When you have had a car accident, determining who is at fault has consequences for legal liability. Determination of responsibility is often decided at the scene of the collision, so what you say and do at this time is vital to the outcome of any subsequent legal action. Motor vehicle accidents can cause severe financial and emotional consequences for drivers and their families.
A personal injury solicitor can help you through the process of filing a claim for injuries sustained from an auto accident, but it’s ultimately up to you to prove your case. A skilled injury lawyer can assist you during this stressful time. If something terrible happens to you in a car crash, here’s everything you need to know. For immediate support, Call Now – 1800 954 153 or email us >
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Determining Fault for a Collision
Determining fault for a collision relies on gathering and examining accident scene evidence. This could be photographs of vehicle damage, eyewitness accounts, records of auto repairs, witness testimony or law enforcement reports.
Ultimately, the third-party insurance company will decide who is to blame, and they typically attempt to assign some responsibility to the injury claimant in order to lower their liability (and your payout).
Hence, understanding the process of proving responsibility for a car accident helps improve your chance of getting the compensation you deserve. Please don’t stress if you were partly to blame for the collision. In this case, you would have contributory negligence, and your motor vehicle accident lawyer would seek to reduce your level of liability.
Fortunately, it’s simpler to know who is at fault when:
- The other driver apologises, which is sometimes an admission of guilt.
- The other road user is issued with a traffic infringement (they are presumed to be at fault).
- The type of accident impact helps determine who was the at-fault driver.
How to Determine Fault
The accident scene is the ideal location to determine fault. Someone else will likely be at fault if the police show up and a driver receives a ticket for speeding, ignoring traffic signals, intoxicated driving, or some other breach of road rules.
Otherwise, the common way of determining fault for an auto accident is to examine several factors, including:
- Who initiated contact with whom?
- What happened during the accident?
- How did the accident happen?
- Did anyone violate traffic laws?
- Did the incident harm someone?
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Why Determining Fault is Crucial
Defining the at-fault driver is essential for many reasons when you have a motor vehicle accident. First, if you have a collision, you want to know whether your actions made you liable for damages.
- When you are at fault, you could face financial penalties and even criminal charges.
- If someone else is responsible for causing the accident, you want to know how to proceed to avoid further damage to yourself or others.
- When injured in a car crash, knowing who is liable can help determine your legal entitlement to claim compensation.
Generally, each party is allocated fault at different levels when more than one person is shown to have accident liability. Hence, the level of contribution for each party determines the value of damages.
Queensland Motor Accident Insurance Commission
According to the Queensland Motor Accident Insurance Commission, you can make a CTP insurance claim when you or your loved ones are harmed in a collision on QLD roads (that was partially or totally not your fault).
Proof of fault is necessary because it can affect how much money you receive in damages. If you are found responsible for the injury of another party, you could be liable for medical expenses, lost wages, pain, and suffering.
Evidence is Vital to Determining Fault.
Fault in an accident is often challenging to prove because it depends on circumstantial evidence. There are often no witnesses to the incident and little physical evidence. Instead, the determination of responsibility must be shown through photographs, police records or other documents. Often, fault does not need to be proven beyond reasonable doubt but through clear and convincing evidence.
Who decides who is responsible for an auto accident?
Most road crashes involve at least one driver and usually both drivers. The car insurer (typically the CTP insurance company) often determines the negligent party. It may be an insurance provider employee who investigates the case. This report might include interviews with the drivers or other people involved in the crash and eyewitness accounts.
An insurance claim adjuster may also examine CCTV footage, a crime scene investigation report, and photos. In the rare circumstance, the incident goes to court, the court will determine liability.
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Determining Fault Using Location of Vehicle Damage
A police officer or an insurance investigator can frequently decide what happened by viewing damage to the vehicles involved in the accident. Modern technology has simplified the investigation process, for example. Using marks on the road, photographs of the cars and prevailing weather conditions can determine the speed and direction of vehicles before impact.
The amount of vehicle damage can also be measured by speed. Higher speed = bigger impact = more damage. Other valuable information includes factors like:
- did the airbags deploy
- the position of the vehicles after the collision
- the location of traffic lights and signs
- mobile phone records (shows if the driver was texting)
A competent car accident law firm will assist you through the legal process of fault determination. Complex accidents can be particularly challenging, and the stakes can be high. Minimising your liability will be essential to the outcome of your claim for damages. Get legal advice now – Call 1800 700 125.
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Who is at fault when reversing?
Regardless of any other circumstance, if you cause a car crash by reversing, you are inevitably at fault. When moving backwards, you have a duty of care to ensure you don’t hit another vehicle or person. Under QLD Transport Operations (Road Use Management— Road Rules) regulation 2009, a motorist must not reverse their vehicle unless they can do it safely.
