How Are Injury Claims Involving Pile-Up Accidents Handled?

 Posted on April 05, 2021 in Car Accidents

A typical car accident injury case is already complicated. When multiple vehicles are involved in a collision, the case becomes even more complex. If you or a loved one were involved in a pile-up accident, you may be curious about how these accidents are handled from a legal perspective. Is the driver of the vehicle that initially caused the collision liable for all of the other collisions? Am I liable for hitting someone else’s vehicle because I was rear-ended? Questions like these are what make injury claims involving pile-ups so difficult to navigate.

Seeking Compensation for Damages Through a Personal Injury Claim

Last month, smoke from a grass fire caused a multiple vehicle pile-up accident in Illinois. Nine vehicles and one semi-truck were involved in the collision. Several of the individuals involved in the crash sustained serious injuries and needed to be airlifted to the hospital. Accidents involving multiple vehicles often cause chain reactions that result in multiple severe injuries and fatalities. If you or a loved one were hurt in a multiple vehicle accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages.

Assigning Fault for a Multiple Vehicle Accident

Liability in a pile-up accident often falls to multiple parties. Understanding exactly how an accident unfolded and who is at fault is no simple task. Accident reconstruction is often a very useful tool in situations such as these. Your personal injury attorney may work with an accident reconstruction specialist to recreate the accident using computer programs, illustrations, and physical models. Evidence such as vehicle crash recorder data, traffic camera footage, and witness testimony is often key to understanding fault through accident reconstruction.

Modified Comparative Negligence

Under Illinois’s “modified comparative negligence” laws, the amount of compensation that an injured person can receive for an accident is inversely proportional to his or her share of liability for the accident. For example, if your car was rear-ended by another vehicle which caused you to strike the vehicle in front of you, you and the driver that struck you may both be liable. If you are found to be 10 percent at fault and the rear driver is 90 percent at fault, you would be entitled to compensation for 90 percent of the damages you sustained.

Contact a Glen Ellyn Multi-Vehicle Accident Lawyer

If you were injured or your loved one was killed in a pile-up accident, you need an attorney with the legal experience and resources required to effectively handle this type of case. At Schwartz Injury Law, our Illinois car accident injury attorneys have what it takes to investigate your accident, identify the liable parties, and fight to get you compensation for your damages. Learn more by calling us at 630-349-2325 for a free consultation today.

Source:

https://week.com/2021/03/14/smoke-from-grass-fire-leads-to-10-vehicle-crash-on-i-39-saturday-three-seriously-injured/