There are many ways to get into a Car Accident in Hattiesburg MS, and rear end collisions are the most common. If one car strikes another from behind, the rearmost driver is almost always at fault, regardless of why the first driver slowed down or stopped. Basic traffic laws hold that drivers must be able to stop safely if vehicles ahead must slow down or stop; this holds true for sudden stops as well. If you are behind someone and cannot stop safely, the odds are high that you are not driving safely.
Rear End Collision Damage can Help in the Assignation of Liability
In almost every insurance claim resulting from a rear end Car Accident in Hattiesburg MS, the damaged vehicle can tell a significant amount about what happened. If one vehicle has front end damage and the other has rear end damage, there’s no doubt as to what happened or who caused the crash.
Cases Where one Vehicle is Pushed into Another
In some larger rear end collision claims, two cars are pushed together when a third vehicle hits the second, forcing it into the first vehicle. In these cases, the third driver is found to be at fault, and the first and second drivers would file claims against that driver’s insurance policy. Liability and traffic laws protect the driver of the second vehicle, because the collision would not have happened had it not been for the third vehicle. A variation on this scenario is common: A driver hits the car in front of them because another car caused them to stop suddenly. This driver may have a claim against the person who caused the sudden stop.
Can the Driver of a Car hit From Behind Share Partial Responsibility?
It is certainly possible for the driver of the first car in a rear end collision to share responsibility for the accident. This is especially true if the driver of the first car was negligent in some way, such as if their brake lights were malfunctioning or if they were stopped in traffic due to their intoxication. In such cases, the driver of the impacted vehicle has contributory or comparative negligence and may not be able to make a monetary recovery. If you are in a Car Accident in Hattiesburg MS and you were drinking beforehand, we recommend that you call a DWI Defense Attorney right away.