Venice Multi-Vehicle Accident Attorney
While all car crashes can be dangerous, those involving multiple vehicles tend to have particularly devastating repercussions for motorists, as they often result in at least one fatality. For instance, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that as many as 40 percent of all car accident-related fatalities occur in multi-vehicle accidents. This is largely attributed to the fact that the victims of multi-car pile-ups are forced to suffer multiple impacts from many directions.
Unfortunately, because these collisions involve more than one vehicle, it is also often more difficult to determine who should be held liable for a victim’s injuries. For this reason, accident victims who were involved in multi-car pile-ups are often encouraged to consult with a Venice multi-vehicle accident attorney who has the resources and experience to help them hold the responsible parties accountable for their carelessness.
Common Causes
Like any other type of vehicle collision, multi-car pile-ups can occur just about anywhere and at any time. These types of crashes do, however, tend to occur more often when there is high traffic density, especially when there are also poor weather conditions and at least one driver is:
- Speeding, tailgating, weaving in and out of lanes, or otherwise driving aggressively;
- Driving while distracted;
- Rubbernecking;
- Driving while fatigued; or
- Driving while under the influence.
Ultimately, any activity that takes a motorist’s mind or eyes off of the road is dangerous, particularly when the roads are congested or the weather conditions make the roads precarious or have significantly reduced visibility.
Who is Liable?
Even when the person who initiated a multi-car pile-up is identified, questions of liability may still crop up, as these accidents almost always involve the negligence of more than one person. If, for example, one motorist fell asleep at the wheel and rear-ended another car, he or she won’t necessarily bear all responsibility for subsequent collisions if the driver who then struck the drowsy motorist was texting at the time of the crash.
Because so many individuals are involved in multi-vehicle collisions, it is not uncommon in these kinds of cases, for multiple individuals to be held partially liable for an accident, which is possible because of Florida’s adherence to the comparative negligence rule, under which all negligent parties can be held liable only for their own degree of percentage in causing a crash. When assigning liability in multi-vehicle crashes, the parties will need to look to photographs of the scene of the accident and police reports, as well as eyewitness testimony. Reconstructing the accident through the use of skid mark measurements and point of impact calculations also often play a crucial role in proving liability in these types of cases.
Call or Send Us an Online Message Today
Please reach out to the experienced multi-vehicle accident attorneys at Hale Law for help determining who was liable for a multi-car pile-up in which you were involved. You can reach a member of our legal team by calling our Venice office at 941-735-4529 or by completing one of our brief online intake forms.
