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Dec 31, 2019 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

For many first-time plaintiffs, the prospect of car accident litigation may seem quite straightforward.  In truth, however, it may the case that the defendant-driver is not the only one responsible for the injuries at issue.  The dispute could grow in complexity due to the presence of multiple liable defendants. In Alabama, this increased complexity is associated with a significant advantage: joint and several liability.  Stated in simple terms, joint and several liability allows the plaintiff to sue and recover their damages (in full) from any of the defendants, regardless of their specific level of fault. For example, suppose that you are injured in a car accident and the court finds that the defendant-driver is 50 percent at-fault, and that the city government is 50 percent at-fault (for failing to properly maintain the traffic lights).  You would be entitled to recover all 100 percent of your damages from either party, which can be extremely beneficial in situations where one or more of the defendants lack adequate insurance coverage. Plaintiffs often do not realize that there are a number of potential defendants they could hold responsible in a car accident lawsuit.  Consider the following. Drivers in Tuscaloosa and Elsewhere in Alabama Drivers are the obvious defendants in a car accident lawsuit, and for good reason.  It’s worth noting that multiple drivers could be responsible for your injuries, however.  In multi-car pileup scenarios, there could be several negligent drivers whose actions contributed substantially to the suffered harm.  Splitting liability among multiple drivers is […]