If you were in a car accident with several drivers, the case can quickly become complicated. That’s why you should hire the best car accident attorney as soon as you can after an accident involving several vehicles.
Where Should You File Your Claim?
If you are in a crash with several vehicles, you should call your insurance company right away, no matter who you think should pay.
If you are in a no-fault insurance state, you will need to get paid from your own policy at first for most of your damages. If your damages end up being more than your insurance coverage, you can still file a lawsuit against another driver.
When you don’t know who is at fault for the accident, you may want to file a claim against the insurance companies for the other drivers. If more than one is insured by the same insurance company, you need to file different insurance claims on each policy.
The insurance companies may investigate the accident to find out who was at fault. But don’t get the idea that the insurance companies want to help you; they just want to avoid financial liability if they can.
You need to rely on your best car accident attorney to look out for your interests.
Not Enough Money From Insurance
It’s vital to have the best car accident attorney working for you in a multi-vehicle accident. A big reason is there often isn’t enough insurance money to fully compensate all victims.
Many car drivers only carry the state minimum of insurance coverage, which might range between $50,000 to $100,000. If several drivers have serious injuries, it doesn’t take long for the insurance funds to be exhausted.
For example, if one of the drivers has only $100,000 of insurance coverage and four other drivers have serious injuries, there probably won’t be enough money available.
The insurance company doesn’t decide how much money should go to each person. In most states, your best car accident attorney will need to file what is called an interpleader action. This is a lawsuit where several injured parties have to go to court to decide who gets what.
It’s up to you and your lawyer to convince the judge that you had reasonable and necessary medical expenses and you should get more money than other people.
Many car accidents with multiple vehicles must go through a lawsuit before injured parties get paid. Many multi-car accidents have hundreds or even millions of dollars in claims for severe injury and death, and there may not be clear evidence of who was at fault.
One possible solution, if you have less serious injuries, is to file an underinsured driver claim on your own policy. You will be able to get at least some money to cover your injuries and damages.
Contributory Negligence In Multi-Vehicle Accident
Multi-vehicle wrecks often have more than one person who was negligent. That’s why contributory negligence often is important in this lawsuit.
Contributory negligence means you are awarded compensation in an accident based on your degree of fault.
If you have $50,000 in medical bills from a serious car accident and are 50% responsible for the crash, you would qualify for only $25,000 in compensation.
This is why it’s important to have the best car accident attorney in your corner from the start of the case. They will fight to reduce your percentage of liability in the settlement so you can get as much money as possible.
Having a good attorney is especially important when it is a complex accident with several vehicles. After the accident, there will be several insurance investigations, and one or more of them will probably want to talk to each of the injured parties.
Injured parties can get themselves in trouble when talking to opposing insurance companies because they can say things that hurt their case.
It’s always best to have your attorney talk to other insurance companies so your case isn’t damaged by saying the wrong thing. All you need to say is ‘I’m ok and the insurance company will try to reject your claim.
Multiple vehicle accidents are complicated, but you can get a fair settlement when you have a good attorney representing your interests.
