ELYSIAN VALLEY, LOS ANGELES – A violent three-car collision in the Elysian Valley neighborhood left one person dead and four others hospitalized with injuries.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Crystal Street. Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded to the scene to find a wreck involving three vehicles, with at least one person trapped inside. According to an initial report from CBS News Los Angeles, firefighters had to use hydraulic tools to free the trapped individual.
One person was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. Four other patients were transported to local hospitals for treatment of their injuries. The cause of the multi-vehicle crash is currently under investigation by local authorities.
Legal Analysis: Determining Fault in a Multi-Vehicle Collision
When a crash involves more than two vehicles, determining legal responsibility becomes significantly more complex. While the police investigation will focus on potential criminal charges and traffic violations, the civil liability for the victims’ injuries and losses is a separate matter that requires a detailed independent investigation.
In California, the legal principle of “pure comparative negligence” is used to assign fault. This means that each driver’s level of responsibility for the crash is assessed as a percentage. An injured party can recover damages even if they are found to be partially at fault, but their final compensation will be reduced by their percentage of fault. In a chain-reaction crash, for example, the driver who caused the first impact is often held responsible for the entire sequence of events, but a thorough investigation may reveal that other drivers share a portion of the blame, perhaps for following too closely or for making an unsafe lane change.
Proving these percentages of fault requires a swift and aggressive investigation to preserve critical evidence before it disappears. An experienced legal team will immediately work to obtain “black box” (EDR) data from all involved vehicles, secure any available surveillance or dash cam footage, and interview independent witnesses. This objective evidence is crucial for building a powerful personal injury or car accident case and ensuring that every at-fault party is held accountable. In tragic cases like this one, where a fatality has occurred, this evidence is the foundation of a wrongful death claim to provide for the victim’s surviving family.
Contact Manoukian Law for a free and confidential consultation.
