Being involved in a car accident is already bad, but it can quickly become worse when more than two cars are involved. Often referred to as a pile-up, a multi-vehicle accident can have dire consequences, from serious injuries and fatalities to substantial property damage and more.
Multi-car accidents are more likely to happen on highways or other roadways with higher speed limits and heavier traffic. They are also likely during severe weather.
These types of car accidents can cause damage to dozens of cars, catastrophic injuries, and costly damages.
If you were involved in a multi-car accident, Burt McDowell Injury Law has decades of experience in getting to the bottom of multi-vehicle accidents like yours. Give us a call today at (203) 590-9169 or contact us online to schedule a case review with one of the members of our Bridgeport injury law team.
Bridgeport Multi-Vehicle Accident Attorney Works to Settle Your Claim
Working with a multi-vehicle accident lawyer means gaining the assistance of someone familiar with Connecticut law, a professional who understands the nuances that present themselves in multi-car accident cases. A Bridgeport car accident attorney will provide:
- Representation throughout your case
- Industry knowledge and resources
- An ability to review evidence and build a solid claim
- The ability to negotiate on your behalf
- Courage to fight for you in court
Cases involving multiple vehicles come with their own set of nuances that are best left to experienced legal teams to handle. A multi-vehicle accident can involve dozens of cars and dozens of parties, including drivers and passengers alike — and with that, just as many attorneys handling individual claims.
The police will evaluate the accident, come to a conclusion about who caused the wreck, and provide clarity on what happened. However, their conclusion might mean that more than one person was responsible for the accident.
In addition, with many parties come numerous insurance companies that want to absolve themselves of liability. When you are properly represented, you have someone to fight for you while others try to avoid paying your compensation.
Why Multi-Vehicle Accidents Are Dangerous
A car accident creates dangerous circumstances for all involved. However, adding other cars to the equation makes the circumstances potentially deadly.
Cars can be struck by more than one vehicle, leaving occupants stuck in a chain reaction of crashes they can’t safely get out of.
In disastrous situations of a huge car pile-up, emergency personnel have difficulty reaching all victims, leaving many in critical conditions waiting until help can get to them. Unfortunately, it is too late sometimes to save victims by the time paramedics reach them, and they ultimately pass away.
Involvement of Trucks
Multi-vehicular accidents include more than just cars. Especially when the circumstances of the accident include the highway, there is a high chance that big 18-wheelers and the like will be present.
The involvement of trucks in a multi-vehicle accident increases the chances of injury and fatalities.
Determining Fault in a Multi-Vehicle Accident
An experienced multi-car accident attorney will work diligently to identify who is at fault. They will gather and review all evidence, including police reports, photos, videos, and witness statements, to learn what happened, how it happened, and who is responsible.
Knowing who is at fault will determine where your compensation should come from.
Common Causes of Multi-Vehicle Car Accidents in Bridgeport
Car accidents seem to come from nowhere, but just one second of inattention or one small mistake creates a life-threatening and difficult situation. A multi-vehicular accident can stem from:
In the end, the cause of the accident is not from a singular source. There is negligence involved in one way or another, and in turn, it creates a nightmare situation for everyone involved.
Poor Weather
Snow, fog, high winds, and heavy rain quickly create a disastrous car accident. Poor weather makes it hard for drivers to see the cars in front of them, the separation of lanes, and the other drivers around them.
Bad weather limits visibility and pavement friction and adds debris to the roadway, making it a hazardous driving environment for all. Local governments do what they can to prevent these hazardous conditions by icing roads or through construction projects of repaving and striping, but it is often not enough to prevent accidents from happening in these conditions.
Even still, other drivers have a duty to reduce speeds and make other decisions that enhance safety when severe weather is a factor. Many multi-car accident investigations find that the initial cause was a careless or dangerous maneuver taken by one or more inciting vehicles.
