Who is liable in the case or an intersection accident?

Why are intersection accidents very common?

There are many different reasons why a lot of accidents happen in an intersection. These require drivers to make quick decisions, due to traffic lights, speed adjustments, turning vehicles, pedestrians and so on. Even a minor mistake can lead to collisions, many times involving more than one vehicle.

How is liability determined in an intersection?

It all comes down to negligence. One or more of the parties at hand didn’t use reasonable care. In order to determine who is at fault, the court, insurers and investigators will assess the following:

• Traffic laws
• Crash reports
• Driver statements
• Traffic signal timing data
• Debris and skid marks
• Witness statements
• Damage patterns for vehicles
• Dashcam/surveillance footage

All of those will make it easier to determine who is at fault, and it will eliminate a lot of the potential problems that might arise. Addressing those things is crucial, because it becomes easier to figure out who was at fault and if the drivers acted adequately during those circumstances.

Common causes of intersection accidents

Generally, you need to prepare yourself for a large variety of situations when in an intersection. There can be lots of things which lead to accidents, including:

• Running a red light is a very common reason for these accidents, because once a car is driven when it should be stopped, that can lead to congestion and accidents.
• Left turn accidents are some of the most disputed intersection accidents.
• T-bone or side impact collisions appear when the driver at fault ran a traffic signal, and because of that, he impacted one of the other cars.
• Rear-end accidents are also common at intersections and, as the name suggests, these are usually generated by the rear driver.
• Failure to yield is more complex, but again, it comes down to one of the traffic participants not entering traffic rightfully.
• Speeding is another issue that can lead to intersection accidents, something you have to keep in mind. Speeding drivers can sometimes cause accidents, and it’s something investigators are looking for when examining footage.
• Distracted driving or impaired driving can also be a reason behind accidents. It’s quite common, especially these days when people text or talk on the phone while driving. It’s even worse when there are alcohol and drugs involved, as you can imagine.

When is liability shared?

Liability can also be shared in some situations. For example, one driver was speeding, another one ran the yellow light, and then we also had situations where both drivers were distracted. One thing to note is that if you are found 20% at fault, then the compensation is reduced with that 20%, something to keep in mind.

But what about cyclists and pedestrians? As a driver, you need to take care of them and ensure that you don’t hit any pedestrians. Of course, there are local laws and facts connected to the situation at hand, something you do want to consider as much as possible.

Can the city be liable?

There are situations when we have intersection accidents and a third party is liable. Maybe the traffic lights were not working, the signage was obstructed, the road design was poor, there wasn’t enough lighting or the construction zone had various hazards. Regardless of the situation, you need to present evidence supporting your claims. Otherwise, those claims will not be taken into account, and it’s something you have to keep in mind.

What evidence is critical in the case of an intersection accident?

You always want to talk with your Boca Raton Car Accident Attorney and access all the necessary evidence. Overall, dashcam footage, red light cameras, police crash reports, witness statements, surveillance videos from nearby businesses or accident reconstruction analysis, all of that can help a whole lot more than you might expect. All of that can be handy, because it will help support your case and show the truth.

Conclusion

It’s clear that intersection accidents can be difficult to handle case-wise, since there are so many parts at play. That’s where evidence shines, because you want to showcase all the necessary evidence and highlight how it was not your fault. On top of that, you want to preserve all the evidence you can, while also complying with the local laws as well. There can be accidents where multiple people are liable, so that’s also another thing to consider. But in general, you want to have a great legal representative, as it will help streamline things!