Accidents Involving Multiple Cars Require an Experienced Attorney
Multiple Car Accidents Require an Experienced Attorney
If you have been injured in a car accident in which one or more drivers were at fault, then you may wonder what to do next. Often times when there are more than two cars involved, the injured party wrongly believes that there is no way to prove who is liable.
When you work with an experienced personal injury lawyer, the at-fault party or parties can be determined and can be held responsible. Keep reading to learn more about how multiple car accident fault is determined. Also, contact The Newton Firm, PC at 423-498-3591 for your free legal consultation.
Duty of Care
Anytime a person drives a vehicle, they owe a duty of care to all other drivers on the road. If a driver does not drive reasonably, they have violated this duty of care. This can include things like speeding, not maintaining vehicles, or violating traffic laws.
When a driver has violated a duty of care and there is an accident, then that driver can be held responsible for the accident. When there are several at fault drivers involved, then comparative negligence comes into play.
What is Comparative Negligence?
The first step is determining which drivers were at fault. Then their percentage of fault must be determined. Tennessee is a modified comparative negligence state which means that if the wrongdoer is more than 50% at fault, you can recover damages from them. When you have multiple at fault parties involved in an accident, the fault of all parties is apportioned between them. As long as the at fault parties’ combined negligence is more than 50%, then damages can be sought. This is known as modified comparative fault and is the rule of law.
For example, consider an accident involving three cars. One driver ran a stop sign, another driver was driving under the influence, and the third driver was following the rules of the road. The third driver would likely be able to sue both the first and second drivers for injuries and damages. The amount that each of the two at-fault drivers would owe would be determined by the trier of fact (judge or jury) and would be equal to their particular percentage of fault.
If the judge decided that the driver who ran the stop sign was 50% at fault and the intoxicated driver was 50% at fault, and the third driver suffered injuries and damages of $200,000, both the first and second driver would owe $100,000.
You Need an Experienced Attorney to Represent You!
Although the example above is pretty straight forward, multiple car accidents can be complicated. In a multiple car accident, you have to prove fault and then prove each person’s percentage of fault. The Newton Firm has years and years of experience helping people involved in these types of accidents and they can help you. Call our offices now at 423-498-3591 for a free legal consultation.