Car insurance companies, and not police officers, determine who is responsible for auto accidents. As with all auto accident situations, fault is an important element for both insurance and legal purposes. When the circumstances of an auto incident are unclear as to which motorist was responsible, the advice of an auto accident attorney in Columbia, MD, may be indispensable.
Dealing with Ambiguous Accident Situations
Some accident fault determinations are not as cut and dry as others. Certain vehicle incidents, like rear-end collisions or back-up accidents, can be far more complex for assigning fault. These scenarios are often unclear, and the insurance companies might end up disagreeing on which party is responsible. In these cases, the claims proceed to arbitration or small claims court. This is when having an auto accident attorney in your corner will be critical.
Here are a couple of auto accident examples where determining accountability may be complicated:
Rear-end Accidents – There is typically a presumption of guilt for the vehicle in the rear, but it’s not always the case. The party in front may share some of the blame in a rear-end collision, due to faulty signal lights, reckless or negligent driving, or if the vehicle struck was backing up. An auto accident attorney can help you prove your case in these situations.
Back-up Collisions – It is the responsibility of the vehicle backing up to yield to oncoming traffic. Ensuing collisions are almost always exclusively the fault of the motorist who was backing up at the time. The assignation of blame becomes more complicated; however, when both parties involved were backing up simultaneously.