3 Types of Car Accidents that Can Lead to Personal Injury Lawsuits
Nobody understands exactly how easy it is to be hurt in a car accident in the United States. It’s important to remember when considering statistics that there are millions of Americans driving at any point in time. The nation is a vast, spread-out one, with many people requiring either cars or public transportation to get to work or school. Additionally, driving has become so much a part of normal everyday life that there are many people who currently are perhaps too comfortable with driving and don’t take it as seriously as they should.
Personal injury cases can be complex. But as many car accident attorneys can tell you, they’re often more straightforward than some would think. This is actually one reason why 95% to 96% of all personal injury lawsuits are settled in the pre-trial phase. Both parties know that the issue is fairly straightforward and don’t want to go through a trial. The goal of many personal injury cases, after all, is to reach a settlement that can cover the injured party’s emotional and physical injury expenses. But with that being said, there remains a lot of confusion about the type of circumstances that lead to personal injury cases involving cars. With that being said, let’s explore those circumstances below.
1. Drunk Driving
Perhaps one of the most famous types of circumstances that leads to personal injury lawsuits is that involving drunk driving. Drunk driving is any situation in which a person is driving with a blood alcohol above the legal limit of .08. This can lead to impaired reflexes and an inability to think clearly. While driving in this state, a person is more likely to cut through lanes, speed, and even hit pedestrians or other cars.
Because drunk driving is a choice, people that are involved in accidents in which they are driving drunk can be held liable not only in criminal cases but in personal injury lawsuits. This is why victims of these accidents often hire car accident attorneys. While victims of these accidents may feel relieved after a criminal case is pursued, they still may be left with emotional and physical injuries that require financial compensation. Therefore, they reserve the right to get in touch with personal injury attorneys specializing in car accidents as well.
2. DISTRACTED DRIVING
Drunk driving is not the only type of reckless driving that people should be held responsible for. Distracted driving is also a serious issue, especially in the United States. There are many different types of distracted driving that we all need to be aware of. For one thing, distracted driving can involve people talking on the phone. Perhaps one of the most serious types of distracted driving issues in recent years, however, is texting while driving.
Car accident attorneys are often contacted for personal injury cases after accidents involving distracted driving. Perhaps even more than drunk driving, distracted driving involves making a conscious decision. When people look down to text while driving, or when they talk on the phone while driving, they potentially put others at risk. Therefore, victims of these accidents deserve the right to pursue justice and compensation.
3. Hit and Run
There are multiple types of hit snd run accidents. A hit and run could involve an individual being hit by a car. It could otherwise involve a person’s car being hit by another vehicle. Either way, when the other party drives away without attempting to take any kind of responsibility, this is a hit-and-run accident.
Car accident attorneys are often contacted to pursue personal injury cases after hit and run accidents, separate from criminal cases. Although a hit-and-run accident can be pursued criminally, a criminal case is not always enough for victims, which is why they have the right to pursue personal injury lawsuits otherwise.
Again, criminal cases can be pursued in all of these situations. But a criminal conviction will not necessarily compensate victims for their medical bills or time lost at work. Another issue to consider is that in some cases, criminal convictions are not reached. In those cases, personal injury lawsuits can help individuals seek justice.