Port Charlotte Multi-Vehicle Accident Attorney
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reported that in 2018, 48 percent of Florida’s road fatalities were a result of a multiple-vehicle crash. Multiple-vehicle crashes are collisions involving two or more vehicles on the road. While this includes two-car crashes, many accidents in Florida occur on the highways and involve vehicles pileups. For example, BBC News reported on a Florida pileup in 2012 that involved 12 cars, six trucks, and 18 injured people and The Miami Herald more recently reported on a 15-car pileup with no major injuries. In many cases the injuries of a multiple-vehicle collision are immediate and substantial, but if you’ve been in a wreck and are experiencing muscle spasms, headaches, or swelling, you could be experiencing symptoms of whiplash or internal bleeding. While you take care of your health and making a full recovery, the Port Charlotte multi-vehicle accident attorneys at Hale Law are here to assist you through the legal process.
Florida is Comparative Negligence State
Florida law states that multiple people can be negligent in a personal injury claim. For instance, if driver A was speeding and causes a crash while driver B is following the rules of the road, driver A would be found 100 percent liable for any resulting crash. However, if driver A was speeding but driver B ran a stop sign, the court would determine the percent liable each party was for damages. If one driver is found 80 percent negligent, they are only responsible for paying 80 percent of the damages
Who is At Fault if There Were Several Drivers Involved?
Comparative negligence still applies in multiple vehicle crashes when there are three or more drivers, but it does raise the complexity of the case. For instance, a driver on the highway gets a text and looks down at their phone. They miss seeing a person hit their brakes and smash into the car in front of them. Behind them is a third driver, who is traveling 20 mph over the speed limit. When the first two cars crash, the third driver doesn’t have enough reaction time to avoid it and causes a second impact with the first two cars. The impact causes those cars to be pushed into other cars and a pileup has begun. In this case, the driver who was texting might be found partially negligent along with the third driver who was speeding and caused a secondary impact. If you were in a multiple vehicle crash, you want to prove that you were not violating any rules of the road and should not be at fault because it will affect the amount of compensation you can receive for damages.
Call a Port Charlotte Multiple-Vehicle Collision Attorney
Are you recovering from a multiple-car collision in Florida and not sure what steps to take next? The best action you can take is getting a knowledgeable Port Charlotte attorney on your case. The multiple-vehicle collision attorneys at Hale Law can help determine who was at fault in your case and the financial impact the crash had on you so that you can get the best outcome possible with an insurance claim. Call today at 941-735-4529 to schedule a free consultation.
