Fatal Car Accidents

Introduction Fatal Car Accident Lawsuits, Lawyers and Cases

Any car accident can upend the life of an injured motor vehicle occupant, but fatal car accidents cause untold grief for surviving family members. In an instant, their loved one may be taken from them if the victim dies at the scene of the crash. A mother and child’s trip to the store can suddenly leave the child without his or her mother (or vice versa). In some fatal car accident cases, the victim does not immediately pass but instead suffers for hours – or days – before the trauma he or she sustained claims his or her life. Family members and loved ones must watch the victim’s life slip away and wonder what pain and anguish their loved one must be suffering.

It may seem terribly offensive to speak about obtaining a monetary damages award after a loved one passes because of a fatal car accident. After all, no amount of money will bring a decedent back to life. Surviving family members, however, should not burden the enormous costs associated with the passing of a loved one alone when that sudden and unexpected passing was brought about by the careless or reckless driving of another.

Causes of Fatal Car Accidents

Approximately 30,000 people die in fatal car crashes each year. This means that approximately 92 people die on America’s roadways each year. The reason these fatal car crashes occur varies:

• Distracted driving: When a driver believes a collision is imminent, he or she may slam on the brakes of the car in an attempt to avoid the crash. Even if the crash is not avoided, the speed at which the collision happens is lower than what it would otherwise be. This helps minimize the severity of injuries that are suffered by the involved parties. However, when a driver is distracted by a cell phone, an electronic device, or by another occupant in the car, he or she may not have time to apply the brakes and reduce the vehicle’s speed prior to impact. This means distracted driving crashes can occur at high speeds, which in turn can increase the chances of a fatal car crash.
• Drunk driving: A driver who is impaired may make dangerous decisions behind the wheel. Because alcohol and other substances impairs a driver’s judgment, coordination, and response time, the drunk driver (like the distracted driver) may not be able to reduce his or her speed prior to colliding with another motor vehicle.
• Excessive speed: Driving in excess of the speed limit or faster than the road and weather conditions warrant reduce the driver’s ability to control the speed and direction of his or her car in the event of an imminent collision. Once more, this means that a speeding driver will not have sufficient time to reduce his or her speed and reduce the force of the impact.
• Different vehicles: Sometimes, the differences between the vehicles involved makes a fatality more likely. For example, a truck or sports utility vehicle may be designed such that the bumper strikes the other vehicle at the torso or head level of the other car. A large and heavy commercial vehicle will transfer greater forces to the other car in the event of a collision than would a motorcycle. Whenever one vehicle is higher than the other, or one vehicle is of a significantly different weight than the other, a fatality accident is more likely to occur.

Aside from the last circumstance mentioned, all of the circumstances that typically lead to fatal car crashes can usually be avoided if the at-fault driver decided to behave in a more careful, more prudent manner.

Fatal Car Accidents Result in Significant Losses

It can be shocking for grieving family members to learn of the true cost of a fatal car accident. The economic losses – the bills and expenses – alone can total thousands upon thousands of dollars. The decedent may have incurred emergency medical expenses and surgical expenses prior to his passing. If the decedent was taken by ambulance or airlifted from the scene of the crash, these will be additional expenses that must be paid. Of course, the decedent’s funeral and burial (or cremation) will cost money. Finally, because the decedent can no longer work, the decedent’s surviving family will be deprived of the decedent’s past and future income. All of this does not consider the emotional pain and suffering of the decedent prior to his or her death as well as the pain and suffering of the surviving family members.

Contact Stern Law, PLLC For Your Drunk Driver Accident Injury Claim Review

While monetary damages will not bring your loved one back, they can provide financial security for you and your family so that you are free to grieve your deceased loved one without worrying about how bills will be paid and how you will move forward without the decedent’s financial assistance. Contact Stern Law, PLLC at (844) 808-7529 and let us help you through this difficult and challenging time.