The driver who is at fault is the driver who pays in a Maryland multi-car accident. Imagine a three-car accident at a stoplight. The first car comes to a stop without a problem, and so does the second car. However, the third car in line was not paying enough attention and did not stop in time. The third car crashes into the second, which is pushed into the first.

Here, it is pretty clear that the third driver is at fault and the first and second drivers are innocent. In this scenario, the third driver is the one who pays. In truth, the first two drivers will start by making claims against the motorists’ insurance for the driver of the third car. If you — through no fault of your own — have suffered injuries in a Calvert County, Maryland multi-car accident or crash, contact us here at the Law Office of Robert Castro. Our number is (301) 870-1200, or use our contact page. We have offices in Waldorf, Maryland. We have deep experience handling multi-vehicle auto accidents here in Maryland.

Sometimes, there are two at-fault parties. In those cases, then both of the at-fault parties will be held liable in proportion to their fault. So, to modify our hypothetical from above, assume that the second car was partly at fault. Let’s say experts determine that they applied their brakes too late to make a complete stop and so they crashed the first car (but it was a minor crash). Then a second — much heavier — impact occurred from the third car, causing more damage to the first vehicle. In that case, both the drivers of the second and third vehicles would be legally responsible for paying compensation for the injuries and damages suffered by the drivers (and passengers) of the first car. The jury would decide the proportion. It might be half and half, or 25% to the second driver and 75% to the third driver, etc.

It is not always true that the third driver is at fault. There can be cases where the first driver is at fault. Imagine a case where the first driver in the pile-up runs a red light on, say, Main Street. The vehicle crashes into the second vehicle going perpendicular on Broad Street. This then causes a third car — behind the second car on Broad Street–– to crash into both cars now in the middle of the intersection. In this hypothetical, it seems clear that the red-light runner is going to be legally responsible for paying compensation for injuries and property damage.

As can be seen, multi-vehicle accidents can be very complicated. We have only discussed two examples in this article and there are an endless number. This is one reason it is crucial to hire experienced Maryland car accident lawyers if you’ve been involved in a Calvert County, Maryland, multi-auto accident.

Contact Waldorf, MD Personal Injury Attorney Robert Castro Today

This article has been provided by the Law Office of Robert Castro. For more information or questions, contact our office to speak to an experienced Maryland personal injury lawyer at (301) 870-1200. We are Waldorf, MD, Personal Injury lawyers. Our address is 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD 20601.