Establishing fault for multi-vehicle accidents in Alexandria, Louisiana is much more challenging than establishing fault for accidents involving one or two vehicles.
If several vehicles are involved in the crash, assigning liability will likely prove much more difficult simply because there is the potential for multiple parties to share fault.
However, there is no guarantee that a multi-vehicle accident is necessarily the fault of several drivers. It is possible for such an accident to result from a single driver’s negligence.
Divided Fault in an Alexandria Louisiana Car Accident
In some multi-vehicle accidents, it is unclear as to which party is actually at fault. The accident might be the result of negligence on behalf of multiple drivers.
Consider a situation in which a driver is texting, another driver passes through a stop sign without stopping and a third driver is talking on the phone while behind the wheel. The driver who is texting slams into the driver who illegally zooms through the stop sign. The driver talking on the phone is distracted by his conversation and fails to hit the brakes in time to avoid a collision with the other careless drivers referenced above.
In such an accident, fault cannot be assigned to a single party. This is a good example of a multi-vehicle car accident in which fault is divided between several parties.
Assigning Liability Based on the Initial Cause of the Crash
Some multi-vehicle accidents are the result of a single driver’s negligence. If one driver’s failure to provide others with due care caused a multi-vehicle pileup or even led to a couple bent fenders, it is possible to assign the entirety of the blame on that driver.
However, each factor involved in the accident must be analyzed in-depth. It might be necessary to hire an expert witness to study each element of the accident to gauge which party is truly at fault.
The bottom line is such multi-vehicle accidents are egregiously complex issues that mandate the expert analysis of a personal injury attorney and possibly the analysis of expert witnesses.
The Admission of Fault
If you are involved in a multi-vehicle accident, listen closely to the other drivers as you emerge from your vehicle. Ideally, you will have your smartphone on and recording the entirety of these interactions.
This is not to say you should hold your smartphone up directly in front of the other drivers involved in the accident.
Rather, you should hold your phone by your side in recording mode just in case one or several other drivers involved in the accident admit fault.
Merely stating “I’m sorry” or “I apologize” has the potential to constitute an admission of fault in a court of law.
It is imperative you do not admit fault for a multi-vehicle accident even if you are slightly at fault.
Say as little as possible and let your Alexandria Louisiana car accident attorney fiercely represent your interest until justice is served.
What if no one Takes the Blame?
If none of the drivers involved in the accident admit fault, the burden of proving fault will fall on the drivers’ attorneys. It might be possible that one or several parties witnessed the accident.
If it is determined the first car in a multi-vehicle pileup was distracted, the remaining drivers might not bear any of the blame. However, such chain-reaction collisions typically spur at least a small percentage of liability on behalf of other drivers as they failed to brake in a timely manner.
Do not attempt to solve this egregiously complex legal puzzle on your own. Our personal injury attorneys are here to evaluate your auto accident, determine which party is truly at fault and ensure you are provided with the compensation you need and deserve after this unfortunate incident. Reach out to us today to schedule a review of your case.
