What To Know About Filing a Personal Injury Claim After a Multi-Car Pileup in Georgia

What To Know About Filing a Personal Injury Claim After a Multi-Car Pileup in Georgia

While multi-car pileups are rare in Georgia, they can cause horrific injuries and extensive property damage when they happen. These cases are also particularly complicated because multiple parties might share liability, and it’s hard to determine who caused the crash. Without proper legal support, you will likely struggle to recover fair compensation and rebuild your life.

Who’s Liable for a Multi-Car Pileup in Georgia?

Every multi-car pileup is different, and you’ll need a lawyer’s help to sort through the evidence and identify who caused the collision. The potentially liable parties in these cases include:

• One or more negligent drivers – Often, the driver who triggered the chain reaction is primarily at fault, especially if they were speeding, following too closely, distracted, or impaired. However, in complex pileups, multiple drivers may share responsibility if their actions also contributed to the crash.
• Commercial vehicle operators – If the crash involved a commercial truck or delivery vehicle, the driver may be liable for unsafe driving practices like failing to brake in time or making an illegal lane change. Their employer might also be liable if poor hiring, training, or maintenance practices played a role.
• Government entities – A local or state government agency might share liability if dangerous road conditions, poor signage, or a failure to remove hazards contributed to the pileup.
• Vehicle manufacturers – In rare cases, defective brakes, tires, or other car/truck/bike parts can trigger a multi-vehicle crash. If mechanical failure caused or worsened the pileup, the manufacturer or parts supplier responsible for the defect might be liable.

What If You Contributed to a Multi-Car Pileup?

If you played a role in a multi-car pileup, Georgia law does not bar you from pursuing compensation for the injuries and losses you suffered in the crash. If the court finds that you are less than 50 percent to blame, they will still award damages to you. However, the amount of damages you receive will be reduced in proportion to your percentage of fault for the accident. So, for example, if you had $100,000 in compensable losses from the accident, and the court found that 10 percent of the fault for the collision was yours, your compensation would be reduced by 10 percent. You could obtain no more than $90,000 in compensation.

Deadline to File a Multi-Car Pileup Lawsuit

You usually have two years after any motor vehicle accident in Georgia to file a personal injury lawsuit against the liable parties or parties, and the same is true with a multi-car pileup. However, gathering and sorting through all the evidence in these cases takes time. The sooner you contact a lawyer, the greater your chances of recovering the money you need.

Contact Kaufman Injury Law Now for Legal Help

Kaufman Injury Law has represented Georgia’s injured for nearly 50 years, and we have consistently proven ourselves to be capable, compassionate advocates. We can handle your multi-car pileup claim and fight for the money you need. Call now or complete our contact form for a free consultation.