DTWNews

A police chase resulted in a four-car pile up last Wednesday in Clawson. After allegedly stealing items from a local Meijer grocery store, a woman attempted to flee the scene in her black Crown Victoria. While being chased by police, the woman ran a red light and crashed into a SUV at the intersection of Crooks Road and Meijer Drive. Two other cars attempting to stop were also involved in the accident. The woman suffered severe injuries and was taken to the hospital after rescue crews removed her from her vehicle.

After the smoke clears and injuries are tended to following a car crash, the difficult process of figuring out whose insurance is responsible for covering repairs begins. The last thing you want to worry about after getting in a car accident is how much repairs are going to cost for your vehicle. Payment for repairs after a crash is complicated when there is another vehicle involved in the accident, and determining who is responsible is often a gray area.

It is always recommended to contact the police in the event of a car accident, especially when more than one vehicle is involved, as they are usually able to determine whose insurance is responsible for paying to fix damage resulting from a crash. Even though it may seem obvious who is at fault, evidence is needed to prove negligence on someone’s part in order for insurance companies to accept the claim .

Even if police are able to determine responsibility, there are still times when the other party involved in the crash may not be liable for paying for repairs. What are some of the reasons?

One of the top reasons a driver involved in a car crash might be relieved of responsibilities is if they suffered from a sudden medical emergency while driving. This could include a heart attack, stroke or seizure, among other things. This is not to say that their liability will automatically be dismissed. If the driver suffers from an ongoing medical condition and shouldn’t have been driving in the first place, this would be solid proof of negligence.

Another circumstance in which it can be difficult to prove negligence is when the other vehicle involved is an emergency vehicle. There are higher standards for proving negligence in these cases, and many lawyers won’t even take these cases.

If a car hits you as the result of being hit by another car, odds are they will not be responsible for damages. Say the car that hit you was hit by a driver who flees the scene. Unless someone was able to obtain solid evidence that the driver who fled caused the accident, they won’t be held liable.

Car collision insurance claims are undoubtedly a tricky matter, and many times you can get stuck with the bill even if the other driver seemed to be at fault. The best thing to do is contact your local law enforcement office and file a police report.