Who is at fault in a side-impact accident?
If your vehicle has side impact damage, this can assist in deciding who is legally liable. Suppose your car has been t-boned at an intersection with traffic lights or a stop sign, and the other vehicle has front-end damage. In that case, you can reasonably assume that the other driver committed a traffic violation and is at fault.
Who is to blame for a rear-end accident?
If the back end of your vehicle has been damaged in a rear-end accident, it is unlikely you have liability. Queensland Transport Operations (Road Use Management— Road Rules) s.126 states that all motorists have a legal duty to keep a safe distance between themselves and the vehicle in front. A possible exception is when someone migrates into another traffic lane with insufficient space, and their car is struck at the back. In this situation, both drivers will be a per cent liable for the incident.
Who is at fault when turning right?
At an intersection, oncoming traffic has priority in Queensland. You do not have the right of way when you stop at a t-intersection, regardless of whether it is a stop sign, traffic light, or no sign. When the light turns green, you acquire the right of way. When a collision happens at an intersection, the driver, without right of way, is responsible. Exceptions to this may be:
- the other driver was exceeding the speed limit
- the other driver changed lanes at the intersection
- the accident was at night, and the other vehicle had faulty lights
- the other driver was drunk
- the other driver was using their phone
Who is at fault in a car park collision?
When an accident happens in a car park, the negligent driver is the one moving at the time of the accident. The driver of the moving vehicle has a duty of care not to strike another car or pedestrian. Generally, when both vehicles were in motion at the time of collision, a percentage of fault (contributory negligence) will be assigned to both drivers.
Who is at fault in a three-car collision?
Multi-vehicle accidents can be complex. The circumstances of the accident will determine who is responsible. If, for example, the incident happened in a concertina where each car rear-ended the other, you would be the liable party if you hit the vehicle in front (unless you were pushed from behind). Due to the complexity of multi-car collisions, several drivers will share a degree of fault.
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Steps to Determining Fault for a Car Accident
1) Don’t admit fault at the scene of the accident
Sometimes when people have had an auto accident, they feel emotional and sensitive to the circumstances of the other parties involved in the incident. At this time, you might be tempted to apologise or admit your collision contribution. If you do this, you will decrease your legal position, which will have consequences for the outcome of any subsequent litigation.
2) Take note if the other party admits liability
Conversely, if the other parties to the accident apologise or admit they caused the collision, you should note this immediately. People can accept liability in multiple ways, like apologising, saying they didn’t see you, thinking they could make it through the red light, etc. Use your phone to send an email to yourself noting their name, the date and time, and detailed notes of your conversation.
3) Lodge a Police Report
If law enforcement officers did not attend the accident scene, you should lodge a police report. If someone has a traffic infringement prosecution, they will automatically have increased liability (or total liability) for the road incident. Conversely, if you are issued with a traffic violation, a criminal lawyer may be able to reduce or revoke your ticket. In this situation, your liability would decrease.
4) Gather Sufficient Evidence
Evidence is vital for deciding road collision liability. Lawyers, insurers and the police use evidence for multiple purposes. So, collect as much as possible. This includes all accident participants’ names and contact details, vehicle registration numbers and insurers.
Be sure to record your speed, the time and date, the location of the accident and the weather conditions. Also, detail your perception of how the collision occurred and how you believe it happened. You might like to draw a diagram of the crash for future reference. Take copious photographs of the damage to vehicles, the accident scene, skid marks on the road, and any damage to your body.
If you have been physically or mentally harmed, you should also seek medical help, and your doctor, physiotherapist and psychologist keep records of your condition and treatment.
5) Chat with Witnesses
Witness statements can help support your evidence. Be sure to get the contact details of anyone who can provide a comment. Ask them to give you a written account of how they believe the accident occurred and who they believe was at fault.
6) Retain a Skilled Compensation Solicitor
Consulting with an experienced accident lawyer is worthwhile if you have acquired car accident injuries as a pedestrian, passenger or driver. They will support you through the claims process, ensuring you have the evidence required to build a compelling case. Splatt Lawyers will also help you determine your claim eligibility and your case’s approximate value. Contact us now for informed legal advice.
Do you need legal help with car accident liability?
Don’t rely on the evidence from other people involved in your road accident. When engaged in a Queensland traffic incident, ensure you have a solid case to show you were either wholly or partly not at fault. When someone else has failed their legal duty of care and suffered a loss, you have the legal right to compensation and can make an accident claim.
It’s complicated to determine fault and safeguard your rights, especially when dealing with police reports and insurance policies. It helps to have experienced legal experts on your side.
Contact Splatt Lawyers to know where you stand. All our legal compensation services are 100% no win, no fee. Starting costs nothing, and you pay nothing until we achieve a settlement. Call Now for fast legal help – 1800 700 125.
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