When you’re determining fault after a collision with an animal, the most important issue is what type of animal is involved: wild animals, livestock, or domestic animals. In general, there is no legal fault if you hit a wild animal, but in cases with dogs, horses, and other animals that have owners, the owner may be on the hook for damages.
In a multi-car accident, fault must be determined on a case-by-case basis. However, there are some general principles that will help determine liability in these accidents. The individual drivers’ actions and the type of accident that occurred will determine how liability can be assigned. More than one party may share different levels of fault.
It is usually obvious who is at fault when a parked car is hit. The driver of the parked car was not moving at the time of the wreck, and they may not have even been in the car at the time it happened. Therefore, the parked car could not move out of the way to avoid the accident. The driver of the moving car is liable by default in the vast majority of cases.
Determining who is at fault when an accident happens while a car is backing up can be complex. Fault will depend on a variety of factors, including the drivers’ visibility and whether or not they could anticipate that the other vehicle involved may back out. In these crashes, liability may lie with one party, or it may be shared to some extent between the drivers.
Who is at fault in a t-bone accident will depend on which of the vehicles involved had the legal right of way at the time. The driver who violated another driver’s right of way is liable for damages in an accident claim. They are at fault because they did not have the right to move forward at that time.
Many people believe the driver is always at fault when they hit a pedestrian with their car. The truth is, there are plenty of situations where the pedestrian caused the accident. For example, jaywalking, running out in front of a car, or behaving erratically because they are under the influence. The driver was at fault when the pedestrian was following the laws.
When one car sideswipes another one, the accident and the resulting damages are usually the fault of the driver who made an unsafe lane change. The driver who leaves their lane without making sure it is safe to do so violates their duty of care toward the other drivers on the road. When they do this, they become negligent, and they can be held accountable in court.
Regardless of the circumstances, in almost all cases the driver who opened their car door is responsible for any accident that takes place as a result. The driver of the car who opened the door had the opportunity to make sure it was safe, but they neglected to do so. Most states have laws that specify that the driver is at fault in dooring accidents.
In a head-on collision, the driver who failed to take reasonable care by not paying attention to the road signs or veering into oncoming traffic is generally responsible. If the other driver is in their lane of traffic and following the laws, fault will usually be clear in these cases. Unfortunately, the victims are often no longer alive to dispute fault in these serious accidents.
In a rear-end collision, the driver who is determined to be negligent will be held liable. You may assume the driver in the rear is at fault. This may be true in most cases, but the driver who was rear-ended could also be at fault. For instance, if they were negligent because they slammed on their brakes in the middle of fast-moving traffic.
