What Should I Do Immediately After Being in a Multi-Car Highway Accident?

It may feel overwhelming when you realize you’ve been in a significant highway accident involving multiple vehicles. No one sets out to drive somewhere expecting to end up in a multi-car accident. Once you catch your breath and understand what’s happened, there are several things you should do as soon as possible.

  • Stay at the scene of the accident. In California, leaving the scene of an accident without exchanging contact information with the others involved in the crash or attempting to provide aid to injured parties is illegal. If convicted of fleeing the scene, you could face fines, jail time, and/or have your license suspended.
  • Call 911. This can be important not only in terms of having professionals on hand to assess potential injuries, but in filing police records that may become valuable as evidence later.
  • Exchange contact information with others involved in the accident. Don’t get into any discussions, especially about who was at fault. Simply provide your name, contact information, and insurance details to others in the accident and collect their information, too.
  • If you’re able, collect evidence. That includes photos or videos of the accident site, names and contact info for any eyewitnesses, and possible locations of security cameras that may have filmed the accident as it happened.
  • Get medical attention. Even if you think you weren’t injured or your injuries are minor, it’s crucial to see a medical professional as soon as possible for two reasons: First, there are many injuries, including severe ones, that don’t present symptoms right away. If left untreated, they can worsen and even become dangerous. Second, suppose you don’t see a doctor right away and later realize you were injured in the accident. In that case, the party you want to file claims against may try to say that your injury didn’t happen in the accident because you didn’t immediately seek care. 
  • Contact your insurance agent. They will need to be involved in any claims, whether for injuries or damage to your vehicle. 
  • Contact an experienced car accident attorney. Multi-car highway accidents can be highly complex. Pursuing damages for injuries or vehicle repair can quickly become frustrating or contentious. 

How Do Multi-Car Highway Accident Happen?

There are several causes for multi-car highway accidents.

  • Highway pileups. There can be dozens of vehicles involved in highway pileups. These often occur when driving conditions are poor, such as during times of fog, snow, or heavy rain. They may also involve people driving at inappropriately high speeds for the conditions which can lead them to losing control of their vehicle and other cars crashing into them. 
  • Chain reactions. These happen when one car rear-ends another, then a third car rear-ends the second, a fourth rear-ends the third, and so on.
  • Cross-traffic crashes. These involve vehicles that are traveling in the opposite direction and crash into each other. It can happen if one vehicle loses control (due to poor road conditions or impaired driving) and crosses the line into oncoming traffic. These frequently end up with multiple vehicles involved beyond the original two.  

What Is California’s Comparative Negligence Law, and How Might it Affect My Case?

Frequently, when an accident happens, there is more than one person who has some of the fault. For example, if someone running a red light hits a car that’s speeding, both parties have some fault for the ensuing crash. When multiple vehicles collide, it’s even more likely that more than one person is at fault.

That’s why state laws were developed to determine how to assess the blame when there’s more than one person liable. This is called comparative negligence. California’s comparative negligence law is what’s called pure comparative negligence. The good news about pure comparative negligence is that it says that if the injured person is found to be even 99% at fault for the accident, they can still receive 1% of any damages awarded to them. There are other states that hold that if the injured person is 50% or greater at fault, they can’t receive any damages.

However, that also means that the insurance representatives and attorneys for others involved in the accident are going to try to shift as much blame to someone else as possible so their client pays out as little as possible. That’s one of the reasons it’s crucial to work with an experienced personal injury attorney.

If this is the situation for you, it’s important not to enter into communication with anyone else’s attorney or insurance representative. They may try to get you to say something that could be understood as saying you accept more (or all) blame. They may also try to get you to commit to a settlement that’s much less than you could be eligible for. Don’t take phone calls or respond to written communications from them. Instead, forward them to your attorney.

What Should I Do if I Was Injured in a Multi-Car Highway Accident in California?

Call the Law Office of Daniel Deng as soon as possible at 626-280-6000 to request a free case evaluation. These are complex cases that could benefit from working with an experienced, knowledgeable multi-car accident attorney. I realize this is a stressful, difficult time for you.

Together, we can review the specifics of your case and determine what steps to take to strive for the best possible outcomes.