Auto, Truck & Motorcycle Accidents
Automobile * School Bus * Drunk Drivers * Large Trucks * Motorcycle
Auto Accidents
Every year millions of people are injured in motor vehicle accidents – many very seriously. In order to ensure the best possible results for each client, the practiced attorneys at Bretz Law Offices use their experience to investigate every possible, contributing cause of an accident. To make sure that you receive full compensation for your injuries, we thoroughly evaluate all the facts involved and will take over the investigation so that you can concentrate on recovering from your injuries. In addition, we can assist you in finding medical specialists and we can make arrangements with your medical care providers to wait for payment until your case is resolved through settlement or trial.
Automobile accidents are generally decided using the law of negligence. A person who negligently operates a vehicle may be required to pay any damages caused by their negligence, either to person or property. Generally, people who operate automobiles must exercise “reasonable care under the circumstances.” Failure to use reasonable care is the basis in most lawsuits for damages caused by an automobile accident.
Courts look to a number of factors in determining whether a driver was negligent. Some examples of these factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
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Driving too fast or too slow
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Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
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Failing to signal while turning
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Disregarding weather and traffic conditions
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Disobeying traffic signs or signals
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Failing to drive on the right side of the road
A driver may also be liable for an accident caused by intentional or reckless conduct. A driver who is reckless is one who drives unsafely, with willful and wanton disregard for the likelihood that the driving may cause an accident.
School Bus Accidents
A school bus-related crash is a crash that involves, either directly or indirectly, a school bus-type vehicle, or a vehicle transporting children to or from school or school-related activities. Since 1989 there have been about 411,000 fatal traffic crashes in the U.S. Of those, 0.31 percent (1,291) were classified as school bus related. Since 1989, 1,445 people have died in school bus-related crashes – an average of 131 fatalities per year. Most of the people who lost their lives in these crashes (65 percent) were occupants of other vehicles involved.
Drunk Drivers
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, drunk drivers caused more than 1.2 million injuries and deaths in 1989. The law cannot replace a loved one but it does provide means of recovery for victims. Victims can sue the drunk driver under the general laws of negligence, but often, the drunk driver is either uninsured or underinsured and has few, if any, assets to support a lawsuit.
Even if there is no way to pursue recovery against the drunk driver, there may be a way to pursue recovery against the person who provided the alcoholic beverage to the drunk driver. Liability may be imposed either under specific state laws (“dram shop acts”) or under the general law of negligence. Liability can attach to “social hosts” as well. A social host is an individual who serves alcoholic beverages in a social setting, such as a home or party, or as where an employer serves alcoholic beverages at a company. The social host is not required to make sure that no one is consuming more alcohol than they can handle unless the host can reasonably be aware of a problem and prevent it.
Large Truck Accidents
Accidents involving large trucks are among the most serious and most deadly in the United States. The following represents facts and figures regarding large truck accidents and the serious damage they inflict on our roadways every year. In 2000 alone, 457,000 large trucks (gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds) were involved in traffic crashes in the United States, with 4,930 of those fatal crashes. A total of 5,211 people died, (12 percent of all the traffic fatalities reported in 2000) and an additional 140,000 were injured in those crashes. One out of eight traffic fatalities in 2000 resulted from a collision involving a large truck. Of these fatalities, 74 percent were occupants of another vehicle, eight percent were non-occupants and 14 percent were occupants of the involved truck. Of all injuries that resulted from crashes involving large trucks, 76 percent were occupants of another vehicle, two percent were non-occupants, and 22 percent were occupants of the involved truck.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of an automobile accident, call Bretz Law Office today to schedule your free initial consultation. We look forward to assisting you in any way we can.
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The above is not legal advice. That can only come from a qualified attorney who is familiar with all the facts and circumstances of a particular, specific case and the relevant law.
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