Contributory vs Comparative Negligence – How They Can Impact Your Car Accident Case

Here’s a short guide to help you understand the comparative and contributory negligence systems.

When you’re the victim of a car accident, you most likely will want to seek compensation from the at-fault driver to cover your medical bills, pay for damages, or even account for lost wages if you are unable to work at this time.

However, the state in which you file the claim or the lawsuit can have a lot to say about the outcome. If you’re in this situation, you will benefit greatly by reaching out to an experienced St. Louis car accident lawyer for further assistance.

Here’s a short guide to help you understand the comparative and contributory negligence systems.

Proving Negligence and Fault

In an accident, one party is typically held responsible for the collision, which essentially means you are trying to show another driver was negligent and cause the incident. For instance, if the other driver was using their smartphone, they may be held liable for the accident.

However, in some cases matters aren’t that straightforward. Sometimes, more parties are to blame for the collision, and when that happens, the comparative and contributory systems intervene.

What Is Contributory Negligence?

According to this system, if a driver was negligent and contributed to the accident, then that driver cannot hold a different party involved in the collision as responsible. In states that follow this rule, even if you are only partly to blame for the accident, you cannot recover any compensation from other parties.

What Is Comparative Negligence?

This system is not as strict as the previous one. Essentially, each party is assigned a certain percentage of blame for the incident. There are two categories for this system:

1. Pure Comparative Fault

Each party can recover damages equal to the amount of fault of the other party. If you are found 10% to blame for the crash, you can get up to 90% in damages. However, it also means the party with more responsibility can sue you as well, even if they’ll only be allowed 10% of the total amount.

2. Modified Comparative

With this system, which is also the one used in the state of Missouri, you can collect damages from the other party as long as your own negligence was found under 50%. In these states, the party found mostly responsible cannot collect any damages from the other parties involved.

However, even if you live in Missouri, there is still a chance you’ll have to face a different negligence system. For instance, if the accident took place in a different state that follows another type of negligence system, then you’ll likely have to follow the laws in the state where the collision occurred, and the one in Missouri.