Multi-vehicle accidents, or 'pile-ups,’ are unexpected and could result in severe injuries, deaths, and property damage. Having insurance is not always enough. Your actions and words after an accident can make a massive difference in the compensation you obtain for your injuries and losses. Many people do not know what to do after a collision because they do not have a legal background. Therefore, you want to seek the advice of a personal injury attorney who will guide you through the legal process after a crash. This guide will show you the steps you should take after a multi-vehicle accident.

What to Do Immediately After Your Accident

What you do immediately after a multi-vehicle accident is critical in determining several factors, including your safety, injuries, and whether you will receive the compensation you deserve.

  1. Ensure Safety

Immediately after the crash, your safety and the safety of others should be your main concern. If you can do so safely, move to a secure area near the accident scene, such as the shoulder, side of the road, or parking area, to avoid crashing with other oncoming vehicles.

Staying in the lane after a crash in high-traffic areas like Las Vegas highways could be dangerous. You should also activate your hazard lights to alert other drivers of the accident and your position on the road.

When you are in a safer area, check yourself for injuries. If you are unharmed, check on your loved ones and other passengers and motorists involved in the accident. Do not move anyone who looks injured except in an emergency, such as a fire, gas leak, or possibility of a collision. If you move an injured person, it could make their condition worse. Leave this to emergency responders if possible.

Ensuring safety also involves documenting potential hazards at the scene, such as leaking fuel or debris, which could present a risk.

  1. Contact Emergency Services

After you have ensured your safety, the next thing to do is call 911 and report the accident. Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 484E.030 requires you to report accidents that result in injuries, fatalities, or property damage exceeding $750. Even if you are unsure whether the damage meets the threshold of $750, you should report the accident just in case. The police will help in handling the accident.

What to Say When You Call Emergency Services

When speaking with 911, provide the following information:

  • Location: Provide specific information about where the multi-vehicle accident occurred, such as the street name or landmarks.
  • Injuries: Give clear details of any visible injuries to yourself and describe briefly the state of other people and if you need medical help.
  • The number of vehicles: Briefly describe how many cars you can count are involved in the ‘pileup.’ This will help the emergency services respond promptly.
  • Hazards: Any safety risks, such as leaking fuel or blocked roads, must be mentioned because they could cause secondary disasters.

Request medical assistance if necessary, especially for people who are showing signs of severe injuries. Medical personnel can help give survivors of the accident first aid and treat their injuries before being taken to the hospital. Medical responders can also assess all those involved in the crash and identify symptoms and injuries not visible using their medical equipment.

Law enforcement officers will help assess the scene, document key details of the collision, and write an official accident report. This report will form the basis of your evidence when seeking a personal injury claim. Ensure you obtain the responding officer's details, including their name, badge number, and a copy of the police report for future reference.

  1. Do not Leave the Accident Scene

No matter how minor it may seem, leaving the scene of the collision could be detrimental to your case, and it is also against Nevada statutes. Per Nevada Revised Statutes 484E.020, drivers involved in a crash must stop and give their details to other motorists involved in the collision. You should also provide details to the authorities who responded to the accident.

Failing to do so could result in a hit-and-run charge and severe penalties, such as criminal charges. In Nevada, leaving the scene could lead to:

  • Misdemeanor Charges: If the accident only led to property damage.
  • Felony Charges: If there were injuries or fatalities in the ‘pile-up,’ you were involved.

Practical Reasons to Stay

Remaining at the scene allows you to:

  • Provide Accurate Information: Exchange contact details with other motorists; obtain license information and insurance details. Cooperate with law enforcement by telling them your account of the incident.
  • Control the Narrative: When you are at the scene, you can narrate your account of what happened. You must rely on others' accounts when you are not there.
  • Avoid Complications: Leaving could be misinterpreted as you being guilty and fleeing from taking responsibility for your actions. This could complicate any future claim or legal proceedings. You may also not obtain the compensation you deserve.

Actions to Take While Waiting

While staying at the scene, prioritize safety:

  • Move to a Safe Location: Move your vehicle out of traffic to avoid secondary collisions.
  • Use Hazard Lights: Hazard lights on your vehicle will help alert other drivers.
  • Remain Calm and Cooperative: Do not argue or blame others involved in the accident. Leave the job of placing fault to the police.

  1. Contact your Personal Injury Lawyer

The next step is to seek the services of an experienced personal injury attorney. Having legal counsel early can help protect your rights and build a solid case.

Importance of Hiring the Services of a Lawyer Early

  • Protecting Your Rights: The insurance companies of the at-fault drivers and their insurance adjusters may try to put the blame on you or lessen your overall compensation. With a personal injury attorney by your side, this will not happen. Your lawyer will negotiate with the insurance company to protect your rights.
  • Preserving Evidence: Your lawyer can gather evidence if you have serious injuries and cannot move around. They will help you take photos and videos of the accident scene, interview witnesses, and talk with the law enforcers.
  • Knowledge of Nevada Laws: Laws like NRS 11.190, which govern the statute of limitations for personal injury cases, require quick action. You could miss the deadline and be unable to recover compensation. However, a personal injury lawyer will guide you to act promptly.

