When Multiple Cars are Involved the Investigation is Complex
Early Tuesday morning, a series of serious car crashes occurred on U.S. 19, authorities report.
Just after 1 am the first crash was reported on the north side of Spruce Street. Christina Boyle, 24, was driving a Dodge Pickup that struck the rear of a Mustang. The mustang was driving by Christopher Summers of New Port Richey as both cars were headed southbound on U.S. 19. After the first impact occurred, Christopher Summers lost control of his Mustang, which spun off the road.
Boyle's truck continued southbound until it ultimately crossed over the median and into northbound lanes of U.S. 19. Boyle's vehicle went over a sidewalk and subsequently crashed into a car that was parked at Karl Flammer Ford at 41975 U.S. 19 Tarpon Springs police reported.
Another driver, Sheryl Down of Hudson, was in the area at the time of these collisions. She observed Boyle cross over into the northbound lanes and proceeded to dial 911. She stopped her car and offered to help Boyle, who began yelling at Dowen and ran into the northbound lanes. A few short moments later, Boyle was struck by a 2005 Hyundai. She was flown to Bayfront Health St Petersburg and listed in critical but stable condition early Tuesday, law enforcement officials report. Charges are currently pending, and the crashes remain under investigation. This multiple car collision brings to mind an important subject: what to do when involved in a car accident involving more than one vehicle. It is not uncommon for more than one other person to contribute to a car accident. It may have been the drivers of two other vehicles, or another vehicle plus a hazard in the roadway. Whatever the situation, if more than one person contributed to the accident, you will likely want to file a claim under the liability insurance of both.
Keep in mind that you cannot collect more than the full amount of your damages from all of them together, but you can collect up to the entire amount of your damages from any one of them, depending on the fault allocation. If the coverage of one person at fault is not sufficient to cover all your damages, you can still collect the remainder of what your claim is worth from the other person who was at fault.
If more than one driver's car insurance policy can cover your damages, what typically happens is one policy is deemed to provide “primary” coverage, while “secondary” or “excess” coverage is provided by another policy. The secondary policy is only used if the primary policy doesn't pay for all of your damages.
For example, say you are injured in a car accident and you are entitled to $25,000 in damages. The driver of the other car, however, has only $15,000 worth of liability insurance coverage. You could collect the $15,000 under the driver's primary insurance coverage. If another person partly responsible for the accident had a policy, you would collect the remaining $10,000 of your total damages from the insurance company issuing that secondary coverage.
You will want an attorney who has years of experience working with a wide arrays of insurance coverage and companies. If you have been in a collision, especially one involving multiple vehicles, you you'll need to hire an attorney who is well versed in insurance company claims. Give Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA a call today and discuss, at no cost to you, any potential claims you may have. (727) 451-6900