When Road Hazards Cause Car Accidents
There are many causes of car accidents, including distracted driving and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Today we’re going to talk about road hazards and how they can cause car accidents. Motorcycles, in particular, are vulnerable to road hazard accidents and must pay particular attention to road conditions but this is an important topic for all drivers.
What are road hazards? Road hazards are any object or debris, including fallen cargo, animals, construction materials or tools, loose gravel, fallen trees or electrical wires, very rough roads, uneven expansion joints, standing water, snow or ice, etc. that is on the road unexpectedly.
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Read MoreOptions for Injured Uber and Lyft Car Accident Passengers
Ridesharing apps such as Uber and Lyft have seen their fortunes grow and decline over the years. Still, thousands of Uber and Lyft rides happen every day and that means there is a risk of car accidents while riding as a passenger. A person injured as an Uber or Lyft passenger may be wondering how they can get a settlement for their injuries. Uber and Lyft drivers are not employees of the companies they drive for so would you sue them directly or the company they contract with? A car accident attorney will be able to help you determine liability, discuss your options and get the compensation you deserve.
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Read MoreDo Airbags Save Lives in Car Crashes?
Air bags are designed to provide protection for drivers and passengers in the event of a car accident alongside the use of seat belts. Frontal air bags have been standard in all passenger vehicles since 1998 and side air bags are offered as standard or optional equipment on many new passenger vehicles on the market.
Since air bags were installed in vehicles, they have saved thousands of lives in moderate to severe car crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), frontal air bags saved 50,457 lives between 1987 and 2017. In 2017 alone, they saved 2,790 lives. Air bags save lives by decreasing the chance that the head or upper body will crash against the vehicle’s interior during a crash.
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Read MoreDespite Pause in Coronavirus Phased Reopening, Puget Sound Traffic is Back
Anyone who lives in or visits the greater Seattle area knows that you’re likely to hit a traffic jam at one of several times throughout the day and sometimes, even into the night. This congestion increases the chance of getting into a car accident such as a rear-end accident, multi-vehicle accident or road-rage accident.
Read MoreCar Accidents Caused by Brake Failure
Without brakes, a vehicle cannot stop until it crashes into another vehicle or stationary object such as a curb or building. We know that modern brakes are very reliable for the most part, but brake failure is absolutely possible. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey says that two percent of all car accidents are caused by brake failure.
Read MoreWhen a Car Accident Leads to Burn Injuries
It’s every driver’s worst nightmare to have their vehicle erupt in flames. Sadly, there are 171,500 highway fires in the United States each year, according to a report on highway vehicle fires conducted between 2014-2016. Of those fires, 83 percent happened in passenger vehicles, resulting in an average of 345 deaths annually, 1,300 injuries; and $1.1 billion in property loss. And this is good! Passenger vehicle fires were much more common before car manufacturers made design changes in the 1970s and 1980s. While most car accidents do not end in a fire, those that do can lead to severe burn injuries or even death.
Read MoreLittle known Summer Driving Hazards that Lead to Car Accidents
We know that weather conditions change from season to season and that means that road conditions and other car accident risk factors change as well. Many associate snow and ice with increased risk of traffic accidents, and there is truth in the association, but what about summer driving hazards? People may be surprised to learn that according to the highway safety advocate group, We Save Lives, and a 24-year study of traffic accidents conducted by the NHTSA, there are 29 percent more deaths in the summer months as there are in the winter months. This is for a variety of known reasons, including road trips and more cyclists and motorcyclists on the road. Today we are going to talk about some of the less known reasons that car accident fatalities increase in the summer.
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Read MoreDetermining Who to Sue After a Car Accident
If you were involved in a serious car accident, you may be feeling overwhelmed with your physical recovery. But as the medical bills stack up and your lost wages accrue, your thoughts may turn to suing the at-fault party. Personal injury lawsuits seek to recover damages from the at-fault party. In some cases, however, there may be more than one party who could be held responsible for the accident. If handled by a skilled personal injury lawyer, this scenario can actually be beneficial to the injured party or parties because it can make it easier to recover the full compensation the victims deserve. Remember that in crashes with multiple passengers who suffered catastrophic injuries, one insurance policy may not be enough to provide reasonable settlements for all the victims.
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Read MoreCar Accidents: Failure to Yield
When a driver turns on their vehicle and proceeds into the roadway, they automatically owe a duty of care to their fellow drivers and pedestrians on the road. This means that a driver has a legal duty to operate their vehicle with reasonable care and to follow the rules of the road while driving. This includes following all traffic signals, rules of roundabouts, etc. but also driving safely for current traffic, road, weather and visibility conditions. An important rule of the road is yielding to other drivers and pedestrians when appropriate. If there is a failure to yield the right of way when it is legally required to do so, that driver may be legally liable for any traffic accident that happens as a result.
Read MoreProving Fault in Chain Reaction Accidents
The most common type of chain reaction accidents are multi-vehicle accidents where a car at the end of a line of cars rear-ends the car in front of them and the car that was hit rear-ends the car in front of them because the momentum pushed them forward and so on. In some cases, there are six plus cars involved.
Proving fault in chain reaction accidents
You may think it’s obvious that the driver who caused the initial collision is responsible for the crashes but with so many cars, drivers and passengers involved in a chain-reaction crash; there may be more than one driver found negligent for the accident. There may be situations where the driver who caused the first rear-end collision is found to be intoxicated or was using their cell phone at the time of the crash, making it easier to assign 100% liability. In many accidents like these, however, bad weather, poor road conditions, tailgating or malfunctioning brake lights may all play a part.
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