Understanding the Different Types of Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents today. But what is distracted driving? It refers to any activity that diverts the drivers attention from the task of driving. Here are the 3 different types of distracted driving.

Manual Distractions - These involve taking your hands off the wheel such as texting, eating, putting make ups, making phone calls, smoking, changing the radio station and more. 

Visual Distractions - This is more dangerous as this involve taking your eyes off the wheel, like reading a text message, watching a video, looking in a mirror or even looking at the passengers.

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What are the Common Causes of Car Accidents?

Car accidents is one of the leading causes of death and injuries these days. It can be a traumatic experience to anyone and can cause significant damages to the parties involved. There are lots of contributing factors to the increasing number of car accidents every year.

1. Distracted Driving - This include texting while driving, making phone calls and even putting make ups while driving.

2. Defective Products - Some car accidents occur due to faulty products and this often involve tires, brakes and steering suspension. 

3. Traffic Law Violation - Not following traffic rules is also one of the common causes of car accidents. This include over speeding and improper changing of lane.

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Personal Injury Case: What Kind of Evidence is Needed?

Winning a personal injury case can be quite difficult especially if you are lacking solid evidence to support your claim. Hence, if you have been injured to the negligent action of another person, you should gather as much evidence as possible. This can help you recover from your injuries and damages associated with your personal injury case. Below are some of the evidence that can use in order to build a strong personal injury case.

Photographs - This is definitely helpful especially in road accident cases. You need to take pictures of the damage vehicles, injuries acquired and even the street conditions at that time.

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Winning a Personal Injury Claim - Strategies and Tips

Have you been injured due to someone else negligence? Then you are qualified for a personal injury claim. You have the right to recover money for your pain and suffering, medical expenses,lost of earnings and other damages. But how do you improve your chances of winning your personal injury claim? Below are some simple steps that you need to take in order to achieve success in your injury claims. 

Get the Right Lawyer 

Winning a personal injury claim is not easy. You need someone who has the expertise and experience to handle your claim. Getting the right lawyer can make a difference between winning a case or losing your case. Of course, you need to find a trusted lawyer and someone who is willing to fight for your rights. 

Act Now

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Elements of a Wrongful Death Claim

What is a wrongful death?

A wrongful death is caused by accidental or intentional act of another person or persons, an entity or company which resulted to the death of another person. This incident may be grounds for to a wrongful death lawsuit. The filing of a wrongful death lawsuit is made by the representative of the deceased, this is to claim all rightful compensation they are entitled to. The compensation should cover the deceased individual’s wages which he could have earned until his retirement if living. 

Photo Credit: graveyarddetective(dot)blogspot(dot)com

In filing a wrongful death claim you must be an immediate family member of the deceased to make your claim valid. You also have to prove these four basic elements in order for your to vouch a winning wrongful death lawsuit.

What are the elements of a wrongful death lawsuit?

• Your loved one's death must have been caused by the other party's actions.
• Your loved one's death must have resulted from the negligence of the other party.
• Your loved one has left behind dependents and beneficiaries
• Your loved one's death caused monetary injury to his dependents- including burial, medical bills and loss of income

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How Plaintiffs Collect the Money After Winning the Case?

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Congratulations! This is usually what you would hear from your friends and loved ones after working with your California car accident attorney. Winning your personal injury case may not be as easy as a-b-c. It was a tough ride reaching to a fair settlement. At this point, you would be ready to collect the money and get back the life that you just lost from the accident.

If you think this is the end of the lawyer-client relationship, think again. Even if the decision was made, you will still continue to be working with your California car accident lawyer. This should ensure that you will be able to get the right amount of compensation. But the question still lies unanswered, how will you be able to collect the money? 

Case # 1: The plaintiff was happy to know that he was able to defend himself and won the case. He is to receive $20,000 total amount of money to compensate the injuries and damages that resulted from the accident. The defendant along with his insurance company was able to provide the amount. The plaintiff was expecting to receive a check amounting to the amount that was required of the defendant to provide. However, all his expectations went the other way around. Instead, he received a dozen of paint bucket full of change. Although it was the exact amount to be rewarded, is this the right way to collect the money? How are settlement claims supposed to be paid?

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Car Accident: The Leading Causes of the Occurrence

Car accidents always make up a large and significant portion of insurance claims and lawsuits every year in different countries and more and more people need the help of a car accident attorney. But, many of the acquired car accident injuries can be attributed to many causes. The following are some of the most common causes of car accidents.

Causes of Car Accidents

• Drunk driving
• Speeding
• Bad Weather
• Disobedience to traffic laws
• Driving while tired
• Underage driving or driving without license
• Distracted driving (ex. Texting while driving)

The majority of car accident claims can be resolved through a civil lawsuit. They basically result in monetary damages award. On the other hand, there are some types of car accidents that may lead to criminal consequences, especially the ones that involve driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI).

The Role of the Causes to the Outcome of the Case

Certainly, the causes of a car accident can affect the outcome of the case, as accidents involving dangerous and reckless behavior, the monetary award for the damages is often higher than those that involve negligence. For example, when a person recklessly disobeys the traffic laws by speeding, he may face a lawsuit for such behavior if it leads to injuries. At the same time, the lawsuit may also result in punitive damages award, which may involve very high amounts of damages.

On the other hand, an accident that is triggered by a bad weather may result in lesser damages. And when the driver is not found liable for any form of violation, he may not be required to pay for the damages. In contrast, cases that involve drunk driving or DUI may result in severe legal consequences. The driver, who is drunk will be subject to penalties, such as the loss of driving privileges, which can be permanent or temporary.

Moreover, the nature of the car accident sometimes indicate which party is responsible. For example, in many rear-end collisions, the accident is often caused by the rear car that follows too closely.

What Happens When the Injured Party to the Cause of the Accident?

At some point, it happens that an injured party is partially at fault because they somehow contributed to the cause of the accident. Say for example, a driver was hit by another car at an intersection, however, both of the cars were found speeding at the time the impact happened. In this case, it's difficult to determine whether or not they would suffer a collision if they were not speeding. Therefore, it can be the case that the injured party is partially at fault in the cause of the accident.

Do I Need Help from A Lawyer?

Having a full understanding of the leading causes of a car accident is a great help when you have a car accident claim. And of course, it's a helpful and a wise idea to have a lawyer beside you for legal representation. Your lawyer would be able to advise you of the specific laws in your state or area and provide guidance through the entire process.

[Photo Credits: By Maxim Ross and Arup Malakar via Flickr]

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