A car accident is a traumatic experience. In its aftermath, you may cycle through a number of conflicting emotions: terror, disbelief, helplessness, anger, bewilderment. Most of us also feel a strong desire to rush through the follow up so that we can just be done with the whole experience and get back to our lives. However, the reality is that an accident that is over in an instant can take months, years, or even a lifetime to resolve. Once the adrenaline fades, you may become aware of physical discomfort and pain: conditions that could become chronic. Emotional trauma from the car accident can take weeks to reveal itself and even longer to diagnose and begin to treat. Even when the other driver is clearly at fault, insurance claims often take months to process. This is why, in the minutes, hours, and days after a car accident, you need to remind yourself to slow down and take your time. That extra minute you spend writing down the name of a witness or photographing the scene of the accident may save you months of waiting time—and may prove the crucial detail in court should you decide to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Car Accident Causes
Last year in Alabama
* Defective car – Design flaws by manufacturers can result in serious or even fatal car accidents, even for alert and experienced drivers. Some automotive vehicles carry increased risk of rollover, and faulty brakes, defective tires, and steering and suspension failures can all lead to accidents. While these flaws are often caught by vehicle recalls, some vehicle owners may not have been informed, the recall may not have been issued prior to the accident, or the manufacturer may be negligent in protecting its customers.
* Defective roadway – Many car accidents are caused in part by poor roadway design or maintenance: visibility issues due to ill-considered placement of hazards such as intersections and pedestrian crossings; damaged roads that are not fixed in a timely fashion or are unmarked; malfunctioning traffic lights; or faded road signs.
* Driver distraction – With so many Americans spending so much time on the road, more and more drivers slip into “automatic pilot” mode and take precious extra seconds to react to dangerous events happening in front of them. Making matters even worse, over 82 % of Americans own cell phones and many of those users talk and even text while driving. State and local governments are stepping up by passing laws that require hands-free headsets, but cell phone use is still a major contributor to accidents, particularly for teenage drivers. Because car accidents can occur in an instant, any one of these distractions can lead to serious or even fatal consequences.
* Driver impairment – Drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol are the two most obvious impairments in this category. However, driver fatigue, age, and road rage can be equally dangerous. While there are strict penalties for drivers under the influence, when it comes to fatigue, age, and rage issues, the law enters a gray area that becomes difficult to navigate except for the most experienced car accident lawyer.
* Hazardous weather – Wind, fog, rain, and snow reduce visibility, make the roads slick or more difficult to control vehicles on, or create standing pools of water, which can cause hydroplaning. Given the choice, many drivers would choose to stay off the roads during hazardous weather conditions, but most of us do not have that luxury. While the majority take extra caution in these types of conditions, it only takes one reckless driver to turn inclement weather into a bad car accident.
* Speed –Traffic engineers determine the maximum permissible speeds for our roadways, and those limits are enforced for one reason only: to protect citizens. Speeding in residential areas, even by as little as 5 miles per hour, can be just as dangerous as driving 100 miles per hour on an open road. The bottom line is that excessive speed not only increases the chance of being involved in a car accident, but also of being seriously injured. The flip side of the coin is that people who drive too slowly can also cause a hazardous condition, potentially leading to car accidents.
Car Accident Injury Claims
Negligence that contributes to an auto accident and leads to you or your loved one becoming a victim may be grounds for a lawsuit. If you or a loved one is in a serious car accident, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention, even if you feel fine in immediately afterward. Some injuries can take days or even weeks to surface, and your primary care physician, not you, is best equipped to determine whether you’ve suffered any harm. The next step is to contact a lawyer with car accident experience. If you call your insurance agency or that of the negligent party without speaking with a car accident lawyer first, you may cheat yourself out of compensation that you deserve. Not every accident is grounds for a lawsuit, but experienced attorneys who know the law can help walk you through the process to recover expenses such as vehicle repairs, medical bills, lost wages, and more.
In our over 25 years of experience, we here at Taylor Martino have helped countless car accident victims who were injured by someone else’s negligence win the compensation that they were entitled to. If you or a loved one has been injured in an car accident in the Mobile , Alabama
This Car Accidents Information Center
