A personal injury law firm will usually handle a variety of cases. This may include workplace injuries that are caused by slip and fall incidents as well as construction site accidents. These firms also tend to provide legal advice and represent clients that have been injured in various vehicle-oriented incidents. Car and truck accidents, as well as pedestrian injuries, are often the purview of personal injury law firms.
The Leading Causes of Vehicle Accidents
Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or narcotics often leads to accidents. So, too, does distracted and aggressive driving. Approximately 16% of motor vehicle accidents occur as a result of someone driving when they are taking prescription medication or an illegal substance. Due to driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, however, almost 1.1 million drivers were arrested throughout 2015.
It is important to note that from 2015 to 2016, there was a slight decrease in the percentage of drivers using handheld devices. In 2015, this amounted to 3.8%, and in 2016, it decreased to 3.3%. This does, however, to continue to be an issue with many drivers.
Injuries Due to Vehicle Accidents
While pedestrians of various ages were injured during 2015,13% of these were over the age of 65. While it is possible that some of these individuals may not have been paying attention to passing cars or traffic lights, it’s more likely that these accidents were caused by distracted drivers. In addition to being distracted by manipulating their cell phones or other electronic devices, there’s a strong possibility that some of these drivers may also have been under the influence of a legal or illegal substance.
When motorcyclists are involved in a crash with another vehicle, they are more likely to be injured than the other driver or passengers. Fortunately, the number of injuries that occurred due to motorcyclists being in accidents decreased from 2014 to 2015. In 2014, there were 92,000 motorcyclists injured. During the following year, this declined 4.3% to 88,000.
Fatalities Due to Vehicle Accidents
It is an unfortunate fact that many people within the United States die as a result of being in a road crash. The Association for Safe International Road Travel reported that more than 37,000 fatalities occur every year. In 2015, for example, estimates indicated that there were 32,166 fatal motor vehicle crashes. Pedestrians are also at risk for being in fatal accidents. In 2015,19% of the pedestrians that died were over 65 years of age.
Contact a Personal Injury Firm for a Consultation
When someone has been injured or died as a result of being in an accident, it’s important to contact a personal injury law firm for a consultation. At this time, an attorney will obtain as much information as possible about the situation in order to proceed.
You may be interested to know that most, or about 95% to 96% of these types of cases, are settled out of court during the pretrial phase. In the event that your case does need to go to court, however, your personal injury attorney will be able to provide you with counsel and emotional support during this challenging time.
