Legal Question in Personal Injury in California
My daughter was recently in a chain reaction accident. While waiting to make a left turn she was hit from behind by someone who was also hit from behind. She in turn hit the one in front of her. There is no damage to the front but there is to the back. Who is liable for the repairs.
2 Answers from Attorneys
The car that first hit the car in front of them has the main liability, but if the other vehicle drivers did not have theiri foot firmly on the brake they would have some lesser degree of fault. Some insurance carriers, such as CSAA-IIB, will waive the deductible if their insured caused the accident.
The person who started the chain reaction is totally at fault unless the other cars in line were not stopped. If they were not stopped they may have some percentage of liability if it can be proved they would not have been able to stop before impacting the car in front of them. I disagree with the other answer regarding having their feet firmly on the brake bearing some responsibility. As long as they were stopped, it is unlikely they would bear any responsibility.