Road traffic accidents can become complicated when everyone involved denies they are at fault. Who is it that decides who was at fault after an RTA and how do you prove it wasn’t you?

Car accidents can leave you with lasting mental trauma and permanent physical disabilities. The worse the accident is, the more likely it is that those involved will shirk the blame. It’s understandable. Nobody wants to be responsible for hurting another person or destroying property.

Unfortunately, traffic accidents happen every day in Northern Ireland. Naturally, your first call should be to an expert car accident and personal injury lawyer in your area. Lacey Solicitors are on-hand to help. Let’s begin by understanding who determines fault in an accident.

 

Rear-Ended on Donegall Street: Who Decides Blame?

 

If you are injured in a car accident in Belfast, working out blame is often more complex than it first seems. This is because it is natural for everyone to deny responsibility. There is always at least one person who is to blame for an accident, however, but who is it that works out who?

 

The Judge

 

Ultimately, if everyone denies that they are at fault for the car crash, then the judge and the court system will be the ones who decide blame. There are a few steps before you get to the court system, though, which provide those seeking to claim compensation for their injuries opportunities to set the record straight.

 

The Police

 

If you have a claim for whiplash after a minor incident, you may wish to not involve the police. Otherwise, the police will be the first respondents to any accident bad enough to warrant a personal injury claim.

When they arrive on the scene, the police will assess the damages and record everything that they see and do. They will gather evidence, speak to witnesses, and make their own judgements over who is to blame.

If the at-fault party in the car accident is not obvious and the drivers all deny responsibility, then the insurance companies and the RTA solicitors can debate it out.

Police investigators can use the placement of the damage to your car to decide who was to blame, and to build an overview of the accident. For example:

• Driver’s Side Damage to One Vehicle + Front End Damage to Second Vehicle = Driver one is likely at fault. This looks like driver one pulled out onto the road from a junction without spotting driver 2, who then collided with them.
• Driver One Damage to Rear of Vehicle + Driver Two Damage to Front End = Driver two is likely at fault. It looks like driver one has been rear-ended.
• Damage to the front of both vehicles would indicate a head-on collision.

In the event of single car accidents, damage to the car and to road furniture might still help the police to determine what happened.

 

Insurance Companies

 

Your insurance company will be eager to prove you were not at fault and will gather as much evidence as it can on your behalf. Similarly, any other drivers who may be at-fault will have their insurance companies do the same thing for them.

 

Car Accident and Injury Claim Lawyers

 

You should speak to a car accident solicitor about your case as soon as you can after a car accident. Seek representation to prevent the insurance companies from taking advantage of you. Your road traffic accident solicitor is your best chance of proving you are not at-fault, or of representing you if a judge determines that you were partially to blame for the car crash, after all.

 

How to Prove Fault After a Car Accident?

 

Contact an RTA lawyer as soon as you can. Your car accident solicitor can advise you on what evidence will help prove your case. They can help you accumulate necessary paperwork and liaise with police officers and officers of the court on your behalf. They are a key tool for proving you were not to blame… or for defending your actions, should the opposite be true.