An experienced personal injury lawyer knows complicated questions can arise in cases where multiple vehicles are involved in an accident in Evanston, Wilmette and Highland Park. Chain reaction rear-end collisions are common. Two cars may collide because a lead vehicle stops suddenly and the rear vehicle is too close behind; or two cars may collide when one is hit from the back and the momentum of the crash pushes that vehicle into another car in front. 
While there are many different scenarios in which chain reaction rear-end accidents happen, getting to the bottom of what caused each particular crash is essential because the driver who is to blame is going to be responsible for losses. This means that the at-fault driver can be sued or his insurer can negotiate a settlement with all victims of the accident so the victims are paid for pain and suffering, medical expenses, wage losses, and other non-economic and financial damages that happened because of the collision.
Determining Who is at Fault in Chain Reaction Crashes
The usual presumption in rear-end accident cases is that the driver in the rear was at fault for the collision. When multiple vehicles are involved in a chain-reaction crash, however, things can be more complicated than simply looking at what the rearmost driver did.
USA Today reports that many chain reaction or multi-car pileups end up being difficult cases because of the complexities associated with unraveling liability. In fact, there are specially-trained law enforcement officers and other professionals who travel around the country investigating multi-car pileups in order to get to the bottom of how the accident happened. These professionals are certified in accident reconstruction, and they typically can determine what happened even in very complex chain reaction cases where dozens of cars became involved in multiple pileup collisions.
The accident reconstruction experts who investigate multi-car pileups usually respond in cases where there were massive highway collisions due to bad weather. Between Thanksgiving and March of last year, there were at least 54 pileups throughout the country involving at least 10 vehicles. These pileups were all weather-related and happened because of poor visibility on the roads. A single car crash can trigger these types of accidents. When the car is involved in a collision, the surrounding vehicles may not be able to see and may not be able to stop. This can lead to other vehicles hitting the impaired car or hitting each other in an effort to avoid the crash.
Multi-car accidents are often dangerous because of the difficulty of getting rescue crews in and because some vehicles can be struck multiple times. This is even true of simple rear-end chain reaction crashes. Middle vehicles involved in the chain are hit from the rear and then face impact again if their car is pushed into the vehicle in front of them. While rear-end chain reaction crashes may be some of the simpler multi-car pileups to investigate, experts may still need to determine fault. An attorney can help you to find an accident reconstruction specialist if you need assistance proving who is to blame for your crash.
After an injury, contact Deratany & Kosner at 800-529-7285. Serving Chicago and surrounding areas including Evanston, Wilmette and Highland Park.