A car accident can significantly derail your life in both the short term and the long term. In the immediate future, you may have to undergo unpleasant medical procedures for your injuries. Then, you will need to pay for that treatment as well as deal with the physical pain of recovering from your injuries. Looking further into the future, you may be dealing with chronic problems that will not go away, and the experience may have an impact on your mood or disposition in a negative way. Essentially, you will be dealing with a car accident long after the physical wounds have healed.
If you got injured in a motor vehicle accident and want to fight for what you are owed under the law, our lawyers are ready to help. We are experienced attorneys who can fight for you in court and battle for the compensation you deserve after someone injures you in a car accident.
For a 100% free case review, call our car accident lawyers with Howe Law at (844) 876-4357.
Causes of Car Accidents in Johnson City, TN
A car accident can happen for any number of reasons. For the success of your car accident lawsuit, it is very important to pinpoint the specific cause of your accident. This is because you can only get damages from the party that actually injured you. That is to say, the party that caused your injuries. For that reason, it is critical that you sit down with our car accident lawyers and figure out what is the exact cause of your car accident.
Speeding
When drivers speed, they have less time to react to changing situations on the road around them. Additionally, the vast majority of drivers have a more difficult time controlling their vehicle at high speed than driving at a reasonable speed. This is in part because a driver input that may cause the car to move a little at low speed can cause a car to move quite a bit at high speed. If a driver is not careful while traveling at high speed, they can easily hit another motorist or a pedestrian, even if they did not plan to.
Drunk Driving
Drunk driving is incredibly dangerous. Intoxication has several effects that are all detrimental to safe driving. First, intoxicated people tend to take risks that they otherwise would not. This can cause them to do dangerous things while driving that have a high chance of causing injury to others. Second, inebriation lowers reaction time and general alertness. Slugisshess and inattentiveness are not qualities that are desirable in a safe driver.
It should be noted that “driving under the influence,” while primarily referring to drunk driving, can also refer to driving while under the effects of various drugs. Drugs can have a similar effect to intoxication and can also lead to dangerous behavior behind the wheel that could cause an accident.
Aggressive Driving
A driver does not need to under the effects of drugs or alcohol to drive aggressively. Plenty of sober drivers still do dangerous things on the road, like constantly switching lanes, failing to use turn signals, “tailgating” other drivers and ignoring stop signs and red lights. Not only is it difficult for aggressive drivers to react to the situation on the road around them, but it is also more difficult for other motorists to predict what an aggressive driver will do, increasing the danger for every driver.
Car Problems
Thus far, we have discussed the causes of car accidents that are associated with a mistake that the driver makes. However, car accidents can also happen because of things that would get a perfectly safe driver into an accident. Often, these accidents happen when there is something wrong with the vehicle. These problems are called “defects.” The law puts defects in two categories: manufacturing defects and design defects.
A design defect is something that will cause problems when the car is built “as intended” during the ordinary course of use. For example, if a car is engineered in such a way that it is too top-heavy, it may flip on its side in turn. Perhaps the most well-known car design defect would be the gas tank placement of the Ford Pinto. If the car was rear-ended, the tank would rupture, and the contents would ignite.
A manufacturing defect, by contrast, is something that goes wrong during the manufacturing process or repair of the car. Manufacturing defects are different from design defects in that they are not present from the get-go. Common manufacturing defects would be the use of structurally unsound materials, like metal with hairline cracks, when building the car, incorrectly installing airbags, or improperly wiring transmissions in a vehicle.
In instances where an accident happens because of a defect, you have the option to sue the car manufacturer or those responsible for the vehicle’s maintenance in addition to the driver.
Road Conditions
A road hazard like a pothole, protruding guardrail, or scattered debris can cause an accident. In these instances, you can sue whoever is responsible for making sure the roads remain safe. In many cases, this is a state or local government entity. It can be very difficult to bring a lawsuit against a government entity. However, that does not mean you are out of luck if your accident was caused by poor road conditions. You may still be able to file a lawsuit against whoever was contracted by the government entity to do work on the roads.
Schedule a Call with Our Car Accident Lawyers Right Away
Howe Law’s car accident lawyers are ready to help you with your case when you call us at (844) 876-4357.
