Automobile Accidents
| Types of Car Accidents |
Car Accidents OverviewNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that an automobile accident occurs in the U.S. every ten seconds. The cost of car accidents in the U.S. well exceeds 200 billion dollars a year. Thousands and thousands of people are involved in that unfortunate events of our life. Many of them suffer injuries, some, unfortunately, die. Both injured and all touched by the accidents will have to go through very difficult time of their life, through medical procedures, recovery, healing, and legal issues. While some car accidents are relatively light, and no person is injured, majority of automobile collisions ends in multiple trauma events. Most automobile accidents are caused by negligent driving and driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Defective vehicles and dangerous road conditions may also cause auto accidents. Driving Under the Influence - DUIDriving a car shortly after drinking alcohol is a crime an most countries of the world. A very big part of fatal automobile accidents, or crashes that resulted in serious personal injuries, occur because drugs or alcohol have impaired one or more of the drivers. Driving under the influence (DUI) is a criminal offense, and states typically treat a DUI as a felony if the driver injures another party or if the driver had been previously convicted of a DUI. Penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs include fines and/or incarceration in jail or prisonNegligence ClaimsMinor car accidents are usually taken care of without police involvement. However, drivers should exchange their related information, such as insurance and contact details. Failure to stop at the scene of an automobile accident may be classified as a "hit and run," that is a serios crime with potential criminal liability. In case of a minor car accidident insurance companies may determine who, if anyone, was at fault for the accident. Very often one of the parties does not agree with what insurance company has decided. That is when a lawsuits arise, with majority of them based on negligence claims.According to the law, an individual is considered negligent if she or he fails to act as an ordinary reasonable person under similar circumstances. On the contrary, a non-negligent driver uses reasonable care to avoid car accidents. These types of the lawsuits usually require legal help and serious preparations because it is a jury who will decide if a defendant driver is conformed with the "reasonable person" standard of care. For example, if the driver has properly evaluated the weather, road conditions and adhered to traffic laws. Defective VehiclesVery often defective automobile tires or brakes may also cause car accidents. If a part is defective, persons who were injured because of the defect may sue the manufacturer or supplier of the part under the legal theory of products liability. Courts generally treat products liability as a strict liability tort, meaning that the court will hold the manufacturer or seller liable regardless of whether or not they acted negligently. |
