In car accidents, there are a number of questions that may arise after the fact. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence and many people are left to deal with the aftermath not knowing or understanding their rights.
One thing that may be a mystery to some victims is understanding who may be responsible for the crash and the subsequent injuries. Here are some of the ways liability works in various types of accidents that can occur on the road.
Drunk driving accidents are some of the most devastating because they can be prevented. People make the negligent choice to drive after drinking, which impairs their decision making and cognitive abilities. However, it’s not always the sole liability of the drunk driver.
When a bar, business, or host serves alcohol to a minor or visibly intoxicated person and allows them to leave and drive, the party who served the alcohol may be held accountable for the injuries sustained in a drunk driving crash.
In most cases of distracted driving accidents, the party responsible for the crash is the driver. This is because they may be looking at their phones, texting while driving, or doing other actions when they should be paying attention to the road.
However, there may be some other instances in which other individuals may be responsible. For instance, if the driver has passengers in the vehicle and they are acting recklessly, causing the driver to lose control, the passenger(s) may be considered liable.
While most car accident cases are caused by a negligent driver, there may be other situations that either take liability off of the driver or when others may have contributed to the crash. In one situation, an auto part manufacturer may be accountable if their part fails and causes a crash.