It only takes the mistake of one driver to cause an accident that involves multiple vehicles. These incidents can have a very high likelihood of injuries or deaths. There is a considerable amount of property damage that can occur. It can also be more difficult to determine who is at fault for the accident. Determining fault is important because this determines which insurance company is responsible for compensating which individual.
Staying Safe
When you are involved in a pileup, the most important thing is to get out of the dangerous situation. You may be in the path of more cars. If necessary, you might need to exit your vehicle.
Bad Weather
One factor that can cause complication is terrible weather. Bad weather can cause one motorist to lose control and have an accident with several other motorists. Since several motorists might lose control, it can be difficult to determine which motorist was at fault or what percentage of fault should be assigned to each individual.
Speeding
Speeding is a relatively common traffic violation. It is possible that more than one individual was speeding when involved in the pileup. Whether each individual motorist was speeding can be determined through eyewitness accounts and may also be determined by expert forensic witnesses examining the pileup.
Cell Phones
A large percentage of motorists use cell phones when driving, even if this is not legal in a particular state. Cell phones are highly distracting and if it can be proven that a particular motorist was on a cell phone, this may increase the degree to which he or she was at fault for the accident.
Determining Who Is At Fault
Many states use comparative fault to determine how much someone was responsible for an accident. If you were found partially at fault, you might receive compensation, but the compensation could be reduced. It can be very difficult to determine who is at fault in a pileup, so it is recommended that you do not admit fault and that you instead contact a personal injury attorney who can conduct a discovery process to gather the facts of the case and determine to what extent other motorists are at fault for the accident and provide evidence to prove your case. Given that damages caused by pileups are often more extensive, the damages may exceed your car insurance's limits and it will be even more necessary to receive a settlement.
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