When you have suffered a tragedy as a result of a car accident, it can be incredibly difficult to keep going. If you know that the tragedy occurred because of the fault of the other driver, it can feel impossible. Though it certainly won’t even begin to make up for the loss that you’ve sustained, contacting a wrongful death lawyer can get you back on track to healing. A wrongful death lawyer can look at your case, determine liability, and help you to get the settlement money that you deserve. Though any wrongful death lawyer can tell you that settlement money won’t end your pain or bring back the love one that you’ve lost, it can help to settle final expenses such as medical bills and funeral costs, letting you put those things in the past and move on with your life slowly but surely.
Car accidents are all too common in the United States, with around six million occurring every year. There are many causes of car accidents that really can’t easily be prevented, such as severe weather conditions that lead to slick and icy roads as well as reduced visibility. However, there are many causes of car and motor vehicle accidents that can be prevented, as any wrongful death lawyer can inform you, and they include both distracted driving as well as driving under the influence of either a legal or illegal substance alike. In the United States, with a total economic cost of more than two hundred billion due to car accidents, it is likely that a good deal of settlement money is owed. The property damage alone totaled more than seventy five billion dollars per year.
Aggressive driving is one cause of liability that many wrongful death lawyers will use as an example. Aggressive driving is most commonly known as road rage, and it can lead a driver to think and behave irrationally. The intense anger the driver feels in the moment can cloud their process of decision making and lead them to make rash decisions and snap judgments that they have not at all thought through. In fact, nearly eighty percent of survey respondents believe that aggressive drivers are a safety threat on the road.
Another well known safety threat involves drunk driving. Drunk driving accidents are all too common and it is estimated that around three hundred thousand people get behind the wheel while intoxicated every single day across the United States. Unfortunately, drunk drivers are not always stopped in time to prevent an accident. In fact, it is estimated that a driver will drive drunk upwards of eighty times before they are pulled over for first offense DUI (driving under the influence). Driving while drunk or intoxicated messes with reaction times, making it more difficult for the driver to think quickly in the situations that we are all faced with on the road. A drunk driver is also far less likely to be adequately aware of their surroundings, and this can lead to severe injury or tragedy.
Finally, distracted driving is another considerable cause of motor vehicle accidents. Distracted drivers are typically sober but not nearly as focused on the road as they should be. Most distracted drivers will become distracted by an electronic device, most commonly a cell phone. Even just looking down at your cell phone for five seconds can be dangerous, particularly if you are driving at a speed greater than fifty five miles per hour. As a wrongful death lawyer can tell you, you cross an immense amount of distance in those five seconds that you look away from the road, the entire length of a football field during which anything at all could occur and lead to catastrophe for both the driver and the passengers in the victim’s car or motor vehicle.
There are many reasons for a wrongful death lawsuit relating to a car accident to be viable, and you should always contact a wrongful death lawyer with any questions you may have. A wrongful death lawyer will also be able to accurately assess your case and determine if you would likely be able to be awarded a settlement.
