Multi-Car Accidents

Road accidents are always difficult and potentially traumatic events, but crashes involving several cars are often much worse than average. When three or more vehicles get into in an accident, the likelihood of at least one serious injury increases. Plus, establishing liability in a legal case can be more difficult when there are multiple parties involved.

For these reasons, you need the help of a lawyer who know how to approach multi-car accidents in Macon, GA, if you’ve been involved in one. These cases pose distinct challenges, so only an attorney with experience in the area will be able to give you the proper standard of representation.

Multi-car accidents in Macon, GA, pose a unique set of challenges. The involvement of several vehicles in a collision often makes it more difficult to determine who was at fault or to what extent a particular individual was to blame.

Our lead Macon multi-car accident attorney David Mann is a seasoned personal injury attorney who has helped hundreds of road accident victims recover compensation for harm suffered due to the irresponsible behavior of other road users. He’s spent countless hours examining crash-site evidence, speaking to witnesses, and analyzing records and reports while building cases for clients recovering from complex accidents.

If you come to our firm following a multi-car accident, David will put his expertise to work to assess whether you have a potentially successful lawsuit on your hands. If we think you deserve compensation, we’ll start building your case right away.

Whether we negotiate an out-of-court settlement with the insurance companies of the at-fault parties or argue the case in front of a judge and jury, we always endeavor to emerge from disputes with the best possible results for the injured multi-car accident victims that come to us for help.

A multi-car accident is any crash that involves more than two vehicles. They range from three- or four-car collisions to large-scale pile-ups on freeways affecting dozens of road users. Regardless of their ultimate size, though, multi-car accidents usually come about for the same reason — the negligent behavior of a single driver.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are more than 164,000 miles of road in the National Highway System. These multi-lane highways see a lot of traffic, meaning a small issue with one vehicle on the road can quickly turn into a catastrophic accident impacting a large number of cars, drivers, and passengers.

Common Causes of Multi-Car Accidents

Multi-car accidents can be caused by various factors, and it’s often a combination of circumstances that contribute to these incidents. Here are some common causes:

• Distracted driving: Whether it’s texting, adjusting the radio, eating, or even talking to passengers, any activity that diverts a driver’s attention from the road can result in a collision. Allowing distractions to affect road performance is even riskier in situations where a multi-car accident is a possibility.
• Speeding: Driving too quickly impairs a driver’s ability to respond to hazards on the roadway and extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle. High speeds are, therefore, a major risk factor when it comes to multi-car accidents, particularly if several vehicles are traveling too quickly.
• Tailgating: Cars traveling too close behind other cars often contribute to road accidents, and these crashes often involve multiple vehicles when they occur in heavy traffic conditions.
• Adverse weather conditions: Rain, fog, snow, or ice can make roads slippery and visibility poor, increasing the likelihood of multi-car accidents.
• Poor road conditions: Potholes, road construction, debris, or poor road maintenance can also contribute to multi-car accidents. Drivers may swerve or brake suddenly to avoid these hazards, causing other vehicles to collide.
• Impaired driving: The influence of alcohol or drugs makes it significantly more difficult for a driver to operate a vehicle safely. Impaired drivers are less likely to react appropriately to changing road conditions, so they’re at a much greater risk of becoming involved in a multi-car accident.
• Fatigue: Driver fatigue has been repeatedly linked to increased accident risk. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), you’re three times more likely to be in an accident on the road if you drive while overly tired.

As a multi-car accident lawyer, there are certain crash scenarios you see again and again in the course of practice. These include some of the following:

• One vehicle rear-ends another on a busy street and is then rear-ended by the car behind, leading to a chain reaction of rear-end crashes. In some of these cases, cars are pushed out of their lanes and into the path of oncoming traffic.
• Two vehicles collide at an intersection on a busy street. One car is sent into the path of oncoming traffic, leading other drivers to swerve into one another.
• A driver changes lanes too fast on a highway, causing other drivers to swerve out of their lane and hit other cars.

Determining liability in a multi-car accident is often more difficult than in a two-car collision. Additionally, the involvement of a greater number of individuals poses other practical difficulties.

Multiple Contributing Factors

While large crashes are typically triggered by one mistake, there are often several instances of negligent driving that contribute to the overall seriousness of an accident. For example, one driver might appear to cause a collision by braking too suddenly, but the driver behind them could have been following too closely. The difference between responsible and irresponsible behavior on the road is often very slight, which means it can be extremely difficult for expert analysts to accurately apportion fault in accident cases involving multiple cars.

Overlapping Insurance Claims

All Georgia drivers must carry motor insurance, which means multi-car accidents in the state can involve several different insurance companies. Each of these companies will try to minimize its own financial liability, inevitably submitting conflicting accounts of the accident. Navigating these overlapping insurance claims can be complex and time-consuming.

Eyewitness Accounts and Police Reports

Eyewitness accounts of complex accidents can differ significantly, and even police reports may not properly relay what happened. Accurate reconstruction of the accident often requires in-depth expert analysis, complicating the process and increasing the length of time taken to resolve the case.

Georgia’s Comparative Negligence Rule

Georgia operates under a system known as “modified comparative negligence,” as laid out in Georgia Code Section 51-12-33 (the apportionment statute). According to this rule, an injured party can still recover some damages if they are partially at fault for an accident, as long as their share of the overall blame does not exceed 50%. So, if you’re 20% at fault for an accident, you will only be entitled to a maximum of 80% of the damages that would otherwise be available.

Multi-car accidents can be devastating for victims, as well as challenging for lawyers. If you’re considering filing a lawsuit following a road accident involving multiple vehicles in Georgia, you need a top-class multi-car accident attorney on your side.

Contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation with our Macon multi-car accident attorney. You can reach us via the form on our website or over the phone at (478) 742-3381.