Law Applicable to Chain Reaction Car Accidents Reviewed

In the motor vehicle accident case of Jaurez v. Friess, No. 13-145 (W.D. Pa. Feb. 3, 2016 Conti, J.), the West District Federal Court denied summary judgment in a chain reaction motor vehicle accident case. 

In so ruling, the court reviewed the law pertaining to joint tortfeasors as well as the law of causation. 

Applying the law to the case before it, the court in Jaurez stated that, in a multi-vehicle collision, liability can still potentially be found on all involved, including with respect to vehicles that did not collide with each other under their own power, but rather, were pushed into one another.   Stated otherwise, the court ruled that it cannot be said, as a matter of law, that just because two vehicles did not collide with one another under their own power, that those operators were not liable.  The court noted that the causal negligence of those operators may be inferred from those motorists bringing their vehicles too close to one after which a third party to smash them together.  

Based upon these issues presented by the facts before the court, summary judgment in favor of certain defendants was denied.

Anyone wishing to review a copy of this decision may click this LINK


I send thanks to Attorney James M. Beck of the Philadelphia office of Reed Smith Law Firm.   Please be sure to check out Attorney Beck’s excellent blog, the Drug and Device Law Blog (Click HERE to check out Attorney Beck's blog).