If you have been involved in an auto accident, you could be facing injuries which require medical assistance, as well as a smashed-up vehicle. Finding a repair shop after an accident can be difficult. The insurance company may “recommend” a shop to you, and that shop could be a good choice, or a not-so-good choice. Many insurance companies have contracts with auto body shops, which, on the face of it, does not sound all that bad.
Over the last decade, the incidence of traffic fatalities in which at least one driver tested positive for drugs has almost doubled.
With the number of U.S. traffic fatalities on the rise in general, federal data shows the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) has also detected a steady succession of drivers who are testing positive for illicit drugs and prescription medications.
Slip and fall accidents are the second most common kind of accident in the United States. They happen so frequently that they are barely given a second thought. And while slip and fall accidents rarely result in fatalities, they can cause painful or life-altering injuries.
One reason slip and fall accidents are so common is that they can happen almost anywhere, under many different circumstances. Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere the ground is wet, slippery, or uneven. Those words could potentially describe many parking lots.
Motorcycle accidents can have severe or fatal consequences due to the nature of the motorcycle, which leaves its rider vulnerable and unprotected when hit by over 3,000 pounds of steel and glass in the form of a car. Over 8.4 million motorcycles shared the road with passenger vehicles, trucks and buses in 2014, with over a million new motorcycles being purchased every year. As many as four to five thousand motorcyclists die each year in a motorcycle accident, with more and more of those being over the age of forty—the baby boomer generation.
Over fifteen million trucks travel the roads of America each year. Because of the obvious size difference between an 18-wheeler and a typical passenger car, the drivers of these trucks have a particular responsibility to protect the other drivers. Unfortunately, this does not always occur and devastating and catastrophic trucking accidents occur each and every year as a result of truck driver and trucking company negligence. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions relating to trucking accidents in the United States.
Although all injuries can be potentially life-threatening, few are as traumatic as spinal cord injuries, which can literally transform the existence of the victim and their family, suddenly—and forever. The difficulties navigating what was once considered nothing more than an ordinary life can truly be unimaginable. Unfortunately, spinal cord injuries can be a common injury resulting from a motorcycle accident. Motorcycles have none of the protection that automobiles do—there is no steel cage, airbags and seat belt restraints to protect the body.
Unfortunately, intersection accidents are among the most common—and the deadliest—type of automobile accidents in the United States. People tend to believe that a yellow light simply means they should speed up rather than stop, meaning they generally end up in the intersection on a solid red light and are hit by a car whose driver rightfully believes they have the right of way. Some estimates put intersection accidents at a full one third of the total number of accidents, and although some cities have installed red light cameras in an attempt to lessen the number of intersection accidents, the numbers haven’t come down.
The sheer size of commercial trucks makes them a special hazard on the roadways of America. Part of the issue lies with the drivers of the smaller vehicles who lack understanding of the particular nature of trucks. Sharing the road with large commercial trucks requires being aware of both the capabilities as well as the limitations of the larger vehicle. While you may consider commercial trucks to be huge, noisy and downright scary at times, the fact is that over 80 percent of our communities in the United States depend on truck drivers to deliver the goods we use every day. Commercial trucks really are the backbone of our transportation system, and they are here to stay.
With any car collision there is a certain protocol you must follow, however if you were driving a rental car at the time of the accident, you will likely have a few more steps to take care of. It can be very traumatic to be involved in an automobile accident when you are in an unfamiliar city, driving an unfamiliar car, and most likely on vacation. Following the accident, you must first see to any injuries which drivers or passengers sustained. If anyone needs to go to the hospital, make sure they receive appropriate medical treatment. Many times people don’t think they are hurt as badly as they really are, due to the adrenaline which floods their body at the time of the accident. This adrenaline can mask pain and other symptoms of injury, then later on the person realizes the full extent of their injuries. Many people are also hesitant to go to an unfamiliar hospital, so they tell themselves (and others) they are fine.
Motorcycle accidents often result in serious facial lacerations for the motorcycle victim. After all, there is little to protect the motorcyclist from the 3000 plus pounds of metal and steel in a passenger vehicle. While many motorcycle accident victims receive severe or fatal injuries, including spinal cord injuries and brain trauma, these accidents also commonly result in facial lacerations and other facial injuries. Such injuries can lead to permanent scarring or disfigurement, and the emotions which accompany such tragic injuries can blend with the physical effects and become devastating, changing the victim’s future forever.