If you’ve suffered injuries from an auto accident, you may want to pursue legal action against the responsible parties. You may desperately need compensation to cover your medical expenses, lost wages, or personal damages. To do so, you’ll need attorneys on your side who are experienced in accident law. Plus, you’ll need to know exactly what kind of claims you should be making. There are several options for pursuing auto accident claims, each of them based on which parties bear liability for the incident.
Negligence
Claims of driver negligence are perhaps the most common type of claim heard by attorneys and judges. These types of cases involve a plaintiff who claims the other driver failed to follow the rules of the road or exercise proper caution while operating a vehicle, leading to the accident.
Negligence claims may also involve drivers who are intoxicated or distracted. At any hour of the day in the U.S., for example, there are around 660,000 people using cell phones or electronic devices while driving on the road. That can make for extremely hazardous conditions and a clear case of negligent driving.
Product Liability
Sometimes, accidents might occur because of a defect in the make of the car itself. These cases are becoming quite common, as the past few years have seen record numbers of auto product recalls.
Even if an accident occurs between multiple parties, if it was caused by a manufacturing defect in one of the vehicles, the car company itself could be held responsible for damages. Many times, a high number of product liability cases could lead to a recall of a certain car or design feature if it is shown to be dangerous to drivers or other people on the road.
Road Conditions
Poor conditions on a road due to a lack of maintenance may also provide possible grounds for your attorneys to pursue a case. A lack of appropriate guardrails, excessive erosion or potholes, improper sign postings, or poor design may all lead to accidents, though these types of lawsuits can be difficult to make. That’s because many government-sanctioned institutions are protected under sovereign or governmental immunity. However, exceptional cases may still be considered.
Transportation Company Claims
In cases where a truck driver (or any kind of transportation worker) is responsible for a crash, it may be possible to file a claim against the trucking company. If the driver was overworked and fatigued, the company might bear some of the responsibility for the crash. In cases like this, victims often hire a trucking accident attorney to pursue compensation for damages or injuries.
If you’re unsure about what kind of claim you should be making or whether you have a claim at all, consult with a legal team to help you understand your options. Experienced auto accident attorneys will be able to assess whether you have legal grounds for a claim and how to best plan for a successful case to get you the compensation you need.
