Personal Injury Law Center

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Car Accident Lawyers

Motor vehicle accidents can result in serious injuries with long-lasting impact. The idea of filing an injury claim can be confusing and overwhelming, but a car accident lawyer can guide you through the process and fight to get you money damages.

Get Money for your Car Accident Injuries
Injuries from car accidents can range from mild to severe and even deadly. The type and severity of car accident injuries depends on a number of circumstances, such as speed, road conditions, type of vehicles involved in the crash, and whether a seatbelt was worn.

Some of the more common injuries from car accidents include the following:

• Neck injuries. Neck injuries are one of the most common car accident injuries, occurring in a wide variety of accidents, but they most often occur in rear-end accidents. A neck injury can happen when the head moves back and forth quickly, which can injure the neck, backbone, discs, and ligaments. A neck injury can include neck pain and stiffness, headache, shoulder pain, dizziness, fatigue, visual problems, and ringing in the ears. But because the signs of a neck injury are sometimes slow to develop, you may want to see to a medical professional after a car accident even if you do not think that you are injured.
• Traumatic Brain Injuries and Head Injuries. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a common car accident injury. Traumatic brain injuries can include concussions, contusions, skull fractures, hematomas, and nerve damage, among other head injuries. Traumatic brain injuries can happen even if the head didn’t come in contact with a hard surface. Signs of a traumatic brain injury can include unconsciousness, headache, fatigue, confusion, blurry vision, memory loss, nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, and dilated pupils.

• Back Injuries. Car accident back injuries – such as sprains, strains, fractures, disc injuries, spine injuries, spinal cord injuries, and paralysis – can cause long-term medical problems and pain. Like neck injuries, the signs of some car accident back injuries do not always show up right away so you may want to see a doctor even if you don’t think that you are injured.

• Broken bones and cuts. Car accidents can result in broken bones and cuts, especially to the legs, arms, and face. In some cases, the injuries may be bad enough that they will require plastic surgery or long-term therapy.
• Internal Injuries. Car accidents injuries can also include internal injuries to the bowels, kidneys, spleen, liver, lungs, or heart.
• Mental Injuries. Car accident injuries can also include long-term mental injuries, such as emotional distress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, or depression.

Common Causes of Car Accidents

Motor vehicle accidents can involve a number of causes that will impact a person’s ability to collect money damages. The following are some of the most common causes of car accidents:

• Speeding. Speeding is the cause of almost one-third of all traffic deaths each year, taking nearly 10,000 lives. Speeding-related car accidents seem to involve young drivers more than any other group of people, with 11 percent of drivers between the ages of 16 to 20 involved in at least one speeding-related crash in the past five years, compared to 4 percent for the rest of the population.
• Driving While Tired. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that as many as 100,000 auto accidents and 5,000 to 6,000 deaths are caused by drowsy driving each year, though the number could be higher. Like drunk driving, driving after too little sleep slows a driver’s reaction time and, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the mental impact of being awake for 18 hours is similar to having a BAC of 0.05%. After 24 hours without sleep, the impact is similar to having a BAC of 0.10% – higher than the legal limit in all states. Not only does drowsy driving affect reaction time and judgment, but it can also make it harder for a driver to think properly or remember things.
• Distracted Driving. Distracted driving involves any activity that takes a driver’s attention away from the task of driving, but it most commonly involves talking on cell phones and texting. When a driver sends or receives a text, the driver’s eyes are taken off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds – the same as driving 55 mph for the entire length of a football field blind. Drivers who text while driving are also 23 times more likely to get into an auto accident.
• Drunk Driving. Each year thousands of deaths are caused by drunk driving accidents. In fact, in 2012 alone, 10,322 people died in alcohol-related car accidents – which amounts to one death every 51 seconds.
• Auto Defects. When an auto defect causes an auto accident – or makes the accident worse – the car maker may be liable for the resulting car accident injuries and damages. Common auto defects include: stability problems and rollovers, unintended acceleration, defective tires, airbag defects, and fires. Because auto defects often involve a number of cars, auto defect lawsuits are often pursued as a class action.
• Road Design Defects. If a road defect is the cause of an auto accident – or makes the accident worse – the state or city responsible for the roadway may be liable for the resulting car accident injuries. Common road defects include: lack of guardrails, poor water drainage systems, lack of road shoulder, unsafe bridges, and lack of warning signs.
• Rear-End Accidents. Rear-end accidents are one of the most common types of car accidents, and they can range from minor crashes to serious chain reaction collisions. Regardless of how bad a rear-end accident is, however, it can result in serious car accident injuries.
• Head-On Collisions. Head-on car crashes are some of the worst auto accidents. Because two vehicles are traveling toward each other at the time of the crash, the force of the accident is increased. Car accident injuries resulting from head-on collisions are often very serious or even deadly.
• Truck Accidents. Car accidents with large trucks are some of the most serious motor vehicle accidents on the road, often involving serious injuries and death.

What to Do After a Car Accident

If you are in a car accident, you should:

• Pull over and stop in a safe location. Never leave the scene of the accident.
• Get medical help. If you or any others are seriously injured, you should call 9-1-1. Since some car accident injuries, such as neck and back injuries, do not show any signs right away, you may want to see a doctor even if you do not think that you are injured.
• Contact the police. You should tell the police the facts of the accidents, but do not make any assumptions or draw any legal conclusions.
• Exchange contact information with the other driver and accident witnesses.
• If you are able, you should take photos of the accident scene.
• Shortly after the auto accident, you should inform your insurance company of the accident. Make sure to avoid making any statements regarding who is at fault. In fact, you may want to have a car accident lawyer communicate with the insurance company for you.
• Contact a car accident law firm. A car accident lawyer will conduct an investigation, tell you your rights and options, communicate with the insurance companies, and fight to get you money damages and auto accident compensation.
• Never sign any insurance waivers, settlements, or other legal documents without first consulting with a motor vehicle accident attorney.
• Obtain and maintain all relevant information, including police reports, medical records, medical bills, repair receipts, lost wage information, and other paperwork dealing with the accident.

 

Don’t Talk to an Insurance Company without First Talking to a Car Accident Lawyer

If you are in an auto accident, insurance companies are sure to be involved. Because insurance companies want to make money for themselves, they often try to settle an auto accident claim for as little money as possible. For this reason, insurance companies can be difficult to deal with, using confusing legal terms and applying a strict formula to accident settlements. Because insurance companies may not offer you the money you deserve, you should consult with a car accident lawyer who can deal with the insurance companies for you.

 

Get Money for Fatal Car Accidents

If a person is killed in a fatal car accident, his or her family members may be able to get money in a wrongful death lawsuit. Although no amount of money can bring back a loved one, money damages can help ease the financial difficulties caused by the death and hold the negligent party responsible. A wrongful death lawsuit may provide accident compensation for the following: medical bills, funeral expenses, loss of future income and benefits, loss of future inheritance, loss of parental guidance, loss of spousal companionship, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.

 

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer Who Will Get You Maximum Money Damages

There are time limits on filing a claim for money damages and accident compensation, which vary from state to state. If you don’t comply with the applicable statute of limitations, you could lose the right to sue to get money damages. Therefore, it is important to contact an auto accident law firm as soon as possible to protect your legal rights. It is also important to act quickly following a car accident in order to keep any evidence to support your legal claim.