What Your Lawyer Can Do for You

  • Handle Communication: Your attorney will deal with the insurers, other parties, and law enforcement to keep you from saying something that could be misinterpreted.
  • Evaluate Your Case: Your lawyer will examine the facts of your case and the evidence gathered to determine liability, damages, and possible compensation.
  • Guide you on the Next Steps: Your lawyer will help you go through the process from filing an insurance claim to filing a lawsuit smoothly and ensure you obtain the compensation you deserve.

You should hire a lawyer who has dealt with Nevada personal injury law and one who focuses on multi-vehicle accident cases. They should give a free consultation to see if your case will be a good fit. They should also advise you promptly and tell you what your options are.

  1. Document the Crash Scene

Documenting the collision scene thoroughly is one of the most critical steps after a multi-vehicle accident. This step helps strengthen your case and protect your rights. Documenting the accident scene can also provide evidence that could be used if fault or damage is being contested. During documenting the accident scene, you should do the following:

Take Clear and Detailed Photographs

Take pictures with your smartphone of all the relevant things in the accident. Focus on:

  • Damage to the Vehicle: Take pictures of the dents, scratches, shattered windows, and any other visible damage from different angles.
  • Injuries: Take clear pictures of the visible injuries to yourself and others.
  • The scene: Capture the skid marks, debris, traffic signals, and vehicle positions. You should also take clear pictures of the road features, such as curves, intersections, or blind spots, that might have been associated with the accident.
  • Car Registration Numbers: Take clear photos of all motor vehicles' license numbers.
  • Environmental Factors: Record a video of the weather (rain, fog, or clear skies), road (potholes, oil spills, or ice), and lighting (poorly lit area, well-lit area, or bright sunlight).

Take a panoramic video of the accident scene to record details that photos might miss. Describe significant observations while walking through the ‘pile-up’ area. Ensure your video features nearby landmarks to pinpoint the crash's spot.

Take Notes

Write notes or do a voice recording on your phone as a supplement to the photos you have already taken. Record your account of the accident while your memory remains fresh.

This is because the human brain tends to forget the details of things as time passes. Recording this information while your memory is still fresh could help provide clear and detailed evidence of the events. You want to give details like the following:

  • The Sequence of the Events: What happened before, during, and immediately after the crash?
  • Contributing Factors: Was it a sudden change in the lane, a vehicle running a red light, or distracted driving?
  • Names of the drivers involved in the pile-up
  • The details of their insurance companies.
  • The contact details of the drivers involved in the crash

Witnesses and Their Accounts

If there were any witnesses to the accident, ask them for their account of the crash. Take videos or voice record them as they explain the happenings. Politely ask for their names, phone numbers, and email addresses. Witness statements could help strengthen your case during insurance negotiations and court proceedings.

When the police come and record the details of the crash, the vehicles will be moved and cleaned up, and crucial evidence may disappear. Therefore, documenting all the details immediately after the collision will prove vital when you file a lawsuit later.

  1. Contact Your Insurance Provider

You should also contact your health and auto insurance companies and tell them what occurred. Your health insurer will assess your liability and may pay a portion of your medical expenses based on your policy. However, they may not cover all your injuries.

Contacting your insurer clarifies your coverage and provides the information you need to seek healthcare. Your personal injury attorney will help you handle communications with insurers to avoid not obtaining the compensation you deserve later.

Your auto insurer may provide immediate repair funds and offer personal injury medical payment coverage.

What Happens After Leaving the Accident Scene

  1. Seek Medical Attention

Your health should always come first after a multi-vehicle accident. Do not assume that you are okay or that the injuries you have sustained are minor. You should seek medical attention in a hospital after leaving the collision scene. Many injuries do not show symptoms until hours or days later, like concussions or internal trauma.

Medics also record any collision-related injuries once you go to the hospital. If you later suffer from injuries that were not visible enough during the accident, it may be hard to prove that what you are experiencing is related to the crash.

A prompt medical evaluation also ensures that non-visible injuries are discovered and treated early. Your examination results and injuries are recorded formally.

Failing to seek medical attention could lead to more complications and weaken your personal injury claim. Insurance companies may also argue that your delay in seeking treatment indicates that your injuries were not serious. They could argue that you deserve a smaller compensation than you deserve.

Documenting Your Injuries

You should document your injuries; these records can be used as evidence in your personal injury claim lawsuit and are part of the tangible damages to be recovered. Document all diagnoses, treatments, and prescribed medications. These medical records are factual accounts of your injuries' severity and how they relate directly to the accident.

Keeping a personal injury journal helps you track your injuries and how they affect your daily life. You also track how much pain and emotional distress you are experiencing and how your injuries are limiting your life. These records will validate your claims and help counter the insurers’ attempts to minimize your injuries.

