Motor Vehicle AccidentsMotor Vehicle Accidents are the leading cause of personal injury lawsuits in America. According to the NHTSA, someone in the United States is involved in a car accident every ten seconds. Generally, most lawsuits involving car accidents are brought about using theories of negligence. Sometimes, however, personal injury lawsuits could be brought under the theory of reckless driving, where the driver had a clear disregard for the probability of accident. Other theories under which a motor vehicle lawsuit could be brought are intentional misconduct and even strict liability. Strict liability imposes responsibility regardless of fault, but is usually only ever imposed in cases involving product defects or extra hazardous activities. |
Hands-free technology in your car may keep your phone habits legal, but these devices are still dangerously distracting drivers.
A new study by the American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that both handheld and hands-free calls resulted in a "moderate risk" to drivers.
With these new findings, is it safe to keep using distracting devices in our cars?
A boat crash in the Florida Keys sent 10 people to the hospital. Authorities are still working to determine the cause of the crash.
The collision occurred near Elliot Key on Sunday night, when a 36-foot Carrera powerboat carrying 16 people hit a smaller boat, causing the smaller craft to sink, reports the Associated Press.
Though many of the details are still unclear, both boat captains face potential liability for the injuries and property damage sustained in the crash.
Seven people were killed in upstate New York after a runaway trailer collided with a minivan on a rural two-lane highway.
The crash happened south of Syracuse about 6 p.m. Wednesday, when a trailer dislodged and crossed the center line, hitting a minivan carrying eight people. Seven people in the minivan, including four children, were killed, the Associated Press reports.
While officials have yet to determine what exactly caused the accident, something made the trailer come loose. The tragedy serves as a reminder of how important it is to safely secure items being towed, especially as the summer travel season gets underway.
What can happen if you drive without car insurance?
It may feel like a victimless crime. After all, car insurance is usually purchased to protect the driver. So if you, as the driver, opt out of purchasing insurance, you're making your own choice not to have that extra back-up layer of protection in case you're in a car accident or dispute. Right?
Wrong.
It may seem like a scene out of the "Final Destination" movies, but on Wednesday a driver was impaled by a metal pipe on a California freeway.
Authorities found the victim, identified as Michael Cox, 33, dead on the side of Interstate 580 in Livermore, California, after a 2-foot-long metal pipe crashed through the windshield of Cox's car, impaling him, reports San Francisco's KPIX-TV.
Although there is no word yet on where the pipe may have come from, there are many possible parties who may be held legally responsible for the driver's death.
When it comes to drowsy driving lawsuits, are jurors asleep at the wheel? Some lawyers who've tried such cases say victims often face roadblocks when it comes to proof.
"If you are going to try and make fatigue -- sleepiness -- a criminal legal issue in a motor vehicle accident, you have a lot, lot more to prove," attorney Patrick Bruno told the Associated Press. Bruno successfully defended an alleged drowsy bus driver in a manslaughter and negligent homicide case involving a crash that killed 15 people.
But why are drowsy driving cases so much more difficult to prove?
Street racing is dangerous, it's illegal, and it's on the rise. In many cases, reckless racers are causing crashes, injuries, and even deaths.
In an alleged street-racing crash in California last week, a 57-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed. Police say the 18-year-old driver who hit him was racing another car when he plowed through an intersection, Los Angeles' KABC-TV reports.
This isn't the first or last time that street racing has claimed lives. Fortunately for victims, there are potential legal routes to recovery.
Cars and pedestrians are often at odds on the road. But when accidents occur, how do you figure out who's at fault?
In car v. pedestrian accidents, both the driver and the injured pedestrian typically try to blame each other. And with accidents like a recent hit-and-run in Pittsburgh that resulted in a Penn State student's death, you can see why.
In less clear cases, how can you tell which party is legally to blame?
Being involved in a fender bender or even a major crash can go from a minor headache to a major pain if your insurance company denies your claim. All hope is not lost, however, and there are still ways for drivers to collect when car insurance fails.
Consider these three options when deciding how to pick up where your car insurance left off:
Car accidents can easily turn even a calm person into a cauldron of rage and resentment. But even with poor impulses, there are a handful of things you shouldn't ever do after a car accident.
Insurance and patience can solve many of your car accident woes, as well as remembering what not to do or say. Here are a few suggestions:
