Car accidents involving multiple drivers and vehicles are called pileups. They happen more frequently on highways and the interstate, where motorists are traveling at higher speeds. Many times drivers don’t have enough time to maneuver around accidents ahead of them, and what started as a two-car crash can quickly involve dozens of cars.
High speeds and more cars involved can result in more serious injuries to crash victims. But it can be hard to determine who’s at fault for the accident and responsible for compensating the injured.
If you’ve been involved in a multi-car pileup in Louisiana, consider hiring an attorney. The lawyers at Dudley DeBosier have years of experience handling cases like yours. Our Louisiana car crash attorneys can help you determine who is at fault for your accident and make sure you receive compensation for your injuries.
Pileups are More Dangerous
Higher speeds and getting hit by multiple vehicles potentially from multiple directions raises your risk of serious injury and death in an interstate pileup. Over 35% of fatal crashes in Louisiana occurred on highways or interstates in 2023.
More serious injuries mean extended hospital stays, more expensive treatment, and longer recoveries. Additionally, your vehicle may be totaled or severely damaged, requiring extensive and costly repair work, or you may need to buy a replacement vehicle.
Hefty medical expenses and damages from a multi-vehicle accident require you to seek compensation from the person at fault. This becomes more difficult in a pileup because it’s harder to determine which party is responsible for your injuries. Insurance companies may wait to make payments until a full investigation is completed.
Establishing Fault in a Pileup
Accidents with multiple vehicles involved take longer to determine liability. Louisiana is an at-fault state, meaning the driver who caused the crash is responsible for paying for the victims’ damages. Often, this means their insurance company pays for medical expenses and other financial losses due to the accident.
In multi-vehicle accidents, insurance companies may find more than one driver is at fault and hold each responsible for their fault in the accident. You can even be found partially negligent for your own injuries or other people’s if your failure to follow traffic laws contributed to your crash.
For example, the driver responsible for the initial collision is usually liable for everyone’s injuries in a pileup, but other drivers may be partially at fault for following too closely or speeding.
An experienced lawyer can help build the case—through investigation, reconstructing accident scenes, and compiling evidence—that you were not responsible for your crash, or help reduce the percentage of fault assigned to you if you were found to be partially responsible.
Contributory vs. Comparative Negligence
Some states use strict contributory negligence rules, where you are completely barred from seeking compensation if you share even 1% of the fault for an accident. Louisiana, on the other hand, follows comparative negligence laws, allowing you to recover compensation from other negligent drivers based on their percentage of fault.
Under Louisiana’s modified comparative fault system, you can seek damages as long as your assigned fault is 50% or less. For example, in a two-car crash where you are found to be 30% at fault and the other driver is 70% at fault, you can still recover 70% of your total damages from the other driver’s insurance. However, if your share of fault reaches 51% or higher, Louisiana law completely blocks you from recovering any compensation at all.
Pileups involving three or more cars make determining responsibility far more complex. Multi-car crashes often lead to conflicting driver statements, complicated accident reconstructions, and multiple insurance companies trying to pass the blame. This is where having an experienced attorney becomes essential.
Seeking compensation in a pileup requires identifying which drivers directly caused your injuries and property damage, as you may need to file claims against multiple parties. A lawyer will also work to protect you against false claims of partial fault, ensuring defense attorneys cannot unfairly push your share of blame over the critical 51% threshold and wipe out your right to recovery.
Importance of Hiring an Attorney
Pileups involve more vehicles and more serious injuries. There are higher costs and more damages that insurance companies are responsible for paying. To reduce their payouts, many insurance companies send their own investigators to the accident scene.
The insurance company’s investigators will study every detail and look for ways to reduce their policyholder’s fault because it reduces their own financial liability.
A car accident lawyer can help you fight other insurance companies and preserve the evidence you need so you’re compensated fairly. Your auto attorney can help you determine the percentage you’re at fault for and can advise you on who you should be seeking compensation from.
They can represent you during court proceedings and settlement agreements to ensure you’re treated fairly and properly compensated for the damages that resulted from the pileup.
We’ll Help You Seek Compensation in Louisiana
Insurance companies will hesitate to compensate victims before the investigation is complete. They may refuse to pay you if liability can’t be established. An attorney can determine if your accident was caused by another driver’s negligence and can find evidence to support your case.
If you’ve been involved in a multi-car pileup in Louisiana, consider hiring an attorney from Dudley DeBosier. Our team of lawyers is experienced at litigating complex vehicle accidents and getting our clients the compensation they deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your case.