Alcohol and Drug Use
Driving under the influence is illegal in Connecticut, as well as all other states in the U.S. Drug and alcohol use limits reflexes and processing information and diminishes decision-making skills. Choosing to drive after consuming is not only negligent but often has deadly consequences.
Reckless Driving
Aggressive driving, speeding, tailing, and swerving in and out of lanes is one miscalculation away from causing a terrible wreck. Reckless drivers operate vehicles with little to no regard for others sharing the road with them and will practice dangerous maneuvers without considering the consequences of their actions.
In addition, a different type of reckless driving involves distractions. These distracted drivers are often not driving in a dangerous way intentionally, but using their phones, talking to their passengers, or grabbing something from their backseat, taking their focus from the road in front of them.
Whether the driver was distracted or acted deliberately, reckless driving is often responsible for car accidents.
Drowsy Driving
Driving while tired is just as dangerous as driving under the influence. When one gets behind the wheel when they are not fully alert, they create the possibility of inadvertently getting into an accident with someone else.
Lower alertness means that reflex times take longer, leading to delayed braking, stops, and dodging obstacles on the road.
Types of Multi-Vehicle Accident Car Damages
In a multi-car accident, there are many ways that a car is damaged. The most common collisions are:
Injuries in a Multi-Vehicle Wreck
Being involved in a multi-car accident comes with more severe injuries for all involved. The accident might be a chain reaction, where there is no safe way to exit your car or for help to get to you until the accident has been fully dealt with by paramedics.
With flying glass, metal shards, and debris, you can imagine that the injuries in these cases are devastating.
Victims find injuries like:
- Cuts and bruises
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Muscular strains
- Head and spinal injuries
With more than one impact happening, victims are battered in ways that are unusual in a typical car accident. They may hit the steering wheel, windows, dash, and even the ceiling of their car.
In cases where the occupant of the car was not wearing their seatbelt, they may be wholly or partially ejected from their vehicle, leading to a deadly result.
Muscular Strains
Aches and pains are expected when you are in a car accident, and in a multi-vehicle accident, they’re no different. The pain from muscle strains might not be visible immediately, as the victim is likely experiencing heightened adrenaline.
Still, when things calm down, victims may experience stiffness, pain, and limited mobility.
Broken Bones
Unfortunately, with so many cars in one accident, experiencing broken bones is not unlikely. Victims may break their arms, legs, wrists, or ankles as they stiffen when anticipating the crash and the other cars that follow.
In addition, the crash could have sent them crashing into the sides of their car, leading to breaks of their bones from the sheer force of the accident.
Burns
With oils, chemicals, and flammable materials present in a multi-car accident, it is no surprise that some drivers and occupants will have burns. As much as car manufacturers design their vehicles with passenger safety in mind, some collisions create fires or exposure to chemicals that will burn the skin, leaving the need for surgery, skin grafts, and future disfigurement.
Statute of Limitations
Connecticut has laws that limit the time frame to file in the court system for personal injury cases. The statute of limitations was created to encourage filers to be proactive in their measures to receive compensation.
However, the limited timeframe can create a tight deadline to negotiate with other parties for compensation on your claim.
In Connecticut, the statute of limitations is two years. Reaching out to an attorney as soon as possible after a multi-vehicle accident is crucial to get started on your claim and to allow enough time to gather and review evidence before requesting compensation.
Bridgeport Multi-Vehicle Accident Law Firm
A car accident becomes astronomically more complicated when there are multiple parties involved. Multiple-vehicle accidents create devastating property damage and potentially cause life-threatening injuries to anyone involved.
With so many cars associated with the crash, it can become difficult to tell who is responsible for what.
Fortunately, you do not have to battle numerous insurance companies or other drivers or determine liability on your own. With the help of an expert Bridgeport personal injury law firm, you will see the odds better for your chance of receiving compensation.
Burt McDowell Injury Law is here to help with its many years of legal expertise and getting to the bottom of cases just like yours. Give us a call today at (203) 590-9169, or contact us online to schedule your free case review today.
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