Pileup Car Accident Lawyers in Austin, Texas

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A pileup car accident occurs as a chain reaction between more than a single car or a two-car collision.  These accidents are complex and involve multiple parties.  If you have been injured in a pileup car accident in Texas, you may be entitled to compensation. That’s why it’s important to call an Austin car accident lawyer if you’ve been in an accident.

Any car accident is stressful, but a pileup car accident can cause extensive damages and can leave you wondering who, if anyone, is at fault. If you or a loved one has been injured in a pileup car accident in Austin, call our Texas car accident lawyers of Zinda Law Group at (800) 863-5312 for a 100% free case evaluation.

Pileup Car Accidents

Getting into a car accident by yourself or with another driver is a terrifying experience i- itself.  However, if you were involved in an accident where you were rear ended and your car hit another car, now there are multiple parties involved.  Suddenly, you may find yourself overwhelmed with exchanging information with multiple insurance companies and multiple drivers.

Some of the worst multi-car pileup accidents occur on the busiest highways in Austin.  This is because of high speeds on highways and heavier traffic.  A car accident between two cars can easily cause a chain reaction that then involves multiple cars because of how hard it is to stop quickly on a highway.  A pileup car accident attorney from Austin with experience in multi-car crashes may be able to help.

Who is Responsible?

In multi-car pileups, sometimes there are parties involved who are not responsible.  This may be true if someone hits you from behind and you are forced into the car in front of you.  There are many factors involved such as weather conditions, if you or the other driver were following too closely, and other road conditions that may determine who is responsible.

Is a Blameless Accident Possible?

If there were icy conditions and a car behind you could not stop, and you were forced into the car in front of you, this may cause a domino effect of sliding cars that creates a pileup.  Some of these drivers may be found to be not at fault or blameless.  In another example, if someone suffers a heart attack or seizure that resulted in an accident, they might not be found responsible because the medical emergency was out of their control.  However, even if someone is blameless, they might still be legally liable to you or others for the damages caused. 

Causes of Pileup Accidents 

Multi-car accidents are a chain reaction of collisions that may result from a variety of circumstances.  Some of the most common circumstances may include:

Bad Weather Causing Dangerous Road Conditions

Bad weather such as rain, snow, or black ice can cause driving conditions to become more dangerous.  Bad weather may affect the efficiency of the brakes and the ability to stop as quickly.  Weather conditions such as fog may affect visibility.  A combination of poor visibility and slippery roads is more likely to cause a car accident that involves multiple cars.

Rear-End Collisions

A rear-end collision that forces a car into the car in front of them may cause a pileup.  If cars are stopped at a stoplight when the first car is hit, that car may be pushed into the car in front of them because of the close proximity between the cars.  Since the cars are also stopped and cannot move out of the way, a multi-car pileup is more likely.

Reckless Drivers

Reckless driving actions, such as tailgating, speeding, and road rage may cause a pileup chain reaction.  Sudden stopping or weaving in between lanes without a turn signal may cause accidents that involve multiple cars.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving involves anything that takes away from the action of careful driving.  This could involve texting while driving, driving under the influence, eating while driving, or drowsy driving.  These drivers may make unsafe driving decisions on the freeway that lead to several cars being involved in an accident.

Common Examples of Pileup Car Accidents Seen By an Austin Car Accident Lawyer

Pileups most often happen on highways where there is little time to stop one impact from creating a second or third impact.  However, there are other scenarios where pileups are possible.

Pileups can happen at a red light if the vehicle that was struck from behind is pushed into the intersection or strikes another vehicle in front of it.  A car accident where two cars are traveling in the same direction, but collide, could cause one or both cars to enter the oncoming lane of traffic and cause a pileup.

Many pileup car accidents are due to the driver traveling too fast for road and traffic conditions to allow.  This increases the chance that they will strike multiple cars.  One way that multi-car accidents can be prevented is to keep a safe distance between yourself and the car in front of you.  Allow yourself enough time to brake so that you do not hit the car in front of you.

There can be many ways a pileup accident can occur, and it is important to contact an Austin car pileup lawyer if you are involved in an accident.

What Should I Do If I Have Been in a Pileup Car Accident? 

You should treat a multi-car pileup accident as you would any other car accident.  Call 911 immediately if you or anyone else is injured.  Move your car to the side of the road if possible, to avoid further collisions with other vehicles.  Remain at the scene until the police arrive to file a police report.

In a multi-car accident, there will be many parties involved that you will need to collect information from.  Try to keep track of which drivers belong to which car by taking careful notes on your phone or on paper.  Collect their names, contact information, driver’s license numbers, and insurance information.  Organize these by their type of vehicle, color, or license plate numbers.

Because there are multiple cars involved, there will be multiple insurance policies that you might be able to recover from.  Unlike single impact car accidents, multi-car accidents will present unique issues with insurance coverage.  The insurance agencies of each driver will need to assign fault to each of the drivers which will determine how much each should pay.

Take pictures of the scene that involve not only your car, but the other cars involved in the pileup, if possible.  Documentation of the scene will help later in your lawsuit.  Always obtain medical treatment after a car accident, even if you do not feel injured.

Be careful who you speak to about the accident.  Do not admit fault to any of the insurance agencies or to the other drivers.  Avoid posting about the details of the accident to social media.  Ideally, you should not speak with anyone but your attorney before speaking to others.

Lastly, contact an Austin pileup car accident attorney.  Because of the complexity of this, hiring an experienced car accident attorney will be beneficial to you in helping to organize your claim.  An attorney with experience in multi-car crashes may be able to assist in gathering additional evidence and building your claim.

How Much MAY I Recover from a Pileup Accident?

Each car accident is unique, and the damages will be different for every person.  The basis for your lawsuit claim will be under a legal theory called negligence.  To raise a successful negligence claim, you must be able to show that the other driver or drivers owed you a duty, that that duty was breached, and because of that breach, they caused you to suffer damages.

A pileup accident may involve parties who were less at fault than others.  Other parties may have contributed more fault to an accident, or you may have contributed to your injuries in some way.  These factors may reduce the amount of damages you may receive.  Texas follows a 50% comparative fault rule. This means that you must be determined to be 50% or less at fault to recover any damages.

Texas Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Statistics

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT), there were no deathless days on Texas roadways in 2019. Based on reportable crashes in 2019, one person was killed every two and a half hours.  In 2019, one person was injured in a car crash every two minutes in Texas.  There was at least one reportable crash every minute in 2019. 

Get Help from an Austin Car Accident Lawyer

At Zinda Law Group, our Austin car accident lawyers are experienced and have handled many cases involving pileup car crashes.  We have the knowledge and resources necessary to help you determine what to do next and to seek the best possible outcome for your case.

Call us today at (800) 863-5312 for a free and confidential consultation with one of our car crash lawyers.  You will pay nothing unless we win your case.  That’s our No Win, No Fee Guarantee.