Imagine this scenario. You and your friends or family members are driving around town, and unfortunately your car is involved in a car accident. All of you get injured, and now you have lost wages, medical bills, and lots of other damages to deal with. Like any other car accident victim, all of you need to seek compensation for damages suffered.
You know very well that you need to hire experienced car accident attorneys to help you fight for your rights, but now you are wondering if you can hire one lawyer to represent all of you.
Well, the scenario is complicated and cannot be addressed as easily as most of us think. The truth is that one car accident attorney can represent multiple claims from the same car accident as long as it doesn’t create a conflict of interest.
This blog post discusses everything you need to know about hiring one lawyer to represent multiple claims from the same car accident.
Read on to find out if you can hire one lawyer for your claims or will need multiple car accident attorneys.
Can One Attorney Represent Two People From the Same Car Accident?
The simple answer is “yes.” One car accident attorney can represent multiple victims from the same accident if they assess the situation and concludes that there is no conflict of interest whatsoever.
For instance, if you were a passenger in the car, your case will most likely depend on proving that the car driver was negligent, leading to the accident.
In such a case, the parties involved in the accident will need to hire different car accident attorneys because one attorney can’t represent both you and the negligent driver without running into a conflict of interest.
Conflict of Interest in Car Accident Cases: How Does This Affect Car Accident Lawyers?
In legal terms, a conflict of interest usually happens when an attorney represents one client, but that representation could easily harm the interests of another client in the same case.
In most cases, it happens in an auto accident where either the passenger or driver had partial fault for injuries sustained.
Another scenario where this could happen is when there isn’t enough money available to compensate both you and the passengers involved in the accident.
For instance, if the car that caused the accident had two passengers in it who were also injured and only $50,000 was available to compensate all parties involved, then one attorney can be forced into a situation where they must rob one party to pay the other.
A Simple Illustration of Conflict of Interest for Car accident Lawyers
Let us assume person M is driving down the road carrying persons N, O, and P as passengers in the car. As M drives through an intersection, they are involved in an accident with another car driven by person Q.
Driver M claims that driver Q ran the red light while Q claims M ran the red light. It means that with no independent and verifiable witnesses and/or video, it can be almost impossible to know who is telling the truth.
Therefore if one attorney represents M, N, O, and P against Q for injuries, they will potentially have a big conflict of interest on their hands.
This is because passengers N, O, and P have a valid claim against driver Q for injuries suffered and may also have a valid claim against driver M if a jury rules that driver M was partially responsible for the crash.
In such a case, one attorney cannot represent M for a claim against Q while representing N, O, and P for a claim against M.
In simple terms, the attorney can’t represent a party and file a claim against the same party in the same accident. In such a case, the parties involved in the accident will have to hire different car accident attorneys.
Now, let us change the facts a little bit and see how one attorney can represent all the parties involved.
Let us assume M, N, O, and P are driving down the road, and driver Q makes an illegal left turn in front of M, N, O, and P causing a futile accident. Driver Q’s insurance company accepts full responsibility for the car accident and is ready to pay.
Assuming driver Q carries a big policy that can comfortably cover all the injuries and other damages suffered, then one attorney can ethically represent M, N, O, and P in the case since none of them may have a claim against each other and the driver Q has a large enough insurance policy to cover all the claims.
Passengers vs Drivers
It is almost impossible for one driver to be 100% responsible for a car accident. In most cases, you will find out that each driver did something wrong that contributed to the accident.
For instance, it may be that driver 1 was driving while distracted while driver 2 was driving drunk or failing to keep a reasonable distance between them and the next car.
Even when a motorist is only partially responsible for an accident, their passengers can still access their auto insurance policy and claim compensation for injuries suffered.
Since drivers and passengers always have different goals, they will most likely need different car accident attorneys to fight for their rights.
Accessing the Same Pot of Money
It is critical to understand that auto insurance companies can only pay up to specific policy limits of the insured. Therefore, you may not want to share the same auto accident attorney with the other occupants in the car just in case the at-fault driver is underinsured.
Typically, you deserve the largest cut of the compensation money if you suffered the most severe injuries. So, hiring your own car accident attorney will play a significant role in ensuring you get fair compensation for your injuries.
Contact Legal Giant Today to Hire an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer!
At Legal Giant, we help car accident victims seek the right compensation they deserve. We have a team of experienced car accident attorneys who will assess your case carefully and advise you on the best course of action to take.
We have helped our past clients recover millions of dollars in compensation, and we are here to help you too.
So, if you or your loved one has been involved in a car accident, feel free to talk to us today. We don’t charge for initial consultations and work on a contingency fee basis. You owe us nothing unless we recover compensation!
