Getting involved in a car accident can lead to serious injury, if not death. Many times, the person who caused the accident will walk away either with very minor injuries or with none, while you are hurt and end up in the hospital emergency room with some pretty severe injuries. Car accidents are the majority of personal injury claims in America. In 2012, over 5.6 million car accidents were reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The laws that govern car crashes are the laws that deal with negligence. You have a general expectation that other drivers will behave reasonably on the road and will drive defensively. This doesn’t always happen. The person who caused the accident will need to pay you for your lost wages if you missed work, medical bills and rehabilitation that can take months. This doesn’t even cover the cost of your vehicle, which needs to be replaced or repaired.
You may get a call from the responsible person’s insurance agent and this person will attempt to settle with you out of court. They may want you to sign an agreement that you won’t sue. Calling in a legal professional at this time can make a big difference in the outcome of your case.
Did the person disobey a traffic sign or signal? Did he or she fail to signal when turning? Was he or she going too fast? Did he or she show a disregard for the weather patterns that day? Was alcohol involved? These are all questions that your attorney will ask the police and this is the basis for your court case. If the person who caused the accident showed that he or she was driving recklessly or was distracted, these are all reasons for the accident that can be brought up in court when the case is tried.
Source: FindLaw, “Car accident basics,” accessed Dec. 22, 2015
