The first step to getting personal injury compensation is identifying the person responsible for the injury. In some cases, multiple parties may be liable for your damages. Below are some examples of injury claims that may involve multiple defendants.

You Are a Victim of a Multi-Car Accident

Determining liability in a multi-car or pileup accident is not easy. Expect the process to involve a lot of blame games and finger-pointing. You can easily receive a counterclaim after filing an auto accident claim. A counterclaim is a response to your claim to hold you liable for the accident.

However, there are cases where you may easily prove that you are a victim and not a liable party in a multi-car accident. For example, you are likely the victim if:

• You were a passenger in one of the cars at the accident time
• You were a pedestrian, and some of the cars knocked into you
• You drove the first car, and another car rear-ended you

In such cases, send your demand letter to all the other motorists. Their respective insurance companies, police, and court will sort out the liability issue.

Someone's Employee Causes You Injury

You may have to pursue compensation from parties if the liable party is someone's employee. In such a case, you can use vicarious liability to prove that the defendant's employer should compensate your damages. The legal principle allows you to hold an authority (such as an employer) liable for their subordinate's (such as an employee's) actions.

Apart from proving the employer-employee relationship, you should also prove that the employee was on the clock during the accident. Even if the employee wasn't strictly on the clock, you could still use vicarious liability if the employee's activities (at the accident's time) benefited the employer.

Consider an overworked truck driver who causes an accident while working overtime to meet a client deadline. The accident's victims can pursue compensation against the driver and trucking company. The trucking company is vicariously liable for their driver's actions.

You Are the Victim of a DUI Accident

Dramshop laws apply when someone serves an already intoxicated person, and the intoxicated person causes an accident. Dramshop laws primarily apply to commercial establishments. A comparable legal principle, social host liability, applies to social hosts who serve alcohol to minors or intoxicated adults.

Consider a case where an alcohol server continues to play a patron with drinks even though the patron is staggering and slurring their words. If the patron causes an accident after leaving the bar, they will be liable for the accident just like any other negligent motorist. However, dramshop laws also hold the bar liable for the crash for serving an intoxicated person alcohol.

A Defective Product Causes Your Injury

Injuries by defective products can trigger product liability claims, which tend to have multiple defendants too. The manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer can all be liable for product liability claims. The manufacturer may be liable for producing a defective product and the others for handling and selling defective products.

Consider a case where you suffer serious food poisoning after eating contaminated seafood from a top restaurant in your area. The seafood wholesaler and restaurant chain may all be liable for your injuries.

Someone Assaults You on Public Premises

Lastly, consider suing multiple parties if someone assaults or abuses you in a public place. In such a case, the premises' owner, occupier, and your attacker can all be liable for your injuries. You can file an intentional tort claim against the perpetrator and a premises liability claim against the owner or occupier.

Many people do not know how to identify defendants and prove their liability in injury cases. Unfortunately, you might not get full compensation if you don't identify all defendants. Contact Palmetto Injury Lawyers LLC to help you with the claim process so you can get the compensation you deserve.