Accident Attorney in Rapid City SD Can Help in a Multi-Car Collision Case

You should speak with an accident attorney in Rapid City SD if you have been in a multi-car accident.  These happen on a frequent basis, especially when it is dark, or the weather is bad.  Whenever there is decreased visibility, and the roads are slick, it becomes harder for other cars to see an initial accident and stop in time to avoid becoming part of it unless they are proceeding at a sufficiently slow speed.  This is one of the reasons that it is so important to keep a sufficient distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.  This way you have more of an opportunity to stop or swerve out of the way and avoid becoming part of the pileup.  

As a lawyer, these cases can be particularly interesting due to the concept of negligence.  In a typically personal injury cases, negligence must be established since that determines who is financially responsible for the damage and injuries that occurred.  In cases like a rear-end accident, is often much easier to prove who was to blame, whereas in other cases it may be less clear and require further research and investigation.  This could not be truer than with a multi-car collision. 

As accident attorneys in Rapid City SD, we see several types of multi-car accidents.  Perhaps the most common is when there is a lot of traffic on the road and everyone is following the car in front of them too closely.  When one stops abruptly or gets in a collision, the other cars subsequently hit each other until you have a line of vehicles that are sitting on the highway with damage.  The best way to try to avoid such an accident is by ensuring that you do not following too closely and keep enough distance between you and the next car in front of you.  Regardless of where you were in the pileup it is important that your interests are protected.  We can do the research necessary to determine who was at fault so that you are compensated for your injuries and for the damage to your vehicle. 

Another, less common occurrence is when someone becomes injured after his/her vehicle is struck multiples times.  This is more likely to occur when a damaged car cannot make it off of the roadway.  If, for example, a car is involved in an accident and ends up damaged and resting in the roadway, another car could hit the original one.  If you are involved in such a collision, it is important to do whatever you can to ensure your safety and the safety of others, such as turning your hazard lights on and perhaps moving yourself to the edge of the roadway.

If you have been involved in a complicated case like this, we can help.  As accident attorneys in Rapid City SD, we can review your case and let you know what steps to take next. 

Speak With a Car Accident Lawyer If Your Car Malfunctioned, Leading to an Accident

As car accident lawyers, it is clear in many of the cases we see that the other driver was at fault and how the collision injured our client.  While some cases may be more complicated where, for example, the other driver claims that our client was also at fault, most of the time the cause of the accident is clear. However, if you were driving and felt like your car didn’t respond like it was supposed to, or you lost control, it’s possible that there was a problem with your vehicle and that your driving was not the cause. In order to find out, we encourage you to schedule a consultation for us to discuss the circumstances surrounding your accident.

Here’s why –

There have been cases where car manufacturers have sold faulty or defective vehicles and/or components that have led to accidents or injuries.  Sometimes these types of issues result in the notices of recalls that you see in the news.  It could be something like a risk of a car tipping or rolling, a seatbelt working incorrectly, etc.  While we all like to believe that our cars are properly designed and manufactured, this is not always the case. 

Perhaps, the largest recent incident of this was with Toyota and concerned an issue with “unintentional acceleration.”  According to the FBI, Toyota was aware of the problem, did not recall the models, and continued to manufacture and sell cars with the same problem part. One incident that was reported occurred in 2009 when an off-duty police officer and his family were driving in their Lexus E350.  It was reported that the car accelerated beyond his control and sped up to 120 miles per hour.  Although one of the passengers was apparently on the phone with 911 while this was taking place, the car ultimately crashed, and four people in the Lexus were killed.  The FBI’s pursuit of the matter ultimately resulted in Toyota agreeing to pay a financial penalty in the amount of $1.2 billion as part of a deferred prosecution agreement.  As a car accident lawyer, this is not something that we commonly see, but if a strange accident occurs it needs to be examined further. 

One way to tell if something may have been amiss is if you feel like you were following all of the rules of the road and the car simply didn’t respond like it was supposed to.  For example, if you applied the breaks but the car didn’t stop, or if you took a turn at a normal speed and the car suddenly tipped over or rolled.  Your car is supposed to respond to your commands, and when it doesn’t, it may be because it was defective.  Even if you were given a ticket for the accident, that is not determinative; if the vehicle was defective, the manufacturer is at fault should be held accountable. 

As car accident lawyers, we can review your case and discuss the details to determine if the case warrants further examination.  It is important to determine if a problem with the vehicle was responsible for the accident so that you can receive compensation for your injuries.