When we head out on Bakersfield streets, we don’t realize how easily we can be caught up in a bad driver’s mistake and suffer an accident and injury. Unfortunately, with our city’s traffic problems, one collision can quickly turn into four or five, in a chain-reaction accident.
When there are several victims and drivers involved in a multiple vehicle crash, it can be hard to figure out who should be responsible for ER bills and getting cars fixed.
Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield can help you untangle this knot, target the right drivers, and secure everything possible for your hardships. Take advantage of a free, no-obligation consultation with a real, local attorney.
How Do Multi-Car Accidents Occur in Bakersfield?
A small mistake on a fast-moving route can lead to massive consequences for many victims. A driver may lose control along SR99 or fail to yield the right of way at a busy intersection along Panama Lane.
A two-car minor collision may occur, but at most times during the day, there will be plenty of other vehicles bearing down on the scene. Approaching drivers may not have time or space to stop, and suddenly, a minor accident becomes a major pile-up.
These are just a few of the other ways a multi-car crash can spark:
You Avoid a Crash, But Get Hit Anyway: In other cases, you may slow down enough to avoid getting caught up in a crash, only to have a distracted driver behind you slam into your rear-end.
Rubbernecking Accidents: Drivers passing by a bad wreck may slow down, but they could also forget to watch the lanes as they stare at the crash scene. They can fail to slow down and ram you.
Weather Accidents: One of the rare rainy days in Bakersfield can lead to an accident. Then, people slamming the brakes to avoid the first accident end up hydroplaning and sliding into the wrecked vehicles.
Impaired Drivers: Motorists under the influence of alcohol or drugs can take everyone by surprise. By the time drivers realize someone has been drinking and driving, they may already be in a terrible, chain-reaction crash.
Who Is Responsible in a Multi-Car Pileup in Bakersfield?
The simple answer to this question is that one driver or multiple drivers could be liable. In California, under the legal concept of “comparative negligence,” anyone who contributed to an accident can share blame.
An officer with the Bakersfield Police or a CHP Officer will be on the scene trying to sort out exactly what happened and who is responsible for the initial collision and each resulting crash. They could assign a percentage of blame to several people.
They could find that a speeding driver lost control and caused the first crash, then assign some blame to drivers who were going too fast and failed to slow down and avoid the wreckage.
Drivers who collided with vehicles that slowed down properly could also share in the blame.
Your attorney would also investigate the accident or accidents and determine every party that should be helping you with recovery. A claim could be filed with multiple car insurance companies. The more the better for you.
Car insurance policies will have limits, so if one driver’s insurance coverage runs out before you have all your bills paid, you could rely on a second or third insurance provider for help.
What If I’m Found Partially to Blame in an Accident?
You could have to bear part of the responsibility in an accident, but if you are hurt and your car is damaged, you could still seek partial help with your recovery expenses.
For example, you may be assigned 20% of fault in a multi-car crash. Perhaps officers felt you came upon the first accident scene a little too fast, and otherwise, might have avoided a collision.
Perhaps two other drivers were each assigned 40% of the damage. You could still seek assistance with your ambulance fees, your lost income at work, and your car repair invoice. The only difference is that any settlement or award you received from the other insurers would be reduced by your 20% of fault.
The Difference a Good Lawyer Makes: Take heart, because if you have an experienced lawyer, your legal representative wouldn’t let you accept blame without a fight. Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers would battle to get your share of the fault as low as possible. And if you truly deserved 0.0% of the blame, your lawyer would present powerful evidence so you could count on full support.
How to Build a Strong Accident Claim After a Multi-Car Pileup
In a multi-vehicle accident, officers do the best they can to sort out responsibility. But they usually wouldn’t have witnessed what happened and would be relying on their own knowledge and experience to form an opinion. They can get it wrong. They may also be overworked and not have the time to track down evidence to completely unravel what happened.
It’s why a lawyer’s thorough investigation often changes the outcome of an investigation and an accident claim. And actually, you have the chance to help back your case with evidence.
The proof found on the scene can greatly change how officers judge an accident. It might also prevent a giant insurance company from pulling out every tactic to try to limit your recovery money.
Try to take these steps at the scene of your accident before evidence is cleaned up and hauled away:
- Check on everyone involved. Call 911 and get an ambulance on the way if you or anyone else involved is hurt. Get checked out by paramedics to get your injuries documented. Go to the ER if necessary.
- If the scene is secure and you can move around, get pictures of the collisions from many angles. Show skid marks and debris. Snap photos of any visible injuries and damaged clothing.
- Tell officers everything you can remember about what happened. It’s a good idea to write down everything you remember as soon as you can so you don’t forget key details.
- Get witness contact information. Talk to witnesses and find out what they observed. Turn this information over to your lawyer.
- Get driver’s license and insurance information from every driver involved. An officer may provide this information to you.
- Alert your own car insurance provider as soon as possible.
- Call to make an appointment with your own doctor in the coming days. Get every injury documented, even if you spent time in the ER. Have any new pain that arises examined. Follow your doctor’s orders, especially about physical therapy and seeing specialists.
Contact a Skilled Bakersfield Car Accident Attorney
If you have a serious injury, and a careless driver caused your accident, your next step should be to contact Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield. We offer free case consultation to all victims in Kern County. It’s a confidential, no-obligation review of your case with a real Bakersfield car accident attorney.
Your full recovery becomes our number one mission. We don’t stop fighting until you are 100% healed and have the money you need to restore your normal life.
We also understand that right after a hospital stay and lost time at work, you may not have the money to hire a lawyer. But don’t worry, you can still afford great representation. We only get paid if we win your case for you. Then our attorney’s fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurance company writes for you.