North Carolina Chain Reaction Accidents

North Carolina Chain Reaction Accidents

Navigating an insurance claim or lawsuit after a car accident can be complex. In the case of a chain reaction or multi-vehicle crash, there may be particular challenges in proving who was responsible for causing the accident. At Nagle & Associates, Raleigh car accident lawyer Carl Nagle guides victims of serious crashes as they pursue compensation for their injuries and expenses. We provide personalized legal service in helping injured people and their families navigate the legal process. Mr. Nagle previously worked as an insurance defense attorney and insurance claims adjuster, so he has honed a firm understanding of how defendants and insurers tend to approach these cases. Our firm’s vigorous advocacy in settlement negotiations and litigation has helped to recover over $290 million on behalf of crash victims throughout North Carolina, including in Winston-Salem, Asheville, and Wilmington.

Holding a Careless Driver Accountable for a Chain Reaction Accident

Chain reaction accidents take place when three or more cars collide in a series of rear-end accidents that are usually caused by the force of the initial collision. Occasionally one of the vehicles may be pushed off the roadway, or into oncoming traffic causing subsequent head-on collisions. These types of accidents often involve multiple drivers who were acting carelessly. Complex issues may present themselves when it comes to establishing who was at fault.

All drivers are required to leave enough stopping distance between themselves and the vehicle in front of them, as a precaution to reduce the risk of an accident. If a driver strikes another vehicle from behind, it is most often seen as that driver’s fault, but this is not always the case. If more than one driver is responsible for an accident, a victim may pursue compensation from multiple parties. For example, if a series of cars were all following each other too closely during rush hour, someone who is at the front of the line may be able to collect money damages from the insurance carriers for several drivers who acted carelessly.

Contributory negligence may become an issue for plaintiffs pursuing a personal injury lawsuit after a chain reaction crash. This North Carolina doctrine holds that a plaintiff deemed partially responsible for a collision, even to a negligible degree, is barred from recovering any compensation in a lawsuit. For example, if the plaintiff stopped suddenly, they may have in fact contributed to the collision. The law likely would prevent them from recovering compensation in that situation. An experienced car accident attorney, however, can help a victim try to show that they were in no way responsible for causing the crash.

A successful plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit may recover both economic and non-economic damages from any responsible parties. Damages take the form of financial compensation, and they are meant to put an injured person in the position in which they would have been had the accident not occurred. Economic damages may include the costs of medical care and property damage, payment for physical therapy, and lost wages from missed days at work. Non-economic damages refer to the emotional pain and suffering suffered by the victim, as well as diminished quality of life and other more subjective forms of harm.

It is important to prove the full extent of a victim’s harm, including future medical expenses and future pain and suffering. This means carefully gathering all of the relevant evidence and potentially introducing testimony from qualified medical and vocational experts to interpret it.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Raleigh or Beyond

At Nagle & Associates, we solely focus on serious accident claims, working to maximize compensation on behalf of our clients. Since we strive to compensate victims and their families as fully as possible, our firm sets our fees at only 25% of the money that they receive from a settlement, which is lower than the percentage sought by most firms. Raleigh car accident attorney Carl Nagle has helped victims throughout North Carolina, including in Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Winston-Salem, Asheville, Wilmington, Greensboro, Hickory, and other areas of Forsyth, Brunswick, Mecklenburg, Wake, Durham, Guilford, Cumberland, Catawba, and New Hanover Counties. Call our office at 800-411-1583 or complete our online form to set up a free initial appointment with an experienced NC personal injury & vehicle collision attorney.