Louisiana Injury Lawyers Blog
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Each type of auto accident case comes with its own unique set of challenges. Multi-car accidents that cause injury can be especially tricky when it comes to asserting your legal rights. It may take skillful investigation to assess which driver was at fault and, therefore, liable to you for the harm you suffered. An experienced New Orleans injury attorney can help you collect the information you need and then apply it to pursue compensation for your damages.
A recent accident case from Lafayette was an example of how these factual differences can influence who is liable for your injuries. The accident involved a three-car rear-end crash where G.M. was the driver of the lead vehicle. T.S. was operating the second vehicle and B.G. was the driver of the third.
Read more about rear-end collisions.
If you’re injured in a multi-car accident, it is very important to retain counsel quickly so that your lawyer can get to work on your case. If you were in a three-car rear-end crash (as G.M. was) and the third car crashed into the second and that impact slammed the second car into you, then that may create a situation where the driver of the third car is 100% at fault. Alternately, if the driver of the second car crashed into you first, and then the third car crashed into the rear of the second car, that may create a situation where the driver of the second car bears 100% of the blame. It is also possible that the two drivers share legal liability.
In any of the three scenarios, you may be entitled to sue the vehicle’s owner if it is someone different than the driver. Also, if an at-fault driver was on the job or otherwise advancing the business of his employer at the time of the accident, this may permit you to name that driver’s employer as a defendant in your case. Depending on your facts, you may be able to assert a claim that the employer is vicariously (or indirectly) liable for the driver’s negligence, or that the employer is directly liable for its own negligence in how it went about hiring, retaining and supervising the employee.
In G.M.’s case, his facts meant that he had multiple people and entities he could choose to sue, and he did name numerous defendants. He sued the middle driver, her insurer and the LLC that owned the vehicle she was driving. He also sued the third driver, his insurer and his employer.
The middle driver attempted to escape the case based upon the injured driver’s testimony. G.M. said that he felt only one impact. T.S. argued that this proved conclusively that B.G. hit her and forced her vehicle into G.M.’s, causing the single impact. (That would make B.G. 100% at fault.) The court rejected the middle driver’s request because the evidence was conflicting. While there was some proof indicating that G.M. was hit only once, there was other evidence that seemed to point toward multiple impacts. Under these circumstances, G.M. was entitled to go to trial against all of the defendants.
For all of your auto accident injury needs, call upon the Cardone Law Firm, where our experienced Louisiana injury lawyers have spent many years providing our clients with the useful advice and helpful representation they need.
For your confidential consultation contact us online or phone Cardone at 504-522-3333.
More Blog Posts:
Louisiana Motorcyclist Dies in Multi-Vehicle Crash Along Interstate 10 Where Speed Was ‘Expected to Be a Factor’, Louisiana Injury Lawyers Blog, July 2, 2018
Frequently Asked Questions About Multi-Vehicle Accidents, Louisiana Injury Lawyers Blog, April 13, 2018