Any accident between two cars is bad enough. But an accident with more than two cars takes road catastrophe to another lethal level.

A multi-vehicle accident, also called a pile-up collision or a chain reaction accident, often occurs when a car rear-ends another car in front of it, propelling it to hit another, and so on. In some cases, a car may sideswipe another car, catapulting it to the next lane, thereby hitting all other vehicles around it.

A lot of things must have gone wrong simultaneously for a multi-vehicle accident to occur. Should you find yourself injured in a collision, it will be vital to know contributing factors to establish your case and all possible responsible parties.

A series of unfortunate crashes

In the recently released fatal crash statistics by New Jersey’s Department of Law and Public Safety, there have been 283 fatal crashes so far this year, amounting to 297 deaths.

But motor vehicle accidents are not always about an unsuspecting driver at the mercy of a negligent driver. In some instances, they’re a result of collective dangerous decisions among multiple drivers aggravated by the following circumstances:

• Tailgating: If a driver does not allow enough space between their vehicle and the other car in front of them, leaving little room to themselves when the other car stops
• Speeding: If a driver operates at high speed and sends other vehicles around it skidding out of control during impact
• Losing focus: Distractions abound – texting, drinking, eating, or when a driver tries to get a better view of another road incident

Unforeseen mechanical and environmental issues may also contribute to several collisions. These are just some of the common causes that may lead up to the crash, which makes proving liability rarely easy. Often, every driver shares a percentage of the fault.

If you’re the victim after an extensive investigation, the state’s modified comparative negligence rule allows you to receive compensation from different drivers, like 30% from driver A and the remaining 70% from driver B. But if you’re partially to blame, you may still receive a reduced compensation depending on the fault percentage you share. Thus, if you’re 10% at fault, you may only recover 90% compensation.

Clarity amid chaos

There are way too many confusing variables simultaneously happening. So, it will help if you rise above the chaos by working with a counsel after attending to your injuries. They can protect your interests by exhausting legal courses of action for compensation recovery.

The post Multi-vehicle accidents: What causes them and who’s at fault? appeared first on Cuneo & Leonetti LLC.