A common type of automobile wreck is when one vehicle rear-ends the back of another vehicle. St. Louis rear-end accidents could happen for many reasons, including negligence or recklessness. If you were injured in a crash involving another driver hitting the back of your car, a dedicated car crash attorney may be able to make a positive difference in your case.
State law provides a rear-end doctrine to people injured by incidents like this. In order to be covered by this doctrine, plaintiffs have to prove that they:
Once a claimant provides these three things, the burden shifts to the defendant to prove that they were not negligent in striking the rear of the injured party’s car. A skilled rear-end wreck attorney in the area could help a plaintiff prove that they were not at fault.
The most common places for accidents like this are at stoplights or stop signs. In these cases, one vehicle is stopped and waiting for their turn to move, and a driver of a different vehicle is not paying attention and slams in the back of them.
Another common place for collisions like this is on a highway. Highways tend to provide a riskier setting for people to drive on because of the heightened speeds. In highway crashes, one vehicle might driving slow and get hit in the back by another driver who is not expecting them to be going that pace. Slow-moving vehicles are the second most common pattern seen in local rear-end collisions.
The general rule is that if a vehicle collides with the back of another, the driver in the back is considered at fault under the rear-end doctrine because the back-most driver is expected to control the front of their car. If a driver is not controlling the front of their car and slam into the back of somebody else’s car, they are generally at fault.
If someone is illegally on the highway, they still have to watch out where they are driving. People driving behind other cars have to keep a careful lookout to those around them and should be abiding all speed limits and rules of the road.
In this type of crash, the car that collides with the rear of the other vehicle is normally 100 percent at fault. In the cases where the plaintiff is also at fault, it is likely that the rearmost driver is still partially at fault because they have the duty to watch where they are going.
Contributory negligence does occasionally come into play in incidents like this and contacting a St. Louis attorney knowledgeable in a rear-end wrecks could be the best way for a person to receive compensation for their damages, even if they are found partially at fault.
If you were harmed in a St. Louis rear-end accident due to someone else’s negligence, you may have the ability to file a lawsuit against the responsible party. Do not take on a defense attorney or the defendant’s insurance company alone.
Enlist the aid of a proactive motor vehicle lawyer experienced in cases like this to fight for your rights and get you fair compensation. Call today to learn more.
