A crash involving three or more vehicles can quickly become complicated. Each driver may give a different explanation, multiple insurance companies may become involved, and the person who caused the first impact may not be the only party responsible. A car accident lawyer Irvine drivers contact after a multi car crash can investigate the sequence of impacts and determine how fault should be divided.
These accidents can happen on local streets, busy intersections, and major routes running through Irvine, including I 5, I 405, and SR 133. The key question is not simply which vehicle has front end or rear end damage. The complete chain of events must be examined.
The First Impact Does Not Always Tell the Whole Story
In a two vehicle accident, determining fault may be relatively straightforward. A multi car collision often requires a closer look at what happened before, during, and after the first impact.
For example, one driver may:
- Rear end a stopped vehicle
- Push that vehicle into another car
- Change lanes and cause several drivers to collide
- Lose control and block traffic
- Cause another driver to take evasive action
The driver who started the chain reaction may be responsible for multiple impacts.
However, another driver may also share responsibility. One vehicle may have been following too closely, speeding, or driving distracted before becoming part of the collision.
The attorney must identify the order of events instead of treating every impact as one accident.
Police Reports Can Help but Do Not Decide the Entire Case
A traffic collision report can provide valuable information about the crash.
The report may include:
- Driver statements
- Witness information
- Vehicle positions
- A diagram of the collision
- Road and weather conditions
- Reported traffic violations
However, the report may not answer every question.
In a fast moving chain reaction, drivers may not know which impact occurred first. A person may feel several collisions within seconds and have difficulty describing the exact order.
An attorney may compare the report with physical evidence, photographs, video, and witness accounts before reaching a conclusion about fault.
Vehicle Damage Can Help Reconstruct the Sequence of Impacts
The location of damage on each vehicle may provide important information.
An attorney may review:
- Front end damage
- Rear end damage
- Side impact damage
- The direction of the damage
- Repair estimates
- Vehicle photographs
Suppose a vehicle has damage to both the rear and front. That may support an argument that it was first struck from behind and then pushed into the car ahead.
In another case, side damage may show that a lane change or sideswipe began the collision.
Vehicle damage should be considered together with the other evidence.
Video Evidence Can Be Especially Important
A multi car crash may be captured by:
- Dashcams
- Nearby businesses
- Traffic cameras
- Residential security systems
- Other drivers
Video can show the exact order of events.
It may reveal which vehicle changed lanes, whether traffic had already stopped, how much time drivers had to react, or whether one impact pushed a vehicle into another.
Video evidence may not remain available indefinitely. An attorney may need to identify possible footage and act quickly to preserve it.
Witness Statements Can Resolve Disputed Stories
Drivers involved in the crash have their own perspectives.
A neutral witness may have seen the entire collision from a better position.
Witnesses may be able to explain:
- Which vehicle caused the first impact
- Whether traffic was stopped
- Whether a driver changed lanes suddenly
- Whether someone was speeding
- Whether one vehicle was pushed into another
Contact information should be collected as soon as possible.
Witnesses can become harder to locate over time, and memories may become less detailed.
More Than One Driver Can Share Fault
California personal injury cases can involve comparative fault, meaning responsibility may be divided among the people whose negligence contributed to the harm. California’s civil jury instructions specifically address comparative fault and the apportionment of responsibility.
For example, fault in a multi car crash might involve:
- A driver who caused the first collision
- A second driver who was following too closely
- A third driver who made an unsafe lane change
The exact division depends on the evidence.
A claim should not be rejected simply because more than one person may have contributed to the crash. The attorney must investigate what each driver did and how that conduct contributed to the injuries.
Insurance Companies May Blame Each Other
Multi car crashes often involve several insurance companies.
One insurer may argue that another driver caused the accident. Another may claim its insured was only involved because of the first collision.
Each company may try to reduce the amount it must pay.
Common disputes involve:
- Who caused the first impact
- Whether a vehicle was pushed forward
- Whether a driver had enough time to stop
- Whether someone changed lanes
- Whether multiple impacts caused the injuries
An attorney can communicate with the different insurers and compare their positions with the available evidence.
Medical Evidence May Need to Address Multiple Impacts
A person involved in a chain reaction may experience more than one impact.
For example, the vehicle may first be struck from behind and then pushed into another car. A second vehicle may strike it from the side moments later.
The insurance companies may dispute which impact caused the injuries.
Medical evidence can help document:
- When symptoms began
- What injuries were diagnosed
- What treatment was required
- Whether the injuries were consistent with the crash
- Whether prior conditions were aggravated
The attorney may collect emergency room records, imaging, specialist reports, medical bills, and other documentation showing the effect of the collision.
Fault Affects How Compensation Is Pursued
Determining fault is important because it helps identify which parties and insurance policies may be responsible for the claim.
Depending on the accident, compensation may involve:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical care
- Lost income
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent physical limitations
California personal injury cases based on negligence require proof of the legal basis for the claim and the facts supporting it.
An attorney should investigate every responsible party rather than assuming that only one driver or one insurance policy is involved.
A Lawsuit May Be Necessary When Fault Remains Disputed
Some multi car claims can be resolved through insurance negotiations.
Others require litigation because the drivers and insurance companies continue blaming one another.
A lawsuit may allow the parties to obtain additional evidence through:
- Written discovery
- Depositions
- Expert opinions
- Vehicle records
- Additional witness testimony
As more evidence becomes available, the sequence of events may become clearer.
A case may still settle before trial, but the attorney should be prepared to continue pursuing the claim when the responsible parties refuse to accept appropriate responsibility.
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer Irvine Drivers Can Call After a Multi Car Crash
A car accident lawyer Irvine drivers can turn to after a multi car collision should investigate every impact, review the vehicle damage, preserve video, interview witnesses, and determine whether more than one driver shares fault.
Bojat Law Group represents people injured in multi car crashes and other serious accidents throughout Irvine, Orange County, and Southern California. The firm handles car accidents, truck crashes, motorcycle accidents, Uber and Lyft accidents, pedestrian accidents, catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and wrongful death cases.
Bojat Law Group has recovered more than $100 million for clients and offers free consultations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Call Bojat Law Group at (818) 877-4878 to discuss your Irvine car accident case. There is No Win No Fee, which means you pay no attorney fee unless compensation is recovered.
