When you are in a car accident, especially one in which injuries were involved, you can find yourself wondering how things are going to play out in regard to who was mainly at fault in the matter. While you might very well be willing to accept responsibility if you were indeed at fault, the facts of the situation might be unclear at first. You certainly do not want to accept responsibility if another party was the one at fault.
It is important to know your rights and understand the role that you played in the accident. As soon as possible, you should look to write out the manner in which things played out from your perspective, and it is crucial that you take plenty of photos documenting the scene of the accident. If at all possible, securing video footage from nearby businesses or traffic lights can also be enlightening in helping to determine fault.
That being said, even with a fully documented accident, it can still be difficult to understand who caused the accident in the first place. While your attorney will be able to shed light on the situation and have a sense of what you might be up against.
Here are some of the more common scenarios wherein you could have been at fault in a car accident.
Rear-Ending
For the most part, if you rear-ended another car, you will most likely be the one to have been at fault in an accident. This is even true if the driver in front of you stopped short for some reason. The argument would be that you should have noticed the car stopping short in enough time to hit your own brakes – that is why a good stopping distance is so important.
The main exception to this scenario involves your car being hit from the rear and then hitting the car in front of you as a result of that initial force. This does not indicate that rear-ending the vehicle in front of you was actually your fault. Here is some more information about what to do in an accident case of a rear-ended pushed into the car in the front.
Right of Way
Certain car accidents that can be a bit confusing regarding fault involve the right of way of the drivers. While some cases are clear, such as with stop signs and traffic lights, others can be a bit more complex.
For instance, if your accident took place in a parking lot, the driver with the right of way might be less apparent. It is important in such cases to obtain as much information and documentation about what happened as possible.
Three or More Car Collisions
Oftentimes, accidents that involve three or more cars can be less clear about who is at fault. While the vehicle that was in the front of the accident will more than likely receive the least amount of blame, this is not always the case. This will be the type of scenario where the perspectives and accounts of everyone involved will be taken into great consideration.