Determining who is at Fault in a Car Accident following an accident is not always straightforward. You may know how your vehicle ended up in the position it did, but perhaps not always the circumstances leading up to the event.
Determining Fault in a Car Accident
This can mean that not only should you not accept fault at the scene, but that you should hire a personal injury attorney to establish what happened and see if you can receive compensation from a guilty party. Here are a few different accident scenarios that may look similar to your own.
A Left-Turn Collision
According to the Law Offices of Kamela James, it’s essential to get legal representation after a vehicle accident if you have been involved in a left-turn collision since they are not always straightforward. Typically, such accidents occur when one vehicle travels straight through an intersection and another makes a left turn and collides with that vehicle.
Unless the left-turning vehicle has a green arrow to indicate right of way, the left-turning vehicle is responsible. However, if the straight-traveling vehicle was moving at excessive speeds, they may share some accident liability.
A Rear-End Accident
Rear-end accidents are among the most common collision types, making up 7.2% of fatal crashes. In this situation, a vehicle collides with the rear of another car. Many people in such accidents end up experiencing a traumatic brain injury or other serious injuries.
These types of accidents can seem straightforward in that the driver following the vehicle in front may not have allowed enough room to come to a safe stop. However, there can be more to the story. For example, a vehicle may have pulled out in front of you, leaving you no time to react. Alternatively, a fault with your car that caused the collision may mean your vehicle manufacturer shares some of the liability.
Single Vehicle Accident
We are not quite advanced enough yet to have driverless cars lowering our accident statistics. With drivers behind the wheel, single-vehicle accidents happen in their tens of thousands.
These can be caused by vehicles pulling out in front of you, making you take evasive action and colliding with an object. They also happen due to manufacturing faults, which may mean your car’s manufacturer shares liability.
T-Bone Collisions
T-bone collisions, or side-impact crashes, involve one vehicle colliding with the side of another at an approximate 90-degree angle. These accidents commonly occur at intersections for several reasons and are often fatal.
The car driver at fault may have failed to give way, or they may have been distracted or drunk. There have also been plenty of instances of vehicles running red lights. Determining fault can be complex, but in the case of intoxicated drivers, alcohol-selling establishments may carry some liability.