A few weeks ago, many vehicles were involved in a pile-up car accident in Kansas City, Missouri on Interstate 435. Though the story may be a bit older, the lesson that can be learned from this story is very important.
The wreck occurred during the morning commute, and the police don’t know how the crash initially occurred. But what is known is that seven vehicles were wrapped up in the crash and that a few people suffered injuries in the accident.
So what can you learn from an accident like this? Well, the most important lesson here is that pile-up accidents are complex incidents that require patient and organization on the part of the people who are involved in them.
Think about it: a pileup accident inherently involves an intermingled mess of individual accidents. Each one is between different vehicles, with different drivers that have different insurance companies. The severity of the injuries varies from person to person, and how those injuries occurred varies from person to person. Under this premise, how are you supposed to determine who is liable for what?
Shared liability is what comes into play. This means that everyone involved in the accident will assume a portion of the liability. Some will have less liability than others, and those people will likely end up not paying anything (or, more accurately, they would receive more than they would pay). Others will assume the bulk percentage of the liability and owe the other people in the accident as a result.
Source: FOX4KC.com, “Hectic morning rush: 7-car pileup causes backup on I-435, tires punctured on I-70,” Stephanie Graflage, March 31, 2015