Car accidents occur every hour of the day and are amongst the top causes of personal injuries. The parties responsible for these accidents are liable for damages, whether of property or personal body injuries. A fair insurance payout should adequately cater for these damages, but often, it’s rarely fairly awarded.
Car accident attorneys can help you get total compensation for damages suffered as a result of the accidents. From truck, uber, and lift accidents to any other motor vehicle accidents. Whether it’s a hit and run, drunk driver, rollover, rear or frontal collision or a multi-vehicle accident, having an attorney ensures you get the proper compensation.
Here are common types of car accidents that an attorney can help with.
Accidents From Automotive Defects
Automotive defects can cause accidents or contribute to making them worse than they could have been, causing more severe damage. Defects can stem from a faulty design or during the manufacturing process. Vehicle and part manufacturers can have strict liability for injuries incurred due to defective vehicles or parts. Some common types of car accidents from automotive defects include faulty accelerator pedals, brakes or tires.
Other times, design defects can cause vehicles to become unsafe to drive. Even low-impact accidents quickly turn into catastrophic tragedies from defects like an airbag failing to deploy, seatbelt failure or a defect in design that places the electrical wiring dangerously close to the car’s fuel line.
Getting compensation for such accidents requires you to go up against large car manufacturers that already have a dedicated team of attorneys. Hiring an experienced attorney to claim on your behalf ensures that they prove the company’s negligence in ensuring product safety and its direct relation to your accident.
Accidents From Negligent Driving
Negligent driving is the leading cause of car accidents. The negligence may be through running past red lights and stop signs, speeding, drunk driving, drunk driving, reckless or aggressive driving, and distracted driving.
Some common types of car accidents from negligent driving include:
- Head on collisions
- Rear-end collisions
- T-bone collisions
- Hit-and-run accidents
These accidents often result in severe injuries for the parties involved. Victims of trailer and tractor accidents, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians struck by negligent drivers suffer the worst and usually have high fatality rates.
After such a car accident, the negligent driver and their insurance company are liable for the victim’s injury and the total amount of current and future medical bills, lost income and earning capacity, emotional distress, and pain and suffering. However, when recovering compensation, the burden of proof lies on the injured victim. You can check more on the carinsurancecheap.net.
It’s essential to have an attorney represent you because the insurance company’s lawyers will do all they can to dispute the facts of the case. They’ll also try to shift the blame to the injured driver or victim for contributing to causing the accident.
An attorney will offer solid and aggressive representation to negotiate a fair settlement or fight for your full compensation.
Accidents Caused By Defective Roads
When a road is improperly maintained or defectively designed, the state, county or whichever level of government is responsible may be liable for an accident. Common types of car accidents caused by defective roads result from inadequate shoulders and signage, steep inclines, blind curves, potholes and malfunctioning signal lights, among others. Sometimes defective roadways and intersections are a result of poor design.
A personal injury claim based on defective roads is filed against the responsible governmental agency. Such a claim is tackled differently from the common negligence claim. For instance, your time limit to notify the responsible government agency about the claim is very limited.
If you suspect your car accident resulted from defective roads, contact a car accident attorney within the shortest time possible after the accident to preserve your right to compensation.
Why You Should Contact An Attorney After an Car Accident
After an accident, the insurance companies involved will investigate to determine who is liable. They will then offer compensation to cover your expenses as a victim. Note that insurance companies are profit-making entities. Their goal is to collect cash through insurance premiums, and their profit margins are increased by minimizing how much they pay in settlements.
When offered a settlement by an insurance company, the amount rarely ever represents the accurate value of compensation you deserve. An experienced car accident attorney gets victims compensated for their:
- Lost income
- Loss of earning capacity or reduced future earnings
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Past, ongoing, and prospective medical bills
- Emotional distress
- And many more
Insurance companies tend to offer compensation for property damage and medical bills that have already been incurred. In other cases, they may also include a settlement for lost wages which only comprises the wages lost to date.
However, the party at fault is responsible for much more. You should be compensated for future lost wages and any loss of earnings if the injuries have affected your ability to earn income. Some damages like emotional distress and pain and suffering should also be compensated.
The specific damages and compensation due depend on many factors surrounding the accident and the laws in your jurisdiction. By hiring a car accident attorney to pursue your compensation, you increase your ability to fight for the full length of compensation you deserve for your injuries.
In Conclusion
Even the most straightforward accidents can get complex when seeking compensation. Regardless of how fair the offers presented by the parties at fault may appear, it is always in a victim’s best interest to consult a car accident attorney. The sooner you speak to an attorney, the easier building your claim becomes.
Refrain from admitting fault or accepting any form of compensation before speaking to an attorney, as this could affect your ability to claim in the future. While not all accidents are from blatant negligence, they still lead to costly damages and medical bills for the victims. Personal injury laws are there to protect you. Seek legal redress.