Chain-reactions can be some of the most difficult accidents that anyone will ever face on our roadways. Not only do they tend to cause some of the worst injuries, but they involve many liability issues as well, which we will discuss. Multi-vehicle accidents happen due to the carelessness of one or more drivers who are not utilizing care on our roadways and can cause serious results to both drivers and passengers. It is likely that, following a multi-vehicle accident, there are some issues that you will face regarding insurance and more. Today we want to take a look at some of these scenarios.
Issues in Multi-Vehicle Accidents
Determining Liability: Determining liability is always more difficult in an accident case involving various vehicles. This is due to the fact that those involved might have different versions of the accident and other types of evidence that are needed. When it is just you involved in an accident, you have the ability to speak with police and tell them your version of events and only yours. However, when there are multiple parties involved in an accident, it becomes more difficult to defend your side of a story when the details don’t line up and the other driver is pointing their blame at you.
Because liability can sometimes be very difficult for insurance companies to determine in these types of accidents, you should always speak with police and gain a report that shows your take on the events that unfolded. Through this, there is a better chance that your case will be taken seriously.
Never Forgetting Medical Treatment: There are two major things that you should never do following an accident. The first thing is to never admit fault even if you believe that you might be at fault for an accident, as you could be sabotaging the future of your case. The second thing that you should never do is assume that you are going to be okay if you have suffered injuries and decide to skip out on medical attention. Even if you think that your injuries are insignificant, they can be much worse than you initially expected, which means that you should never go without treatment. If you fail to seek treatment, your case might not be taken seriously by insurance adjusters when you decide to move forward and gain compensation.
Various Types of Negligence: Two types of negligence might come into play in your case, which include contributory and comparative negligence. In cases of contributory negligence, an injured person might only be able to recover compensation for their injuries if they did not contribute to the accident in any way. In cases of comparative negligence, liability is weighed on the proportion of how the party’s actions contributed to an accident. Damages could be reduced based on fault by either party.
How an Attorney Can Help
At Katz Kantor Stonestreet & Buckner, our experienced personal injury attorneys understand how important it is to help you gain the compensation you deserve after you have been injured in a serious accident. If you have been involved in an accident with multiple other parties and you want to avoid being blamed, you should always have an attorney on your side. Consult with an attorney that you can trust throughout every step of the process. We are waiting to hear from you at (304) 713-2014.