Determining Fault in a Multi-Car Collision
When you have a car wreck involving multiple vehicles, the legal concept of negligence is still the key to proving which driver was at fault and recovering your damages. It’s why we focus on determining fault in a multi-car collision. What do I mean by this?
Assume you have a collision involving four vehicles at an intersection. The car closest to the intersection is the number one vehicle and the car farthest away from the intersection is the number 4 vehicle. If car 1,2, and 3 are completely stopped at the intersection, they can’t be at fault for the car wreck. After all, they are obeying the law and are lawfully waiting for a traffic light to change. They have not done anything negligent or wrong to cause the wreck.
However, if car 4 approaches the intersection and fails to stop his vehicle thereby hitting the rear end of car 3, he is clearly at fault for causing the wreck between Car 4 and Car 3. The fact that car 3 may have contacted car 2 which was pushed into car 1, has no bearing on fault. The drivers of cars 1,2, and 3 have a claim against car 4 for his negligent driving.
If car 4 is uninsured, it does not change the issue of fault. Fault rests with the driver that had a legal duty to keep his vehicle under proper control, failed in that duty and that failure caused your damages. This is one example of determining fault in a multi-car collision.
Speak to an Experienced Car Wreck Attorney
I’m attorney Jim Desmond. If you would like to speak with an experienced car wreck attorney, call me on my cell phone. My number is (502) 609-7657. I’ll be happy to listen to you about your specific situation.
If you’d like to listen to my podcast episode “Determining Fault in a Kentucky Car Accident, click below:
