Greater than 5.5 million car accidents were reported in 2012, making car accidents a serious concern for car accident victims and families. For car accident victims, a car accident is anything but basic. Serious injuries and damages can result from a car accident and car accidents can occur in a number of ways and range in severity.
Victims of car accidents have personal injury and wrongful death (a type of personal injury) legal options available to them for the recovery of car accident damages. Car accident damages can include medical expenses, future medical costs, lost wages, lost-earning capacity and pain and suffering damages, as well as others depending on the circumstances. Surviving family members of victims of a fatal car accident may suffer damages including funeral expenses, loss of support and services and emotional damages as well.
Drivers may negligently cause a car accident in a number of ways including by disobeying traffic signals or signs, failing to properly signal while driving, not following posted speed limits, disregarding traffic, roadway or weather conditions or driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. There are a variety of ways in which a driver may be considered negligent and to have carelessly caused a car accident.
Personal injury legal options provide the opportunity for car accident victims and their families to seek compensation for the harm they have suffered and hold negligent drivers accountable for the harm they have caused. The majority of personal injury claims in the United States result from car accidents and car accident victims are not alone. A number of legal options are available for victims of car accidents to consider because of the serious and unexpected impact a car accident can have on the lives of victims and families.
Source: Injury.findlaw.com, “Car Accident Basics,” Accessed Dec. 15, 2015
