A wonderful day can be ruined instantly when you are involved in a motor vehicle accident. After all the smoke has cleared and injuries are taken care of, the question that remains is who is liable? Here are some tips to help determine liability and legal rights that you have.
Facts about motor vehicle accidents
First of all, liability needs to be determined. It's best to hire a car accident attorney who can help. The statute of limitations varies from state to state, so you won't want to delay too long. If you do, your case could be lost.
The amount of compensation you receive depends on several factors. The amount of damage to the vehicle, amount of injuries and lost wages are all factors. If you are partially at fault, that could become a huge factor. Depending on which state the accident occurred in, you could receive partial compensation.
A case can take up to two years and longer if it is a more complex case. This is another reason to get started on it right away. An experienced auto accident lawyer can help guide you in the right direction.
Involved in multi-vehicle accidents
The liability of a multi-vehicle accident will depend on how it happened. One question the drivers may be asked is how many bumps they felt. This can determine liability. One car may be at fault or several may be.
To help determine the fault, reconstruction experts will probably be brought in to reconstruct the accident. They will take into consideration witness and driver statements, police reports and photographs, and come to a final conclusion after considering all of the evidence.
Loaning your car to other drivers
Insurance becomes a major factor when you loan or rent your vehicle to another driver. While they assume you wouldn't typically loan your vehicle to a person who isn't responsible, the fact is that you can still be help partially liable for the accident. This will depend on the type of insurance coverage you and the person you loaned to has. A professional car accident attorney can help you with this type situation.
Liability of rental car companies
A rental car company may be held liable for improper maintenance on the vehicle. Negligent entrustment is another factor that will be taken into consideration. If it is found that the rental company shouldn't have rented to this particular driver, they can be found liable. Such reasons would be renting to a driver who isn't licensed or was intoxicated at the time they rented the vehicle. This can be proven with a good vehicle accident lawyer.
Overall
There are many factors that help determine who is at fault in a vehicle accident. Having the proper car accident attorney is crucial to winning a case. If you have found yourself in this situation, give us a call and let us get you on the road to recovery and get your life back.