Multi-Car Crash: Who To Sue And How To File A Claim

So, how can you determine who’s at fault for the multi-car crash to get your deserved compensation? Likewise, how do you go about filing for compensation? Here’s a guide detailing all the valuable insights that’ll be of great use.

How Can You Determine A Multi-Vehicle Accident?

Humans are prone to making mistakes while on the road, with driver errors responsible for most vehicle accidents. In a multi-car crash, the person responsible for the accident is the driver who triggered the first impact due to their reckless driving. However, the driver might not always share the sole liability for the accident and can share this fault with other public agencies or drivers.

But knowing who’s to blame for the multi-car crash isn’t that straightforward because drivers seldom admit responsibility. This is why hiring a personal injury lawyer is crucial as they have the skills and experience to identify who’s at fault for the accident. Some of the most common reasons they’ll point out that led to these multi-car crashes include:

• Speeding beyond the declared speed limits
• Bad weather conditions such as snow, ice, fog, ice, and wet roads
• Police chases
• Distracted driving such as talking to a passenger in the car or using a cell phone
• Driving while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs
• Falling asleep while on the road

Right after the accident, you should try not to panic as this increases the likelihood of making a hasty or irrational decision. This will be essential to avoid reducing the chances of getting your deserved compensation. What you should do instead is:

• Stay in your car and wait for first responders to guide ways of exiting your vehicle safely.
• Get insurance details from each person involved in the crash.
• Take pictures and videos of the accident scene.
• Get a physical examination.
• Contact your insurance company.

In addition, you’ll need to collect all the tangible evidence to prove negligence from the at-fault driver to further strengthen your case for compensation following the multi-car accident. The evidence you must collect to hand over to your attorney if one or several drivers are responsible for the accident include:

• Witness statements to identify what happened and the parties who caused the accident.
• Police reports following the accident that show who’s at fault for the accident. This will include the recorded notes and data by the police on what they think led to the multi-car accident.
• Evidence at the scene.
• Dash cameras since they record the video of the accident as it happened.

Pictures of the accident scene offer proof of evidence of the damage suffered following the crash. You should also take photos of the exact position of every car involved in the multi-vehicle accident once they can rest.

How To File For A Compensation Claim After An Accident?

After being involved in a vehicle accident, you’ll need to get in touch with your insurance company immediately. Consequently, contact your personal injury attorney to get legal advice. When it isn’t obvious to identify the driver responsible for the accident, you should file for compensation against the insurance companies of every other driver involved in the accident. If one insurance company covers over one driver, you’ll need to file separate insurance against every driver’s policy.

 
The insurance companies will then start an investigation into the multi-car accident on your behalf. However, you still need to follow up on the matter as insurance companies are in business to make money and look for ways to safeguard themselves from liability. Insurance companies are notorious for doing this by hiding some of the evidence if it’s the policyholder who caused the multi-car accident. This is why you should involve your lawyer right from the start as they’ll always look after your best interest and prevent such dealings from happening.

 
You must also file a compensation claim as soon as possible after the car accident. Doing this is vital because states set deadlines as to when you should file a lawsuit or demand compensation for the injury suffered. If you don’t file for compensation on time, the claim is assumed to be forfeited. In case you or anyone else inside your car sustained severe injuries, you’ll need to work with an experienced personal injury lawyer.

Takeaway

Knowing who to sue after a multi-vehicle crash is often quite challenging as thorough investigation needs to be done to determine the driver that first acted negligently. If you’re in such a mess, many questions are running through your head on how to identify the at-fault party. Once that’s done, you can consequently sue these parties and get compensation for any property damage or injury suffered.