CKS Law Group

 Practice Areas

› Construction Accidents
 
› Insurance Bad Faith
 
› Medical Malpractice
 
› Motor Vehicle Accidents
 
› Personal Injury
 
› Producer Malpractice
 
› Slip & Fall
 
› Workers’ Compensation & Personal Injury

.


      After a car accident, it is common for an injured victim to be unsure of what to do next. The most important thing would be to get immediate medical attention, no matter how worried you are about whether it will be covered by insurance. Hospitals and doctors are not allowed to refuse the provision of care to an individual, regardless of how they were injured or whether or not they have insurance. Your health is important, so visit a doctor after being injured in a car accident. Second, consult with a qualified legal representative who can help you obtain compensation for your medical care, as well as any damage to your car.

Three Common Reasons for Car Accidents

      With the fact that there are nearly 5.5 million car accidents each year, it is essential to look at some of the major reasons why these collisions occur. From minor fender benders to severe head-on crashes, drivers take a risk when deciding to take to the road. While there can be various causes of these types of incidents, there are three major explanations why the amount of car accidents occur.

Distracted Driving

      When driving on the road, many individuals may not realize the risk they are posing to others when they participate in various activities while operating their vehicles. This is called distracted driving and can occur in a multitude of different ways. People may be eating, drinking, smoking, looking at their radio, merely looking out their window, reading, fixing their hair or even watching videos. Probably the most common form of preoccupied driving comes in the form of texting and driving. Driving while sending and receiving texts increases a driver's reaction time by nearly double the amount as it would without distraction. Looking down for merely five seconds, which is the average time it takes to send a text, while traveling at 55 mph can be enough time for the car to travel the length of a football field. Fatalities and serious injuries related to cell-phone while driving is on the rise.

Fatigue

Drivers may not be quite aware of their fatigue before choosing to drive or they may choose to drive regardless of how they feel. Leaving parties late, heading home from holidays with family, coming home from work or vacations are just a few examples of times when individuals may be driving while drowsy. Attributed as the cause of over 100,000 collisions each year, it is a growing problem that most people do not even consider. Some drivers may have a chronic health condition causing them to experience immense tiredness when driving, while others are merely careless in taking to the road when they know they should not. This can be a form of negligence and if you or a loved one has been victim of an accident related to a drowsy driver, it is important to seek compensation.

Drunk Driving

Each year tens of thousands of people fall victim to drunk driving accidents. Every day 28 people die on average from cases of driving while intoxicated. Many times individuals may not even realize the level of intoxication that they are under when they decide to drive. This is a common mistake, but it does not excuse the result of their choices. It is their responsibility to have a designated driver or to wait adequate time before getting behind the wheel. Just because a driver's blood alcohol content level is below .08 percent does not mean that he or she is capable of driving well. Even the slightest bit of alcohol in the person's bloodstream can result in a slowed reaction time, delayed responses to signals and lights, swerving, inability to see correctly, unclear thinking skills and other actions that can have dire effects.