Were You Seriously Injured or Was a Loved One Killed in a Multi-Vehicle Car Accident in Georgia?

Why you need the best Atlanta pile up car accident lawyer

At Scholle Law, your initial consultation is 100% free — no cost, no commitment. During this meeting, we’ll carefully listen to your story, answer your most pressing questions and evaluate your claim to determine your best next steps. If we think we can assist you and you decide to hire us to represent you, then we’ll get started right away. We operate under a contingency fee arrangement, which means you only pay for our expert legal services when we win your case. If we don’t win, you don’t owe us a penny. It’s that simple.

Common causes of multi-vehicle car crashes

A majority of pile up car accidents happen because of a chain reaction of factors. For instance, one driver might be recklessly endangering the lives of others when they go the wrong way down the road or fail to yield when merging. This can then cause another driver to swerve to try to avoid a collision, only to sideswipe another car.

While there can be many possible causes of a multiple-vehicle wreck, here are some of the most common examples in Atlanta:

• Reckless and aggressive driving. Reckless driving behavior such as tailgating, road rage, speeding and changing lanes frequently are dangerous no matter where you are, but on packed interstates and highways there’s even less room for error. The bad decisions and impatience of a single driver can result in a chain reaction of collisions that impacts many people.
• Drunk driving. Pile up collisions can commonly be traced back to a single driver who was impaired or intoxicated. For instance, in March 2020, a man was taken into custody for a DUI after he caused 2 separate collision events (Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Lynhurst Drive) that sent over a dozen people to the hospital. In all, 8 vehicles were involved.
• Unsecured loads. When traveling at high speeds on busy highways and interstates, it can be difficult to evade a sudden cargo spill or road obstacle that falls off of another car or truck. This is precisely what happened in March 2020 when a Gwinnett County driver struck a ladder in the middle of I-85, causing a chain reaction of collisions which involved 2 tractor-trailers, 3 cars and an SUV.
• Tire blowouts. When a semi-truck or car suddenly loses a tire or gets a flat, it can cause them to swerve into nearby lanes and even lose control of their vehicle. In high-density traffic situations, this can be deadly. For instance, in March 2020, a box truck’s tire blew out on I-285 in Cobb County near the I-75 interchange. The truck driver lost control and crashed into 2 nearby cars. Moments later, another car hit into the back of the truck, fatally injuring the driver.
• Drowsy driving. When fatigued drivers of cars or trucks nod off behind the wheel, they have a tendency to drift into another lane or oncoming traffic. On Georgia’s interstates and highways, drowsy driving is especially dangerous due to the high speed of travel and featureless stretches of road that can lull a driver into a trance.
• Car chases. Police chases may be exciting in the movies, but in real life they can be deadly. In January 2020, Georgia State Patrol tried to stop a white Jeep Grand Cherokee on I-75 South for speeding at 100 mph. Instead of pulling over, the driver took off — hitting 5 other vehicles on the interstate.
• Distracted driving. Texting and driving, as well as other forms of distracted driving, is against the law and reckless anytime you are behind the wheel, but especially when driving on high-speed interstates and highways. Experts say that sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s the equivalent of driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.
• Bad weather. Sometimes, sudden and dangerous weather conditions such as black ice, heavy rain or dense fog (which is what contributed to the Catoosa County crash) can reduce visibility and make it difficult for drivers to stop quickly or avoid a wreck if they’re driving too fast for the conditions. While winter weather, which is responsible for a majority of chain reaction crashes in other states, isn’t typically a major problem here in Georgia, the region’s occasional heavy fog and storms can make interstate driving hazardous.

Determining liability: why chain reaction crashes are more complex

In a car accident involving 1 or 2 drivers, determining who is at fault for the crash is usually a fairly simple and straightforward process. Often, one of the drivers wasn’t paying attention, or was drunk or impatient, which resulted in the collision. In cases where both drivers were partially at fault, Georgia’s modified comparative negligence law will come into play and each driver will be assigned a percentage (or degree) of fault.

However, in auto crashes involving 3 or more vehicles, determining liability becomes significantly more complex.

For starters, it’s more likely that multiple people may be partially to blame for the collision. In addition, a manufacturer of a defective auto part may be at fault, or a government agency might be liable for lack of road maintenance or bad design.

Since Atlanta and the entire state of Georgia operate under a shared fault law, everyone who is involved in a crash will be investigated to see who was liable and to what degree. Even if you didn’t initially cause the crash, you can be denied compensation and sued by other drivers if it’s determined you were partly responsible.

Another complicating factor of chain reaction crashes is the sheer number of people involved in the claim. Not only will you have to deal with everyone who was involved in the collision, but also their insurance companies. Figuring out which person or company is responsible for paying for what percentage of your medical bills, lost wages and other damages can be extremely daunting — especially if you’re injured and just trying to focus on your physical recovery.

Lastly, in all the chaos that follows a multi-vehicle car accident, important evidence and witnesses often get overlooked or go missing. It’s the job of the responding police officers to file an accident report, but they’ll only start that process once they get the situation under control and assist all injured people. During those critical minutes after a collision, certain details and evidence can be lost.

Determining liability is especially difficult following a pile up collision. One of the best ways to ensure you get a fair shake and secure the maximum compensation possible is to seek legal advice as soon as possible.