Shreveport, Louisiana Multi-Vehicle Car Accidents: Who is Legally Responsible?

If an auto accident in Shreveport, Louisiana is a multi-vehicle accident -- involving more than two cars -- there may be more than more than one driver who is legally responsible. Indeed, depending on the facts, all of the drivers may have some legal responsibility for the accident.

Louisiana follows a comparative negligence rule that provides for a shared legal responsibility where more than one party is at fault. That shared responsibility is based on the percentage of fault that is decided by a jury or other fact-finder. Thus, assume a three-car accident; if a jury were to assign the percentages as 10%, 40%, and 50%, then the parties would be responsible for paying their percentage of any judgment awarded. Given how complex Caddo Parish, LA multi-vehicle car accidents are, if you have been injured, there would likely be value in having a consultation with an experienced Shreveport multi-vehicle auto accident attorney like ours at the Law Offices of Philip B. Adams. Please use our Contact Page and act quickly because there is a one-year deadline for filing Louisiana car accident injury lawsuits.

Any driver who was negligent has legal liability

In Shreveport, Louisiana, liability for traffic accidents is determined by the doctrine of negligence. To prove legal liability, an injured victim must prove the four legal elements of negligence, which are duty, breach of duty, causation, and injury. In terms of duty, Louisiana drivers have at least two basic duties: the duty to be careful and watchful to avoid injury and harm and the duty to obey traffic laws. If it is shown that a driver was NOT careful/watchful and did NOT obey traffic laws, then BREACH of duty is proven. Those are the first two elements of negligence. From there, it is often not difficult to prove the final two legal elements since, in many cases, the breach of duty clearly resulted in the accident, and injury/property damage was caused.

Some hypothetical examples

In a Louisiana multi-vehicle auto accident, any driver who committed negligence can be held legally responsible. For example, let's assume we are dealing with a simple 3-car-in-a-line accident where the last car rear-ends the middle car, which is pushed forward to impact the front vehicle. Assume also that the first two cars were stationary at a red traffic light. In this example, the drivers of the first and middle vehicles did not commit negligence since they were lawfully sitting and waiting for the red light to change. Very likely, 100% of the legal liability falls on the driver of the third vehicle, who would be liable to pay compensation for injuries and property damage to the drivers of the first and middle car.

Let's assume a different hypothetical scenario where the first car has stalled in the middle of a traffic lane and has not moved to the shoulder or otherwise gotten out of the traffic lane. Assume, now, that the driver of a second vehicle is not paying enough attention and crashes into the stalled vehicle. Assume further that a third vehicle is following too closely and crashes into the second vehicle. In this example, all three drivers may be liable. The first driver had a duty to remove the stalled vehicle to the side of the road; the second driver had a duty to see the stalled car and slow down or take evasive action; and the third driver was following too closely for safety.

Contact A Louisiana Personal Injury Attorney Today

For more information, contact the Law Offices of Philip B. Adams. If you have been injured in a Louisiana accident, our Louisiana personal injury lawyers can help you recover the full compensation you are entitled to according to Louisiana law. To contact us, complete our "Contact Us" page here. You may significantly benefit by having an attorney with legal competence and experience assist you with your Louisiana personal injury case. We have offices in Shreveport and handle personal injury cases throughout all of Louisiana. Thank you for reading this blog post and visiting our website.