A Concertina Collision is defined as ‘a collision in which vehicle after vehicle hits the one ahead in a sequence of events, triggered by the first car crash‘. Basically, to summarise a concertina collision is an accident involving 3 more or cars, with the first car bumping into the second and forcing it into the one in front, and so on, with a domino type effect. The collisions often happen very quickly and those driving towards the accident are often unable to slow down in time to avoid further collisions.
Concertina collisions are common in heavy traffic, with someone causing an accident at the back of the traffic, which radiates down the line of traffic. Obviously, if a concertina collision occurred on a motorway, it could be much more serious, as drivers would be unable to stop due to the high speed they were driving at.
Common injuries arising from Concertina Collisions are whiplash and back injuries – which can often be made worse if there are several impacts.
If you have been injured in a Concertina collision, and it wasn’t your fault, you may be able to claim for whiplash compensation. You can even claim compensation if it wasn’t directly your vehicle that was collided with. If you were simply in the middle and were shunted along, you may be entitled to claim compensation from the back driver that caused the concertina even though you were hit by another innocent vehicle.
Sometimes when two or more vehicles are involved in the collision, it can be harder to prove liability. It would need to be investigated whether it was the driver who caused the collisions fault, or the fault of the drivers who failed to slow down. In that scenario, it may be likely that liability is proportioned 50/50, as no driver would be wholly blameless or wholly responsible.
When assessing compensation, it would be important to find out whether your vehicle has been in a collision or has been shunted. It would also be helpful to support your claim with photographs of both your injury and vehicle. If you think you have a potential claim, give us a call on 0800 634 75 75 for further advice.
