars can often be a messy affair when it comes to proving fault. Any accident can quickly spoil your day but understanding liability issues in an accident can be a highly complicated procedure. No vehicle operator expects to be involved in a multi-car crash. The facts of evidence will be reviewed to determine who is at fault and who pays in a 3 car accident. Working with a professional attorney can make sure that you have the right representation after a multi-car accident.
Multi-car accidents tend to happen more often than many drivers would expect. Even a car crash with two or more vehicles leads to liability issues that go far beyond the average fender bender. Determining who is at fault can involve a number of factors including driving under the influence, weather conditions, poor visibility, speed and more.
Liability Can Be Shared And Multi-vehicle Accidents
Negligence claims in an accident are possible even during a multi-vehicle accident. A claim of negligence will determine the legal liability for accident damages after an accident. The parties involved in an accident will need to determine who is at fault as well as who was simply involved in the accident. In some cases, determining who is at fault can be fairly simple especially if one vehicle was in motion where the other two were stopped.
What often occurs in multi-vehicle crashes is a chain reaction effect in which one car hits another which piles into another car. Even though the incident may have been caused by one driver, determining fault at the accident scene may be impossible without gathering evidence.
How Is Fault Determined?
When the police are involved there is often an investigation performed on a multi-vehicle crash. Insurance companies, personal injury attorneys, judges, and other legal officials may represent the interests of each party and influence the decision of who is at fault for the accident.
Law enforcement is often responsible for gathering evidence at the accident scene. Discussing the accident with everyone involved as well as managing emergency services to ensure that everyone gets access to medical care. Police officers will file an official report based on the fact that they verify on the scene. Their interviews with drivers will also indicate if any laws were broken such as a driver operating a vehicle under the influence, speeding or driving recklessly. If a police officer determines that one driver was at fault citations will be issued on-site and these go on the formal record for the accident.
The Involvement Of Insurance
Insurance companies are usually responsible for paying the damages after a multi-vehicle crash. As there is likely extensive financial interest tied up in a multi-vehicle crash, insurance companies are often the ones ruling over who should pay the claim.
Various levels of insurance coverage will cover each aspect of the accident including damages that you may need to pay for causing injury to another driver, paying for your medical bills under personal injury protection coverage, paying for property damage to the other vehicles as well as collision coverage for damages to your car. Many insurance companies include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage if a driver were to leave the scene of an accident.
If it is determined that you were distracted while you are involved in the accident, an insurance company may determine that you were partially responsible for the damages. Insurance companies evaluate car accidents on a case-by-case basis and costs are often divided up amongst the other drivers that would’ve been involved as well as yourself.
Having a mediator in the form of a Hudson car accident attorney can help to make sure that during negotiations for who is at fault, negotiations can be properly facilitated. An attorney can work to get all of the parties together to discuss the accident and determine who is at fault. Attorneys can also mediate and negotiate with insurance companies to determine which insurance company should present the compensation.
Car accident attorneys and multi-vehicle crashes are essential mediators that can encourage the chance for anyone involved in a car accident to resolve issues outside of a courtroom. As soon as a multi-vehicle car accident and up going before a judge in the form of a lawsuit, the process can become much more expensive for all parties involved.
Going To Trial
If an insurance claim or injury case ends up unresolved from all parties involved, negotiations may have to move to a court of law. Attorneys can file a lawsuit as long as a four year time period has not passed after the accident. Determining who is at fault for the accident happens through the course of the case as each party presents their evidence. If the settlement still cannot be reached there is a series of mediations, arbitrations, and conferences or present the case before a jury to determine who is at fault from a board of impartial peers.
As the driver involved in an accident, you have no control over who will receive compensation and the total amount of compensation. By working with an attorney you can influence the overall outcome by having a professional negotiator on your side. Working with someone who is been through the process of seeking compensation in a multi-vehicle accident can make sure that you are proceeding legally and presenting a strong case.
A Hudson personal injury attorney can also help you get the correct amount of compensation that you deserve in the case where you have sustained physical injury or financial loss. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation with regard to your accident!