AUTO ACCIDENT LAWYER
An Auto Accident Lawyer is a Personal Injury attorney who after a car accident must investigate every possible contributing cause of the auto accident to ensure that you will receive a fair personal injury settlement for your injuries. Evaluating all of the facts involved in the cause of a car accident requires skill and experience. An Auto Accident lawsuit is generally decided using the law of negligence. A person who negligently operates a vehicle may be required to pay any damages caused by their negligence, either to person or property. Generally, people who operate automobiles must exercise "reasonable care under the circumstances." Failure to use reasonable care is the basis in most lawsuits for damages caused by a car accident, and your auto accident lawyer will assist you in bringing your claim.
An auto accident lawyer should be familiar with the laws relating to car accidents in your state. Every year millions of people are injured in auto accidents - many very seriously. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, every 10 seconds someone in the United States is involved in a car accident. In 2000, there were an estimated 6,279,000 police reported traffic crashes, in which 41,611 people were killed and 3,236,000 people were injured. Without question, auto accidents are a leading cause of serious personal injury. Other startling facts are as follows:
- Car crash is the leading cause of personal injury death in the United States for people ages 1-34.
- Motor vehicle accidents took the lives of 5,606 teenagers and 2,027 children in 2000. Older adults, as a group, are also at higher risk of dying from a car crash.
- In the United States, 5,220 pedestrians died from traffic-related injuries and another 69,000 pedestrians sustained non-fatal injuries in 2000.
- In 2000, 38% of traffic fatalities were alcohol related; either the driver or an affected person (e.g., a pedestrian or a bicyclist) had a blood alcohol concentration of at least 0.10 gram per deciliter (g/dl).
Courts look to a number of factors in determining whether a driver was negligent. Some examples of these factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Driving too fast or too slow
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Failing to signal while turning
- Disregarding weather or traffic conditions
- Disobeying traffic signs or signals
- Failing to drive on the right side of the road
A driver may also be liable for a car accident caused by intentional or reckless conduct. A driver who is reckless is one who drives unsafely, with willful and wanton disregard for the probability that the driving may cause an auto accident.
An Auto Accident Lawyer will examine whether a car accident was caused by factors unrelated to the conduct of any particular driver. For example, under the law of product liability, an automobile manufacturer or supplier may be responsible for injury caused by a defect in the automobile, such as a defective seatbelt. A products liability suit is a lawsuit brought against the seller of a product for selling a defective product that caused physical injury to a consumer or user. If a manufacturer of a product creates a defective product - either in developing, designing or labeling the product - the manufacturer is liable for any injures the product causes, regardless of whether or not the manufacturer was negligent. This is the basis by which an auto accident lawyer brings lawsuits for sport utility rollovers, defective tire, and highway safety claims resulting from a car accident.
In another example, if a mechanic fails to properly repair a vehicle, and the failure causes an accident, the person who improperly repaired the automobile, and his repair shop, may be liable for injuries sustained. Other factors such as poorly maintained roads and malfunctioning traffic control signals can contribute to the cause. Improper design, maintenance, construction, signage, lighting or other highway defect, as well as improper striping on the road's passing lanes, a sharp obstruction or problem with the roadway that obstructs drivers' vision, or poorly placed trees and utility poles can also cause serious accidents. Finally, if an auto accident is caused by a drunk driver, a bar or social host may be liable for damages sustained if they served an obviously intoxicated guest, who then drives and causes an auto accident.
In all automobile accident cases it is essential that a personal injury car accident attorney takes measures to promptly preserve evidence, investigate the auto accident in question, and to enable physicians or other expert witnesses to thoroughly evaluate any personal injury. Don't delay! You may have a valid claim and be entitled to compensation for your injuries, but a car accident lawsuit must be filed before the statute of limitations expires.
An Auto Accident Lawyer will provide a Free Consultation, work on a contingency fee, and accept No Fee Until We Recover Money for you by injury settlement or by winning your case.
INJURYFIRMS.COM: CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY |
