Multi-Car Collisions: Why Determining Fault Can Be a Legal Puzzle

You might imagine the answer to that question is fairly simple. In a typical rear-end crash, the driver in back is almost always found liable for the collision. That’s because Michigan state law says that all drivers must maintain a safe following distance and move at an appropriate speed to prevent running into the rear-end of the vehicle they’re traveling behind.

But what about those terrifying domino-effect, multi-car, chain-reaction crashes (like this one that recently took place on I-275 or the dramatic January accident on I-94 involving 10 cars and six tractor-trailers)? Can multiple drivers be found liable for these kinds of accidents? And how does Michigan’s no-fault insurance law play a role in situations like this one?

Let’s take a few minutes to explain why chain reactions can happen, what the law says about these types of crashes, and what you can expect to take place if you become injured in a multi-car incident.

What are some causes of chain-reaction crashes?

One of the primary reasons we see cars becoming involved in multi-vehicle crashes is tailgating. Going back to your basic driver’s education classes, you should maintain at least a car-length of distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you for every 10 miles per hour you’re traveling. In other words, if you’re going 60 miles per hour, there should be at least six car-lengths of space left behind the car directly in front of you, something few drivers seem to observe. Since an average car is about 15 feet long, that means a minimum of 90 feet are needed to be able to stop safely if both vehicles are coming to a red light (or slamming on their brakes for a deer or pedestrian in the road).

Another major contributor is distracted driving, commonly caused these days by texting while behind the wheel. Consider this: during a mere five-second distraction at highway speed (let’s say while driving at a conservative 60 mph) your car will travel far more than the length of a football field – 440 feet! If you’re going 70, that number balloons to 513 feet! Experts note that the average stopping distance of a car going that speed is 348 feet, which means being distracted for just a second or two could mean the difference between avoiding a crash… or dying in one.

Of course, such irresponsible actions as drunk or drugged-driving also cause many major accidents. In 2023 (the most recent year for which we have complete statistics) there were nearly 9,000 crashes statewide involving drunk drivers, and more than 2,200 where drivers were found to have been using drugs Slowed reaction times in drunk and drugged drivers may be significant contributors to multi-car collisions.

Bad weather can play a role in multi-vehicle accidents as well. The frightening incident we mentioned above, where 16 vehicles of various types were involved in a crash on I-94, took place during a major snowstorm in January. But it hasn’t been the only one this year. The day before, a chain-reaction crash in a snowstorm north of Grand Rapids shut down I-96 for hours.

Irresponsible drivers create their fair share of destruction, too, as this dramatic “caught-on-video” incident, in which an unknown driver slammed into five parked cars in Dearborn Heights, demonstrates. One family had three vehicles impacted by the crash, but fortunately no one was injured.

Who bears the blame in a multi-car collision?

In most collisions, even in seemingly typical rear-end crashes, it can be complicated to determine fault. And you might imagine that in a no-fault state like Michigan, doing so is not really important. But nothing could be further from the truth! That’s because if you suffer a serious impairment of body function or permanent serious disfigurement due to someone else’s negligent behavior or irresponsible driving, you have the right to sue for damages including medical costs, lost wages, loss of companionship, wrongful death, and many more losses. Furthermore, Michigan uses “comparative negligence” to determine the final disbursement of settlement funds. For example, if you are found to have contributed 25 percent to the cause of an accident, but another driver is assigned 75 percent of the blame, any legal settlement you receive will be reduced by the 25 percent of blame determined to be your responsibility.

Additionally, Michigan applies the “51-percent rule” which states that if one driver is found to be 51 percent or more responsible for a crash, injured parties have the right to sue to collect damages from that driver and/or their insurance company.

But when more than two cars are involved, assessing the level of blame can become quite challenging. Is the second car in a chain-reaction crash responsible for damage to the first car? Or is the third car to blame for injuries experienced by both the people in the second car and in the first car… or just those in the second car? What if there are six vehicles in the crash… or 16? As you can see, determining blame in these types of circumstances can become a job that demands insights from expert witnesses including crash analysts, traffic crash reconstructionists, medical professionals, highway engineers, or maybe even physicists! For more details about how blame is assessed in these types of accidents, check out this article on the topic, which also outlines the way Michigan law requires settlement funds to be distributed in situations where multiple defendants are to blame for an innocent victim’s injuries.

What should you do if you’re hurt in a multi-car crash?

Because of all this complexity, it goes without saying – but we’re saying it here! – that if you’ve been injured in a chain-reaction crash you’ll want to have a dedicated team of experienced personal injury attorneys on your side to be sure any and all of the guilty parties who caused your pain and suffering bear the full weight of responsibility for their negligence. As you can probably imagine, we stand ready to bring all the strength of our legal knowhow to bear for you if you’ve been injured through no fault of your own in any kind of accident – on the road, at work, in a shopping center, at school, wherever you happen to be when it takes place. To get us working on your side… and to start the process of ascribing blame to those who deserve it… call us at 855-MIKE-WINS (855-645-3946) right away. The sooner we can start gathering evidence and assembling a case, the better your chances of being fairly compensated.