Auto accidents are the leading cause of permanent disability and wrongful death in Kansas.
Across the United States, every six seconds someone is hurt in an auto crash, SUV rollover, or passenger van wreck. The Wichita personal injury attorneys at DeVaughn James have been helping clients with head and neck trauma, broken limbs, back injuries, and other disabling injuries recover full compensation for their injuries for over 30 years!
Major Causes of Auto Accidents
Auto accidents have many causes but nearly 90% of all injuries and fatalities result from six major reasons. Unfortunately, most of these injuries and deaths are due to driver negligence and could have been avoided if reasonable precautions had been taken. Individuals who have been injured in a Kansas traffic collision resulting from the negligence of another driver should consult an expert auto accident attorney to discuss their options for a full and fair recovery of financial damages.
The major reasons for traffic accidents:
Distracted Drivers
According to research conducted by the American Auto Association 25 to 50 percent of all traffic accidents are caused by some form of driver distraction including
- Talking on the telephone
- Looking at scenery
- Texting
- Adjusting the radio or CD player
- Other passengers
- Reading the newspaper, a book, maps or other documents
Tragically many of these collisions are avoidable and result in serious injury due to driver negligence.
Drunk Drivers
Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of accidental deaths and injuries across the country. Last year over 17,000 deaths occurred in automobile crashes caused by drunk drivers. Alcohol related fatalities account for over 40% of all motor vehicle crash deaths. Unfortunately repeat offenders are responsible for the majority of alcohol related deaths and injuries. An alcohol-related vehicle crash kills someone every 31 minutes and seriously injures someone every 2 minutes. If you’ve been injured in a car crash, suffered traumatic brain injury, broken limbs, or any other injury you deserve the highest compensation under the law. DeVaughn James Injury Lawyers will use all of our combined years of experience in personal injury law to hold the responsible party financially liable for your injuries, lost wages, medical expenses and more.
Fatigued Drivers
Car accidents from tired drivers falling asleep at the wheel account for nearly 100,000 collisions a year according to the National Traffic Safety Administration. While this can happen any time most accidents occur from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. resulting from drowsy driving.
When drivers feel fatigued and begin to dose at the wheel they may
- Misjudge traffic situations
- Make dangerous maneuvers because they imagine “objects” in the road
- Fail to maintain travel lane
- Accelerate or decelerate inappropriately
All of these behaviors cause accidents on Kansas roads every day. They are avoidable if the negligent driver would have taken reasonable precautions to stop and rest.
Aggressive Driving
The Kansas Highway Patrol has identified aggressive driving as the cause of avoidable deaths and injuries on the state’s highways and roads. They define it as drivers who “operate their motor vehicles in an aggressive, bold, or pushy manner, without regard for the safety and rights of other drivers…”
Often this behavior is characterized by
- Aggressive tailgating
- Flashing lights at other drivers because they’re irritated at them
- Aggressive or rude gestures
- Deliberately preventing another driver from moving their vehicle
- Verbal abuse
- Physical assaults
- Disregarding traffic signals
- Changing lanes frequently or in an unsafe manner
- Failure to yield the right of way
This pattern of negligent driving kills and hurts innocent drivers every year on Kansas’ roads and highways. If you’ve been involved in a traffic collision that resulted from aggressive driving, it’s vital you consult an expert car crash attorney to protect your rights to a just recovery of financial damages.
Bad Weather Driving
A number of weather conditions are associated with accidents and they include
- Heavy rain
- Hail, snowstorms, and ice
- High winds
- Blowing dust and sand
Inclement weather requires drivers to take precautions to not cause injury to themselves or to others. When visibility is obscured drivers often fail to slow sufficiently. Braking distances become longer and stopping becomes difficult, even impossible, so motorists must be vigilant to drive safely according to what the conditions allow.
Every driver, no matter the road conditions, is required by law to take reasonable precautions during times when weather gets bad. When drivers do not do so, accidents are the result.
Unsafe Driving
Speeding is a multi-tiered threat because not only does it reduce the amount of time necessary to avoid a crash, it also increases the risk of crashing and makes the crash more severe if it does occur. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when speed increases from 40 mph to 60 mph the energy released in a crash more than doubles. Simply slowing down and obeying posted speed limits can go a long way toward making the roads safer.
When you’ve been injured in a car crash, it’s vital you speak with an expert who can help sort out all of the issues related to your accident. Speaking to an experienced and knowledgeable auto crash attorney can help protect your rights to recover fair and just compensation under Kansas law.
Get Help for Your Injuries!
Once you’ve been hurt in a car crash getting the best available medical care is critical to your full recovery. The personal injury lawyers at DeVaughn James often assist auto and taxi cab crash victims to find the best available doctor for their condition. The personal injury attorneys at DeVaughn James understand the difficulty a disabling injury puts a person in. If you are unable to return to work medical and household bills still need to be paid. Our law firm has a depth of experience in compassionately assisting clients throughout Kansas & Missouri to recover lost wages, receive proper medical attention, obtain effective rehabilitation services and win full compensation for pain and suffering. Depending on the facts of your case, we may be able to put you in contact with a lender that will help you with your out of pocket expenses during the time you are unable to work.
Call DeVaughn James in Wichita at 316-888-8888, Topeka at 785-888-8888 or Kansas City at 816-999-9999 now to get the professional help you deserve! We help people throughout Kansas and Missouri and we are the only firm that offers the exclusive “No Fee Guarantee.”