Three cars tangled on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood. According to police, the accident happened at the 5th Street intersection of the city’s busy thoroughfare. A pick-up truck collided with two other vehicles around 12 am, Thursday, December 27, 2018, and two people from the pickup and one each from the other cars were taken to a local hospital.
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash, and at the time of the accident, neither alcohol or drugs appear to be a factor.
Multi-Car Crashes
Accidents that involve three or more cars cause certain dynamics that are absent a typical two-car crash. The biggest danger is the threat of being injured again by another vehicle unable to stop in time. Though this more prevalent in freeway accidents, it can pose problem in city or rural traffic as well. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are several factors that increase the likelihood of a secondary collision after an accident:
- Road conditions: Stopping time and vehicle control can be affected by rain, oil, snow and ice.
- Speed: The speed limit on that stretch of the road and the speed of the upcoming vehicles plays a role in the risk for more collisions.
- Visibility: If visibility is low, then reaction times can be slowed as people are aware of the danger later than they otherwise would.
- Distracted Driving: Texting and cell phone use now top the list of distracted driving accidents. Other things like eating, changing the radio, etc. can also play a role.
- Impaired Diving: Driving under any impairing substance can reduce a person’s reaction time and affect their ability to stop in time or avoid stopped cars in front of them.
What to do if Involved in a Multi-Car Crash
According to experts the best thing to do is stay in your vehicle if you are involved in a crash where there is a danger of being struck by approaching vehicles. Though this is good advice—as many are hit by another car after exiting their car—a person must use common sense. If there is a fire or some other danger present that makes staying in the car more dangerous, then you should get out. Otherwise it is best to stay in the car with your seatbelt on and wait for the authorities to tell you it’s safe to get out.
How is Fault Determined?
Immediately after the accident, determining fault is of no concern as the immediate safety of everyone and the need to get all those injured the medical treatment they need. However, eventually, fault will become an issue as people are faced with often overwhelming financial losses. Multi-car crashes, especially those with secondary crashes, give investigators difficulty in determining what happened as often there is a large amount of debris and vehicles might have been hit twice thus creating problems.
In multi-vehicle crashes, fault is rarely assigned just to one person. A driver might not be at fault for being hit but might be at fault for hitting another car. This causes problems for those seeking compensation from insurance companies as they will try to point blame away from their insured.
In most cases, the fault is spread around, and each person will be responsible for any part they caused and will be compensated for the part they didn’t. Pennsylvania is a comparative fault state meaning that the courts will try to assign to each person a percentage of the blame, and then each person will pay a portion of the damages.
Do I Need an Attorney?
It’s up to you if you think you need an attorney, however, in multi-car crashes, the insurance company has several positions to take to divert fault from their client. You need an attorney that understands the law and has experience dealing with insurance companies. Don’t wait until they start treating you poorly before you contact an attorney as some mistakes can’t be undone. The sooner you have someone working for you, the better off you are. Call the Pearce Law Firm, P.C. today for a free consultation.