Who is Responsible For a Multi-Vehicle Accident?

Multi-vehicle accidents are understandably far more complex than your typical accident that only involves two vehicles. Not only do multi-vehicle accidents result in more people suffering injuries and damages (meaning a greater amount of damages that will need to be compensated), but it often is difficult to parse out how a multi-vehicle accident occurred and who exactly bears fault for causing the accident.

Multi-vehicle accidents require careful, thorough investigation by injured victims who wish to bring a claim for compensation, This makes it incredibly important to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer who can recover and review the evidence from a multi-vehicle accident and pinpoint who should be held responsible for your injuries and damages.

Who Is at Fault for a Multi-Vehicle Accident?

A multi-vehicle can take place in a matter of seconds. This can make it hard to identify the driver or other cause that set off the collisions. Sometimes it is easier to identify who was at fault for a multi-vehicle accident by reviewing surveillance footage and other physical evidence that clearly shows what caused the accident and therefore who bears liability for the crash. 

Fault for many multi-vehicle accidents can be difficult to pinpoint when these accidents involve chain-reactions of collisions or when multiple collisions occur around the same area (but are not linked in a chain of collisions, one after another). Sometimes a multi-vehicle accident is set off by one driver’s negligence, while the accident or chain-reaction of collisions continue due to another driver’s negligence. In the more difficult multi-vehicle accidents, injured parties will often have to rely on expert accident reconstruction, which uses scientific principles to review the physical and witness testimony from the accident to describe or illustrate how the accident occurred.

How Multi-Vehicle Accidents Cause Injury

Of course, like with all other auto crashes, multi-vehicle accidents can cause injury to the drivers and passengers involved in the accident due to the force of impact imparted on each vehicle. In many cases, injuries from multi-vehicle accidents arise due to flying debris, whether the debris comes from objects inside the victim’s own vehicle or debris that comes flying off another vehicle involved in the accident (such as cargo that falls off of a truck). Again, expert medical and biomechanical testimony may be needed to explain the cause of each accident victim’s injuries, especially when those injuries aren’t obviously explained by the blunt force trauma of the vehicle collision itself.

Pursuing a Legal Claim for a Multi-Vehicle Accident

A person who is injured in a multi-vehicle accident will almost certainly need to hire an attorney to pursue a claim for compensation on their behalf. When multiple vehicles are involved in an accident, it can be easy for the insurance companies of the drivers involved to simply point the finger at one another, making injured drivers and passengers have to go through the run-around to get financial compensation for their injuries and damages. 

Your attorney will likely secure critical evidence that shows how your accident occurred and who was at fault — this evidence may include accident scene photos, police accident reports, witness statements, surveillance or dashcam footage, vehicle damage/repair reports, and vehicle data recorder information, which is often put together by accident reconstruction experts to clearly explained what happened in a multi-vehicle accident and pinpoint what exactly was the cause, such as a speeding driver, someone failing to stop or slow down for traffic, or some other loss of control of a vehicle.

Contact a Edison Personal Injury Lawyer to Discuss Your Motor Vehicle Accident Case in New Jersey

Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries due to a motor vehicle accident in New Jersey? Don’t let the medical bills pile up while you wait for the negligent party or their insurance company to do the right thing. Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side, fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled attorneys at Lombardi and Lombardi, P.A. represent clients injured because of motor vehicle accidents in Perth Amboy, Middletown, Howell, Lakewood, and throughout New Jersey. Call (732) 906-1500 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a consultation about your case. We have an office conveniently located at 1862 Oak Tree Road, Edison, NJ 08820, as well as offices in Brick, Freehold, and Point Pleasant Beach.

The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.