# What if more than one person caused my injury? Canonical: https://californiapersonalinjurylaws.com/guides/more-than-one-person/ Reviewed by Andrew (Andy) R. Gillin; publisher reported approval on 2026-11-04. Original review date was not supplied. ## Short answer More than one person can share fault. More than one business can too. How they split the payment depends on the kind of loss and the law. ## Hypothetical example Two drivers make unsafe moves. Both moves help cause one crash. ## How the rule works Civil Code § 1431.2 generally makes each defendant’s noneconomic damages responsibility depend on that defendant’s percentage of fault in covered cases. It does not make every type of damage several. ## What can change the answer Bills and pain may follow different payment rules. Each party’s share of fault matters for some losses. Policy limits can also affect what you collect. ## A useful next step Keep the names of all parties involved. Save proof of what each one did. ## Court decisions behind this answer ### American Motorcycle Assn. v. Superior Court (1978) 20 Cal.3d 578, pp. 583–584, 598. The court let people who shared blame seek a fair split of the loss from one another. Limit: Later laws changed some of these rules. Do not use this case alone to divide damages for pain or other nonfinancial harm. Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/3d/20/578.html ### DaFonte v. Up-Right, Inc. (1992) 2 Cal.4th 593, pp. 600–604. Each defendant’s share of noneconomic harm was tied to its share of fault. That type of harm includes pain. Limit: Financial losses follow different rules. The case also involved an employer that could not be sued for the same harm. Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/4th/2/593.html ## Sources - [Civil Code § 1431.2 — Noneconomic damages and fault](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1431.2.) - [CACI No. 400–401 — Negligence and the standard of care (2026 edition)](https://courts.ca.gov/system/files/file/judicial_council_of_california_civil_jury_instructions_2026.pdf) - [American Motorcycle Assn. v. Superior Court (1978) 20 Cal.3d 578](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/3d/20/578.html) - [DaFonte v. Up-Right, Inc. (1992) 2 Cal.4th 593](https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/4th/2/593.html) General information, not legal advice.