Many car accident personal injury cases involve multiple potential defendants and whenever a lawsuit has multiple potential defendants, liability issues can get complicated pretty quickly.
The first issue in cases involving multiple potential defendants is determining the legal basis for liability of each potential defendant.
The second issue is determining the proportion of liability for which each defendant is responsible.
Anyone who has been involved in a multi-vehicle accident needs to speak with an experienced Atlanta car accident lawyer as soon as possible about his or her particular circumstances.
Multi-Car Accidents
According to our Toccoa truck accident attorneys, the most frequently encountered car accident situation involving multiple potential defendants is a multi-car accident.
Multi-vehicle accidents occur every single day in Atlanta.
In these cases, multiple vehicles end up in a collision together.
The genesis of the accident might be a single negligent driver whose actions produce a chain reaction of other cars colliding into one another, or several vehicles could be involved in an accident together.
Whatever the circumstances of the multi-vehicle wreck are, it will be critical to determine each vehicle’s comparative fault in causing the accident.
Georgia is a modified comparative negligence state, which means that the liability for the multi-vehicle wreck will be attributed to each vehicle that is involved based on that vehicle’s relative fault for causing or contributing to the accident.
So long as a victim’s relative share of the fault for the accident is less than or equal to 49%, the victim can collect damages from the defendants according to each defendant’s comparative negligence in causing the accident, minus the monetary value apportioned to the victim’s own comparative negligence.
Vicarious Liability Situations
Another commonly encountered basis for car accident cases involving multiple potential defendants is vicarious liability.
Vicarious liability is a legal principle under which one person or entity assumes liability for the actions of another due to some sort of legal or agency relationship between the two.
One common example of when vicarious liability may exist is when an employer assumes liability for an employee’s actions.
For example, a victim who is involved in an accident with a vehicle used for commercial purposes may be able to recover damages from not only the driver of the commercial vehicle but also from that driver’s employer.
An accident victim could potentially seek damages from a third party, such as a mechanic or repairman if the accident was the result of improper maintenance.
Get in Touch With an Experienced Car Accident Attorney in Atlanta Today
When you have been involved in an automobile accident in which there are potentially multiple defendants, you need the help of a truck accident lawyer serving Atlanta to handle the complexities of your case.
An Atlanta car accident lawyer, like those at The Angell Law Firm, can help you with your personal injury claim.
We are not intimidated by multiple defendants and we will work hard to identify every potential source of recovery that is available to you for your injuries.
Please call (770) 217-4954 today for a free consultation today with a personal injury attorney serving Atlanta.
Bryce is considered a highly esteemed trial lawyer and a passionate client advocate amongst his peers in the Atlanta legal community. Never afraid to go the extra mile for his clients, Bryce Angell works tirelessly to ensure that each client’s personal injury case gets the attention that it deserves.