  1. Filing Your Claim

According to Nevada Revised Statute 485.185 (2023), you must have liability insurance with at least $25000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $20,000 for property damage. When you file a claim, you begin determining fault and possible compensation.

While filing your claim, you should provide the police report, pictures of the scene, and witness information. These details will help strengthen your claim. If you were involved in a multi-vehicle accident, you may have to deal with multiple insurance companies.

Every driver involved may have their own insurance company. This could complicate the claims process, and the insurers may try to shift the blame from their clients. However, your personal injury lawyer can help you negotiate with the insurers and protect your rights.

Negotiating a Settlement

Negotiating a personal injury settlement involves several steps to obtain a reasonable compensation agreement. Your attorney might try to persuade the at-fault party or insurer to pay compensation before or after filing a suit.

You may sue the at-fault parties if the negotiations do not pan out in your favor. You must be aware of the statute of limitation so as not to miss the deadline for filing personal injury claims legally. While filing your lawsuit, you should write your complaint and include the claims you are making and the compensation you want.

Statutes of Limitation

There is a time limit in which you must file your personal injury claim lawsuit. Under Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 11.190(4)(e), the statute of limitations in Nevada is two years from the accident date.

The court will dismiss your case if you do not file your lawsuit within two years. Therefore, you will not be able to recover your compensation. However, there are exceptions to this rule:

  • If minors were also injured in the crash, the statute of limitations may be tolled (paused).
  • If any mentally or physically incapacitated person was involved in the multi-vehicle accident, the statute of limitations may also be tolled.

The two-year limit applies to lawsuits; however, insurance companies require you to report the accident and file claims early on. If you delay, insurers may deny coverage, and you will not be able to recover your damages. Your personal injury lawyer will help you meet all the deadlines and build a solid case.

In the discovery phase, both parties exchange information and evidence gathered. This enables each party to know what to expect while on trial.

Trial Phase

Your lawyer will help present evidence at the trial and try to convict the judge that you deserve the highest compensation for the injuries, loss, and damages you incurred. The judge or jury will then decide whether your case holds and also determine the at-fault party. If your case is convincing enough and the percentage fault is less than 50%, you will obtain the compensation you deserve.

You should also avoid making statements that could imply that you are the at-fault driver. You should avoid statements such as ‘I am really sorry.’ Insurers could use these statements against you and cause your percentage of negligence to increase. Allowing your personal injury attorney to represent you will help prevent misinterpretation that could undermine your case.

  1. Determining who is the At-Fault Driver in a Multi-Vehicle Accident

Determining the at-fault party in a multi-vehicle accident involves several factors. They include multiple drivers at fault, different drivers' actions, and external factors such as road or weather conditions.

Also, a chain reaction may occur, where multiple parties may be at fault and factors such as speeding, tailgating, or distracted driving are involved. Therefore, law enforcers and your personal injury attorney should carefully examine each driver's actions to assign fault correctly.

Law enforcement officers are the first to assess fault in a multi-vehicle car accident. They gather evidence at the accident scene by interviewing the drivers involved in the crash, other drivers, and witnesses. They also take pictures of the incident scene, measure skid marks, and examine debris.

They then compile the evidence gathered and develop a report of the accident. Your lawyer can use this report as evidence of what happened during the collision. In more complex cases, accident reconstruction experts can be called in to study the accident scene and determine how the crash occurred. This evidence can form the basis of your legal and insurance proceedings.

Comparative Negligence

In Nevada, liability in multi-vehicle accident cases is governed by the legal principle of comparative negligence. Nevada follows a modified comparative negligence rule to determine how much compensation is available for you.

This means that you can recover damages incurred during a multi-vehicle accident if your degree of fault is less than 50%. However, the percentage of your fault reduces your overall compensation. Also, you will not receive compensation if your negligence is more than 50 %.

As an example, John was involved in a multi-vehicle accident for which he seeks compensation. After analysis by the accident reconstruction expert and the judge, it was determined that he was 20 percent at fault. The total damages in his case are worth $100,000. 20% of his total compensation is $20,000. After the reduction, he will receive $80,000.

You should know that this legal framework influences settlement negotiations and potential court rulings. To maximize your recovery, you want to prove that your share of fault is minimal. The modified comparative negligence rule can lead to disputes because multiple insurance companies and legal representatives are involved. An experienced personal injury attorney will help you safeguard your interests and ensure a fair determination of fault.

If you follow these steps, you are better positioned to receive the right compensation for damages and injuries in a multi-vehicle accident.

Find a Personal Injury Attorney Near Me

You should act promptly after a multi-vehicle accident to ensure safety, document evidence, and protect your rights. You should also seek medical attention, involve law enforcement officers, and gather essential details at the scene. Securing compensation after a collision requires carefully reviewing the legal and insurance processes.

At Dallas Horton & Associates, we can guide you through the legal process and help you increase your chances of receiving the compensation you deserve. Contact our Las Vegas, Nevada team today at 702-820-5917 to discuss your case.