As the population grows, the number of annual deaths and injuries caused by traffic accidents continues to increase. In fact, 2021 was a deadly year on our roads and highways with over 98,000 crashes, that lead to over 26,000 injuries and almost 1,000 fatalities.
More people means more traffic. And since these new drivers aren’t always familiar with our roads, we can expect these unfortunate trends to continue to rise.
Who’s Liable for an Accident?
38 states have at-fault car accident laws. That means the person whose negligence caused the accident is responsible for covering the victim’s medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and other expenses caused by the accident.
In addition to careless drivers, the following people can be held liable for a car accident:
Companies that employ drivers with poor driving records
Truck companies that expect their employees to drive too many hours
Mechanics who fail to fix safety equipment
Manufacturers of faulty motor vehicle parts
If you are driver, passenger, or motorcycle rider who was injured in an accident on an Arizona highway, your car accident attorney will investigate the accident to determine liability and file a claim on your behalf to get the compensation you need to put your life back together.
Negligent types of behavior that will help your attorney prove liability include:
Failure to yield
Weaving between cars
Tailgating
Disobeying traffic lights or signals
Investigating Freeway Accidents
If you are involved in a car crash on freeways or highways, insurance companies, police, and your lawyer may all conduct investigations to determine what happened. Investigating highway and freeway accidents can be tricky because authorities are in a hurry to get the traffic back up and running.
Police officers are required to file a report within 24 hours of an accident recording the exact location and time that it occurred, witness accounts, road conditions, and the name and contact information, registration, ownership information, and proof of insurance of everyone involved.
Your car accident lawyers know how to use police reports, eyewitness testimony, photographs, medical records, accident reconstruction, and expert testimony to create a clear picture of what happened. That way, they can make a strong claim on your behalf, and if insurance companies don’t want to give you a fair settlement, your lawyers can take them to court.
Multi-Car Pileups and Wrong Way Accidents
Two of the most dangerous types of highway accidents are multi-car pileups and wrong-way accidents. It’s very difficult to determine liability in a multi-car pileup, and more than one driver may be responsible for your injuries. Causes of pileup accidents include disabled vehicles, vehicle failure, and jackknife truck accidents that may cause blockage across several lanes of a freeway.
Wrong-way accidents are one of the deadliest types of car crashes. They occur when a driver enters a freeway exit or when a driver accidentally steers into traffic heading the wrong direction. Common causes of wrong-way accidents include:
Poor visibility
Severe intoxication
Poorly marked traffic onramps
Missing or obscured highway signs
Confused older drivers with vision or hearing impairment
Were You Injured in an Accident?
If you or someone has been injured in a car accident caused by another driver’s negligence, contact the Husband & Wife Law Team for a FREE case evaluation. Remember: You don’t pay anything unless we win your case.