South Carolina residents who have seen a multi-car accident understand how devastating these collisions can be. The largest multi-car accident in the U.S. history involved 194 cars and spread over 2 miles. Thankfully, that accident did not lead to fatalities. However, determining who was at fault was likely a challenge.
Accidents with at least three vehicles are multi-car accidents. There is usually a chain reaction of cars rear-ending each other. Normally, one is at fault for the first collision, and then subsequent collisions happen.
Drivers can probably imagine this scenario: The first car stops at a stop sign. The second car rear-ends the car in front of it. Car number three is tailgating, so the driver does not have enough time to stop when car number two runs into car number one. This chain reaction can go on and on.
Most of the time, there are several drivers who are all driving carelessly. This makes it challenging to identify who is at fault and whose auto insurance should be responsible for the incident. It’s easy to think that each driver is responsible for the car they ran into, but that’s not always the case.
In another scenario, car number two stops suddenly. Car number three is tailgating, so it slams into car number two. The force of car number three hitting car number two forces that car into car number one. Now, it is difficult to determine where the responsibility rests. Similar scenarios make identifying who is at fault a challenge.
Being the victim of a car crash can change a person’s life. Not only may their vehicle be ruined, but they may sustain injuries that require hospitalization and expensive medical bills. A personal injury attorney may work with a client to investigate the accident with the goal of finding out who was at fault and then helping the innocent party get compensation for their losses.