Being involved in an Ohio car accident is stressful enough. When multiple vehicles are added to the mix, it can be a downright nightmare to deal with. One of the biggest headaches regarding multi-car accidents is determining who is at fault. The fact is that each driver will have their own story on how the accident unfolded, making it even tougher to determine fault. Understandably, people may want to know how they should navigate a multi-car accident and receive compensation from the driver at fault.
Why the number of hits matter
One of the things police officers and attorneys will ask each driver is how many hits they felt during the accident. This is a tactic that is often used to determine fault in motor vehicle accidents. The reason that it is so effective is that even though everyone’s sequence of events will be different, they will likely remember how many times they felt a hit. For example, if the front driver felt multiple impacts, the fault is likely to be on the middle car.
Reconstruction of the accident
Because multi-car collisions are so complex to figure out, accident reconstruction experts might be brought in. If the tactic above does not present a party at fault, the expert will provide their evidence to the court, thus providing the judge or jury the ability to determine liability.
Percentage at fault
Ohio and many other states have comparative negligence laws. This allows court or jury awards to the plaintiff to be reduced by the percentage that the plaintiff was at fault, as long as its responsibility was equal to or less than that of the other parties.
Multi-car accidents can be quite complex to navigate through. That is why having an attorney at your side is critical to receiving the compensation you deserve.