A car crash can be a horrible experience which can leave you with serious vehicle damage and extensive injuries. The cost of repairing your car and paying your medical bills can be huge and this is particularly galling if you were the unfortunate victim of a car crash which wasn’t your fault. In order to pay these bills and for related costs which may arise in the future, you may be able to sue the party which was responsible for the accident. There are various situations in which you may be eligible to sue after a car crash and so it is worth knowing what they are.
To help everyone who has been involved in an accident that wasn’t their fault, here is when to sue for an injury after a car crash.
1. Poor or Reckless Driving by Someone Else
The most common cause of car crashes is poor driving and if you have been the victim of someone else driving poorly, then you will most likely have the right to sue. There are various ways which someone can drive badly. The legal experts at trollingerlaw.com/car-accident-lawyer/ explain that the majority of car crashes occur because someone is distracted while they are driving. They may be looking at their phone, listening to music too loudly or fixing their makeup. If the other driver was distracted or careless, or especially if they were drunk or under the influence of drugs, you will have a very strong case to sue them for compensation.
It can be difficult for you to know exactly what happened after an accident and so it is very important that you call the police whenever you are involved in a crash. The police will speak to everyone involved in the accident to try and find out exactly what happened and ascertain exactly what happened. It is also vital that you hire an experienced accident lawyer to help represent you as they will speak to all of the other parties involved to find out exactly what happened and who is responsible for the crash.
2. A Mechanical Fault with the Car
There are many crashes which occur due to a mechanical fault with the car and these can be very dangerous. While car manufacturers on the whole pay careful attention to the safety features of their vehicles, there have been various cases where whole lines of models got recalled after a systemic mechanical fault led to accidents. Likewise, you may get maintenance or repairs done on your vehicle which isn’t done to the correct standard by the mechanic which could also lead to an accident.
In both cases, you will have a very strong case for taking legal action against either the manufacturer or the mechanic as their misactions resulted in your crash. If a design fault leads to many accidents involving the same model of car, you may be eligible to join a class action lawsuit with the other people who bought the car in order to sue the manufacturer for more money. These class action lawsuits can result in payouts of millions and millions of dollars so make sure you speak to an attorney to find out exactly what you may be entitled to if you have been involved in a crash due to a manufacturing fault.
3. Bad Road Conditions
There are many roads in a bad condition around the world, and while this isn’t usually a reason for suing somebody, there are some notable exceptions. The first thing to note is that, as a driver, it is your responsibility to take extra care if the road conditions are clearly poor. However, if the road is in bad condition due to mismanagement of local authorities, or if there is no warning about inherent dangers, you may be entitled to sue if you have an accident. One example is if there is a mountain road which is prone to landslides which doesn’t have any signs warning you about this.
While no one can predict when a landslide will occur, if there is a landslide every month on a certain section of road and the local authorities still haven’t put up any signs, you may be able to sue them for dereliction of duty if your vehicle gets caught in a landslide. Likewise, if there is a huge pothole on a busy road which has already caused multiple accidents, you may be able to sue the local authorities if they fail to get it repaired. Your success is likely to come down to how long the hazard has been there, and the extent of the relevant authorities’ failure to act.
4. Obscured Hazards
Fortunately most of us never experience a big crash but there are many small incidents which occur commonly. Many people will have had a minor crash in a busy place like a supermarket parking lot, and there are circumstances where you may be able to sue if this happens to you. If the parking lot has a one way system, for example, but this is not clearly signposted, if there is a collision with one car going the other way, it may be grounds to sue the supermarket.
Another common incident which occurs is parking lot barriers coming down onto vehicles due to faulty sensors. If this happens to you, it should be fairly straightforward to get compensation from the owner of the parking lot to pay for the damage to your vehicle. If there is any issue, just speak to your attorney and let them deal with the owners and they should be able to secure the money you are entitled to without it having to go to court.
While car crashes are all too common, most of us will thankfully never experience a major accident. Recovering from a car crash takes time and patience and getting the compensation you deserve can help you to make a full recovery. If you are injured in a car crash, make sure to get medical attention immediately and speak to a lawyer so they can advise you as to the best course of action.
