Determining Responsibility for Multi-Car Accidents

Road congestion has become an unavoidable part of life in Florida. Unfortunately, heavy traffic also comes with an increased risk of collision, often between more than two vehicles. The injuries sustained in these kinds of crashes tend to be severe, as they force victims to sustain multiple impacts, rather than a single collision, which is typical of the standard two-vehicle crash.

Because the injuries sustained in multi-car pile-ups are usually so severe, injured parties often have no trouble proving that their injuries qualify as serious under state law, which in turn means that they can typically seek compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurer. However, determining whose negligence was responsible for a multi-car accident is not so simple, as these crashes involve so many drivers and vehicles. For help investigating the cause of your own multi-vehicle collision, please contact our experienced Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers today.

Types of Multi-Car Accidents

A multi-car accident is any type of crash that involves three or more vehicles. These kinds of collisions, like any type of accident, can occur in a number of different ways, but the most common include:

• Rear-end collisions, which involve multiple vehicles striking the rear of the car in front of them, causing a chain reaction crash;
• Intersection collisions, which typically occur during times of heavy traffic or when more than one vehicle fails to obey traffic lights; and
• Highway crashes, which often occur at high speeds and so tend to involve more vehicles, with fewer drivers able to avoid a collision.

All of these types of crashes, when they involve multiple vehicles, also result in more than one collision. The force of multiple impacts, as well as the fact that they often come from different angles, makes the injuries suffered in these kinds of collisions notoriously dangerous.

Causes of Multi-Car Pile-Ups

Most multi-car crashes are the result of at least one driver’s negligence. It is, however, not uncommon for these kinds of collisions to involve the carelessness of multiple parties, who may have been speeding, driving while distracted, tailgating, or impaired by fatigue, drugs, or alcohol. This type of conduct is much more common than most people realize. For instance, in 2018, this kind of negligence caused 403,626 crashes in Florida, which resulted in 255,353 injuries.

Because these crashes often involve the negligent acts of more than one person, determining who is ultimately at fault for a specific accident can be extremely difficult. Fortunately, under Florida law it is possible to apportion damages to the parties involved in a car crash based on their degree of fault, so even if it is determined that an injured party contributed to an accident, he or she won’t be barred from recovery.

Were You Involved in a Multi-Vehicle Collision?

Contact Boone & Davis for a consultation with one of our trusted Fort Lauderdale auto accident lawyers. We are standing by to address your questions and concerns, so please don’t hesitate to call us at 954-566-9919 or to send us an online message today.