Delaware Injury Attorneys Discuss Determining Liability in Multi-car Collisions

Knowledgeable personal injury attorneys helping injured clients in Newark, Seaford and Wilmington, DE

You may have seen news reports about multi-car crashes or chain-reaction collisions that often occur on the highway during poor weather conditions. You might wonder how on earth they figure how the accident started and who is at fault. If you have been injured in such an accident, you no doubt know all too well how confusing it can be to sort out the multiple police reports, and each driver pointing the finger at the other driver. Sorting out who did what to whom can be a complicated matter.

At the law firm of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, we have experience with sorting out the messy, complex details of a multi-car crash. We determine who is at fault and we work persistently towards obtaining compensation for your injuries. No matter where you live or had your accident, one of our Delaware auto accident lawyers is nearby, at an office in Newark, Wilmington, or Seaford. We are always ready to help.

Common causes of multi-car crashes

A multi-car crash, or a chain-reaction collision occurs when one vehicle crashes into another vehicle, which crashes into the next and so on. It can include three vehicles or more than a dozen depending on the circumstances, and the more vehicles involved the more complex it can be to sort out exactly what happened.

There are factors that can lead to multiple-car collisions that are largely beyond the driver’s control such as a sudden snowstorm or dust storm that obliterates visibility, or an ice storm where the roadway is converted to a slick sheet of ice which sends drivers careening around, but aside from those extenuating circumstances, many of the causes of chain-reaction auto accidents include the following:

• Drunk or drugged driving
• Texting or dialing the phone behind the wheel
• Drowsy drivers who fall asleep while driving
• Aggressive driving
• Following too closely
• Failure to yield right of way
• Speeding

Determining who was negligent and assigning fault proportionally

Often, people assume that the first vehicle that crashed into the one in front of them must be the party at fault for the accident, but that is not always the case. For example, one vehicle might be stopped at a red light (vehicle A), which turns green, but because their head is down as they type a text message they don’t notice. A car driving up behind them sees that the light is green, but does not notice that the car is not moving because they are reaching across to grab a donut from a bag on the passenger seat (vehicle B) crashes into vehicle A. When vehicle A hits vehicle B, it gets sent careening into an intersection, where a box truck (vehicle c) which was speeding to get through it before the light turned red, crashed into vehicle A as it was shoved into the intersection. Finally, vehicle C hit vehicle B with such force that it pushed it into yet another car. So, in this tangled mess there were three collisions involving four vehicles.

Upon investigating the accident, the driver of vehicle A might share a certain percentage of the fault because they were distracted and not looking where they were going, but vehicle B must share some of the fault because they were stopped at a green light texting on their phone. Vehicle C, the box truck which was speeding through the intersection would share the fault for the second hit to vehicle B, which pushed it into the fourth vehicle which was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

How an auto accident attorney can help when you have been injured in a chain-reaction car crash

While you are recovering in the hospital from your injuries from a multi-car crash, and wondering if your life will even be back in order, your diligent Delaware auto accident attorney from the law firm of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman will be busy investigating the accident, interviewing witnesses, photos and any other available evidence deconstruct the scene methodically to follow the chain of collisions and determine which drivers are liable in the accident, and how fault will be distributed. Our auto accident attorneys have work extensively with doctors and police forces in Wilmington, Seaford and Newark, DE, and we know how to build your case correctly.

We protect your rights, and we make sure that you get fair compensation for your injuries. When you are going up against attorneys from huge insurance companies whose objective is to make sure that you get as little compensation as possible, you need a strong advocate on your side who knows the value of your case and knows how to negotiate on your behalf.

Schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced auto accident attorneys today

If you have suffered an injury in a multi-car collision, we can help make sure that the negligent party (or parties) is held accountable. We work diligently to make sure that you get the compensation you deserve for when you have been injured. Please contact the attorneys of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman for a free consultation to get legal advice about your case. You may complete our contact form or call us at 302-888-2900 to discuss your case. We have three offices in Delaware in Newark, Wilmington, and Seaford.