Prince William County Rear-End Collision Lawyer

A rear-end collision in Prince William County  is when the front end of one vehicle strikes the rear end of the vehicle traveling in front of it. These cases are common, but they should still be addressed with a Prince William County rear-end collision attorney, who can work toward an appropriate settlement.

These accidents can happen in a number of different situation including: stop-and-go traffic, at a stop sign, when a light turns red unexpectedly, or when someone tries to beat the yellow light and they slam into the car ahead of them. These accidents also take place during inclement weather or when people are distracted or impaired in some way.

These cases may also occur as someone goes to the top of a hill, when there is limited visibility as they are going on a curve, or when they are coming to the bottom of a hill and their momentum carries them unexpectedly into the rear of another car.

Assigning Fault

The majority of the time, the fault will be assigned to the person behind the other car. There are some circumstances where the person in front can cause an accident, and in Virginia they only need to prove that someone was 1% at fault. If someone decides to slam on their brakes for no apparent reason, meaning that there is no traffic, no stop sign, stop light, or a yield sign, then that person could probably be found at least 1% at fault for an accident and thus liable for the accident and their injuries would not be recoverable.

Contributory Negligence

A rear-end collision is the same thing as an accident injury case and it would fall under the umbrella of an accident injury case or a personal injury case. A personal injury case means that someone’s person was injured, so if a rear-end collision caused injuries to someone’s person then that would be an accident injury case or injuries from an accident.

In terms of contributory negligence, more likely than not, the majority of these rear-end collisions do not involve the defense of contributory negligence because the person who is in the front car in this two-car collision is not at fault or they’re found 0% at fault. Often, these cars are either lawfully stopped or going with the speed of traffic, so if the person behind them is following too closely or is distracted while driving and strikes the rear end of the car ahead of them, for no good reason except they weren’t paying attention, then contributory negligence wouldn’t be a factor.

Establishing Liability

In a rear-end collision, a photograph of the vehicle at rest or a diagram of the vehicle at rest after the accident, would establish that one car rear-ended the other. A statement from any witnesses who observed the accident could also prove that the person in the rear was liable for the accident, if there is no negligence on the other driver’s part.

If there is damage to only the front of the rear car and the rear of the front car, then it is obvious to an insurance company or a judge or a jury that this occurred because of a rear-end collision between the front car and the rear car. The Prince William County rear-end collision lawyer will also be able to obtain the police report if there is one, and this can establish that it was a rear-end collision.

If it is disputed that the person in the front helped to cause the accident in some way, then a Prince William County rear-end collision lawyer can help their client prepare for deposition and also take the deposition of the person in the rear car to help establish a liability against the person in the rear car and to establish that the person in front was free from any negligent activities.

Contacting a Prince William County Rear-End Collision Lawyer

Someone in a rear end collision in Prince William County should contact a local attorney, whether or not the individual can pay their medical bills. An attorney can help them get compensation for their injuries. In a small percentage of cases, the attorney may work with the doctor to take the case on an assignment and thus will promise the doctor that whatever is paid out of the accident settlement proceeds or the verdict of the lawsuit will be used to reimburse the doctor for their treatment.

If a person is hurt and they want to pursue a case against someone else, they can proceed without an attorney and that is called being pro se, but that person will not have any experience and they will be dealing with insurance company attorneys who have a great deal of experience in these cases. A person proceeding pro se, risks not properly valuing their own case or taking the right steps to ensure that they get the full value of their case. That person might settle for something that is much lower than what their case is worth. Therefore, it is in their interest to hire a Prince William County rear-end collision attorney.