A rear-end collision in Chattanooga is defined as one vehicle hitting another vehicle from behind. Pretty much any collision that strikes the rear bumper of another vehicle is a rear-end collision. Chattanooga rear-end collision lawyers have seen most rear-end collisions are caused by people not paying attention to the road. If someone is not watching what is happening in front of them, they may run into the vehicle in front of them. Other causes include people following too closely or tailgating.
Collisions are more likely to occur when people drive too fast, follow too closely or if traffic stops unexpectedly. Anyone who has been injured in a rear-end collision should speak with an experienced car accident lawyer about pursuing damages.
Defining Fault
In over 95 percent of the cases, the person who is behind is at fault in a rear-end collision. A driver has to pay attention to what is happening in front of them on the road and be able to stop or slow down if the car in front of them stops or slows down. There are things that the lead car can do as well that contributes to a rear-end collision and then that lead car can be either partially or completely at fault.
If someone pulls onto a fast moving road or into fast moving traffic when the lane is not clear, pulls out unexpectedly into fast traffic, or slams on their brake without a good reason and unexpectedly; then the person in front can sometimes be at fault. Saying there was a bird on the road which caused the driver to stop in the middle of an interstate (where the speed limit is 70 miles an hour) and thus got rear-ended, is probably not a sufficient cause for somebody to stop in the middle of an interstate, and they would probably be considered at fault. Those who have been injured in similar accidents should speak with a Chattanooga rear-end collision lawyer.
Comparative Fault
There is comparative fault in Chattanooga which means if someone is partially at fault, they can still recover as long as their fault does not equal 50 percent of the total fault. If someone is the lead vehicle and they do something wrong, comparative fault can decrease the damages or prevent any of the damages based on the amount of their fault versus, or in comparison to, the amount the person behind them is at fault.
Building a Liability Case
One of the methods used to establish liability in rear-end collision cases is to focus on the defendant’s car such as where they have been and where they were going. Overall, attorneys will want the general timeline of the individual’s use of the car and what occurred during that time. This will prove why the defendant was not paying attention, was disregarding safety, and did not stop when they should have stopped. This is important for the Chattanooga rear-end collision lawyer, who can use these details to demonstrate the cause of the accident.
Benefit of an Attorney
A victim of a car accident should contact a Chattanooga rear-end collision lawyer right away. One of the main things to prove is how much force was involved in the collision, and the best way to do that is to examine the damage to the vehicles. Photographs are important, but sometimes the damage is hidden underneath, beneath the exterior of the vehicle. An expert would need to examine the damage done to the vehicles.
After the vehicles have been repaired, it may be impossible to go back and try to prove the damage that is not visible in photographs. And sometimes there are no photographs of the vehicles. This is why anyone involved in a car accident should retain an experienced attorney early in the case to preserve all that evidence and prevent the insurance company from hiding that evidence or withholding it from the victim.
