Can I Recover a Monetary Settlement for Pain and Suffering After a “Minor” Car Accident?
People who are injured in a car accident because of the negligence of another driver usually make an insurance claim or file an injury lawsuit seeking a financial settlement. The goal is to recover damages for both out-of-pocket expenses such as the cost of medical treatment and car repair or replacement as well as pain and suffering. Yes, even people injured in fairly minor crashes will typically have a pain and suffering component to their financial settlement. “Pain and suffering” is the physical and emotional pain or stress connected to the accident and the injuries caused by the accident. Even in serious collisions, proving pain and suffering and coming up with appropriate compensation can be a challenge but it is even more difficult for accidents that are considered minor.
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Why Do Women Have a Higher Car Accident Risk Injury Rate?
Data shared by IIHS shows that while men are much more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than women, women have a higher chance of being seriously injured or killed in crashes of equal severity.
If you or a loved one was seriously injured in a car crash because of the negligence of another driver, contact a local car accident lawyer to discuss your legal rights.
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Wrong-Way Driver Causes Head-On Car Crash on I5 Everett
About 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 11, a wrong-way driver crashed into another vehicle on northbound I-5 in a wrong-way highway crash that left both drivers injured. The driver, who suffered serious injuries in the head-on crash, may have had a medical issue before the collision. According to Washington State Patrol and reported by HeraldNet, the accident occurred just south of the exit to Broadway and 41st Street. The driver knocked over some signs as she entered the on-ramp then drove less than a mile before crashing into another vehicle who was driving in the correct direction. The driver in the other vehicle suffered minor injuries.
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Avoid Flooded Roadways Because Of Increased Risk of Car Accidents
In Whatcom County, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on reports of flooding in certain areas from mid-fall through mid-spring. This is because when it rains a lot, rivers, creeks and ponds can overflow onto the roadways. Drivers should avoid any flooded roads if at all possible because driving through a flooded area impacts the operation of your vehicle and increases your risk of being in a car accident.
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How to Drive Safely on an Icy Hill
The USDOT Federal Highway Administration data shows an average of 536,731 icy road accidents every year. Out of these accidents, about 1,836 people die and 136,309 more are injured. NOAA records accident fatalities for a range of weather-related accidents such as flood, wind and cold but not for icy roads. If they did, they would find that the average icy road fatality count is 3.6 times the total deaths from all other weather hazards combined (507 combined deaths over a 10-year average compared to 1,836 for ice alone). See chart at icyroadsafety.com.
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What You Should Know about Drugged Driving Accidents
To drive safely, drivers must be fully alert and focused. Thousands of unnecessary collisions happen every year because drivers get behind the wheel while they are impaired with drugs or alcohol. A drugged driving accident is when a crash occurs because the driver was impaired from the effects of recent drug use. After alcohol, marijuana is the most commonly found substance in drivers’ blood after they are involved in a crash. The bottom line is that drugged driving endangers the driver, their passengers, and other vehicles and pedestrians on the road.
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Bellingham Woman Involved in Fatal Highway Crash in Skagit County
As reported by kgmi.com, a Bellingham woman named Sonja Bratz was involved in a fatal highway crash in Skagit County on the evening of Friday, December 18. According to state troopers, Bratz was driving southbound on State Route 20 when she crossed over the center line and struck a vehicle driven by an Anacortes woman. Bratz died at the scene of the accident and the driver of the other vehicle was airlifted to Harborview. At this time, it is unknown if alcohol or drugs were involved; the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
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December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
Since 1981, every president of the United States has proclaimed December as National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month or, more recently, National Impaired Driving Prevention Month to create awareness about the dangers of driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol. December is chosen for the simple reason that the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day have consistently higher rates of drug and alcohol related crashes. December, 2020 was declared National Impaired Driving Prevention Month by President Trump.
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How Does Speed Affect Car Accidents?
Speeding is a danger to everyone on the road from the driver themselves, to other drivers, passengers and pedestrians. The fact is that speeding increases the chance of getting into a car accident and increases the likelihood that the accident will be deadly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding was the leading cause of death for 9,738 people in 2018. According to crash stats from the NHTSA, speeding has been a factor in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle accident fatalities for more than two decades.
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Bellingham Police Vehicle Totaled in Crash Caused by Suspected Drunk Driver
As reported by skagitbreaking.com, a Bellingham Police Department (BPD) Crime Scene Investigators vehicle was totaled early on December 5, 2020 – around 2 o’clock in the morning at the intersection of Barkley and Orleans Street. The collision was caused by a suspected drunk driver: an 18-year old male who was driving a pick-up truck. The violent crash was immediately preceded by running a red light while driving over the speed limit. Upon impact, the BPD truck was sent spinning 180 degrees from the path it had been travelling. The at-fault driver’s truck was also totaled in the accident.