Who is Liable in Multi-Vehicle Accidents in Charleston?
Liability in a multi-vehicle accident in Charleston is assigned by percentages. Each driver receives a share of fault under the state’s shared fault rule, such that you can recover compensation only if you are 50% or less responsible for the crash.
If you’ve been hurt in a multi-vehicle crash, our legal team at John Price Law can uncover what exactly happened. Our Charleston car accident attorneys can push your share of fault as low as the evidence allows and make sure every accountable party and insurance policy is on the table from the start.
How is Fault Determined in Multi-Vehicle Crashes in Charleston?
South Carolina allocates fault among all parties involved. The key question is how each driver’s choices contributed to the chain reaction. The state’s shared fault system reduces your compensation by your percentage of fault, and it bars recovery entirely if that percentage exceeds 50%.
This matters enormously in Charleston, where dense traffic on I-26, the Ravenel Bridge, Savannah Highway, and Rivers Avenue creates conditions in which a seemingly simple mistake can involve multiple parties. What makes multi-vehicle crashes more complicated is that there’s rarely a single cause. Combined driver errors, such as a distracted glance, a tight following distance, pushing through reduced visibility, or abrupt braking, usually create the perfect chain reaction that results in a multi-vehicle crash.
What is Considered a Multi-Vehicle Accident?
Here’s an example of a chain reaction accident on I-26. Let’s say you’re driving westbound near the I-526 interchange through rush hour traffic. A driver in the left lane speeds through the congestion, clips the rear corner of a sedan, and that sedan swings across lanes. You brake immediately, but a pickup truck behind you had been following too closely and hit your bumper.
Even though the pickup struck you, the speeding driver who forced the initial impact may hold the highest share of fault. The trailing truck may be partially responsible for the unsafe following distance. If you’re driving and the circumstances are favorable, your share of fault may be minimal or none.
Potentially Liable Parties
Fault may fall on multiple passenger-vehicle drivers, a commercial trucking company if a truck contributed to the chain reaction, and a business that overserved alcohol before a DUI-related collision. A government entity can likewise be responsible when unsafe road design, broken traffic signals, poor signage, or neglected roadway maintenance contribute to the collision.
The central question is whether someone acted unreasonably, by speeding, following too closely, driving impaired, or failing to maintain attention.
What Our Accident Attorneys Can Do for You
A Charleston car accident lawyer can gather sufficient evidence to establish where fault lies and reconstruct the crash from the ground up. That typically means:
- Collecting physical evidence from the scene, witness statements, and surveillance video from businesses
- Locating dash-cam or traffic-camera footage
- Securing vehicle-data black box downloads
- Working with reconstruction experts
- Identifying every insurance policy connected to each at-fault party
They will also review medical records to prove and highlight the full impact of your injuries and how the crash disrupts your daily life. Likewise, your lawyer will look for patterns in driver behavior, roadway conditions, and timing that insurers usually overlook when they rush to assign blame so they can reduce their liability and the compensation they owe you.
Get Legal Assistance from Our Dedicated Lawyers
Multi-vehicle crashes can be complicated and stressful, but our Charleston car accident attorneys are here to help. Contact John Price Law, online or at 843-552-6011, to arrange your consultation.