Motor Vehicle Accidents

A host of dangers on the road

In Virginia, a car accident resulting in personal injury to one or more persons occurs about every ten minutes. While there have been successful efforts to reduce fatalities related to car accidents by pressuring car manufacturers to use stronger safety measures – such as front and side airbags, more secure seat belts, and use of more durable, crush-resistant material – these efforts haven’t translated to a substantial reduction in personal injury. In fact, the increasing size, power and speed of most new cars and sports utility vehicles are temptations that many drivers, especially those under age 35, push well beyond the limits of safety and responsibility. While more people are surviving car accidents today, many of those survivors are living with life-altering personal injuries.

As the nation continues to age, concern about driving errors and poor judgment behind the wheel are no longer just confined to the young. Elderly drivers and their diminishing capacity to see, hear and react quickly to high speed movement on streets and highways is also a growing concern. Just last summer, in Santa Monica, California, an elderly man driving a Buick lost control of his vehicle in a crowded marketplace, killing eight pedestrians and injuring 50 more. As bodies bounced off the hood of his car, the 86-year-old struggled to find the brakes, repeatedly stepping on the gas by accident. While this horrific example is an extreme case, statistics show that car accidents involving the elderly are definitely on the rise.

Despite stiff legal deterrents against driving under the influence, driving recklessly, and driver road rage, incidents involving these factors are still a significant problem on Virginia roadways. Car accidents involving drunk driving account for nearly 40 per cent of fatalities on the road, and many more life-altering injuries. Reckless driving, especially among teenagers, accounts for many car accidents. In urban areas with heavy traffic and congestion, reckless driving and road rage are growing phenomena that can result in serious injuries to innocent people.

Human error is the most common cause of car accidents, and accounts for the reason that most of us will be in a car accident at least once in our lifetimes. But many car accidents are caused by defective auto parts or flaws in the design of the car that increase the exposure to dangers that passengers face. Defective steering, defective brakes, defective tires, defective air bags, defective seat belts, defective engine parts and systems that cause fires and explosions, defective helmets on motorcycles all contribute to the constant dangers on the road.

In Virginia, car accident victims who have suffered severe personal injury may recover damages or compensation for past, present and future medical bills, wage loss, loss of earning potential and other out-of-pocket expenses. They may also recover damages for permanent disfigurement, dismemberment, wrongful death, scarring, loss of opportunity to enjoy life, interference with marital and parental relationships, and the pain and suffering, anxiety and emotional distress that naturally follow from such injuries.

If you or a loved one has been in a car accident and are struggling with obtaining a just settlement from an insurance company for your injuries, you do not need to struggle alone. Insurance company adjusters and investigators work hard to protect their assets by minimizing your recovery or by avoiding payment entirely by claiming the accident was your fault. Protect your future. Contact us today, and let’s discuss your case.