Common car injuries can lead to minor medical expenses, but a catastrophic injury caused by a car can change your life. By definition, a catastrophic injury leaves the victim with life-altering physical damages. If you or someone you love suffered a catastrophic injury in an automobile, our San Jose personal injury lawyer can help you seek compensation for any damages you suffered as a result.
Catastrophic injuries include:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Amputations
Since 1966, our team of attorneys at Shea & Shea – A Professional Law Corporation has helped victims of catastrophic car injuries and their families seek financial compensation for severe injuries. Combined, our team has more than 100 years of legal experience. Together, we can help you seek the compensation you deserve for your life-changing injury. Call our Northern California office at (408) 292-2434 today to find out more.
What are the most common causes of car accidents?
People tend to focus on the statistics of car accidents – how old is the driver. How old was the motor vehicle?
A car accident is more than just the numbers – many people are at stake here, including the victim and his loved ones. Lost income and medical costs are just the tips of the iceberg. Mental and emotional trauma – including pain and suffering – are also potential problems, and this could affect the victim for life.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 94% of car accidents resulted from driver error. Back in 2017, almost 38,000 people died from car accidents.
The following are the most common causes of motor vehicle collisions:
1. Distracted driving is the most common cause of motor vehicle accidents in the United States. This can take the form of chatting, eating, drinking, texting, or even switching the radio station.
Anything that causes the driver to take his eyes off the road even for split second counts as a distraction. When driving, it’s imperative that you avoid any unnecessary tasks or distractions.
2. Over speeding. Whether you’re running late for a meeting or just in a hurry to get somewhere, overspeeding is never acceptable. It is the second most common cause of car accidents and accounts for over 50% of all motor vehicle accidents in the United States. This also causes more serious personal injury since braking hard after going too fast generates a larger force. It’s even more devastating if the auto accident involves other motor vehicles. The speed limit posted for each state may vary, but it isn’t an arbitrary number – it’s the result of many traffic-engineering studies.
Similarly, going too slow is also dangerous and against the law since it can be a cause for a car accident.
3. Driving under the influence (of drugs and alcohol) is not only against the law but also against a potential cause of a car accident. Intoxicated drivers are responsible for as much as 30% of all traffic-related fatalities. Even if you think you’re sober, once you’ve had a drink, it’s time to put your car keys away. Alcohol intoxication can impair your reaction time, coordination, vision, and comprehension.
4. Falling asleep on the wheel does happen, especially those who work graveyard shifts. For your information, adults need six to eight hours of sleep per night. A sleep-deprived driver can be just as dangerous as a drunk driver.
5. Poor weather conditions are one uncontrollable cause of motor vehicle accidents. During bad weather, it’s best to just stay at home. Slippery roads and poor visibility are just some of the hazards that await.
Negligence Can Come In Several Forms
Our firm can assist if you have been involved in a car injury due to:
- The carelessness of a distracted driver
- A driver who was drunk behind the wheel
- A hit-and-run motorist
- A rear-end collision that resulted in vehicle damage and/or injury
Recovering Full Compensation for Your Damages
Insurance liability limits may keep you from making a full recovery. To ensure that our clients get fair compensation for their injuries, we concentrate on uncovering facts that support the pursuit of compensation from multiple sources. Our goal is to maximize the amount available to meet your claims because, in the worst injury cases, you will need to recover as much as you can.
We can investigate the possibility of litigation against any number of defendants, including:
- Car companies
- The manufacturer of defective auto parts
- The party responsible for defective highway design or unsafe road conditions
- A negligent or careless driver
- Your own insurer
Our San Jose personal injury lawyers have the legal experience, scientific insight, and medical knowledge needed to obtain optimal results in cases involving brain injury, spinal cord injury, neck and back injury, and other catastrophic injuries. If your case involves a serious injury, contact us today. We concentrate on severe car injury claims and are ready to put our experience to work in your case.
The Cost of a Catastrophic Injury
Catastrophic injuries require months – even years – of medical treatment. Some injured people are left with medical issues that will influence the rest of their lives. These injuries are not only emotionally devastating but pose an overwhelming financial burden on the victim and his/her family. On average, the average expense of a spinal cord injury ranges between $499,023 and $1,023,924 in the first year alone.
Should I Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?
The car accident is just the start of your problems. Going through the claims process and interacting with insurance companies on your own can be quite tricky. There’s always that chance that the insurance company will give you less than the compensation you deserve. A car accident lawyer can help you navigate through the process, and you can rest assured you have someone on your corner to win your case.
CONTACT OUR OFFICE TODAY FOR YOUR FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION
At Shea & Shea – A Professional Law Corporation, we are proud of our accomplishments, including our listing in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and our AV® peer review rating. However, we are most proud of what we have been able to accomplish for our clients in the past four decades. To find out more about how we can help you in the aftermath of your injury, call (408) 292-2434 or contact us by email.
AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished, and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards, and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary.
Martindale-Hubbell®’s Peer Review Rating™ falls into two categories—legal ability and general ethical standards.
Areas We Serve:
San Jose | San Francisco