All drivers have a fundamental responsibility to drive with attention and care in order to ensure the safety of everyone on the road. Unfortunately, every day, thousands of car accidents occur due to the recklessness and carelessness of various parties. After an accident, victims are often left with extensive injuries and property damage and few options to help them pay for their accident-related losses.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, you may be able to take legal action against the person or party responsible for your injuries and other losses. At Robert Wilson & Associates, our Minnesota auto accident lawyers have experience handling a wide variety of car accident cases, and we are ready to put our experience to work for you. Contact our offices today at (612) 334-3444 for the legal assistance you need.
Why do I need a lawyer for my car accident?
Car accidents are almost never clear-cut and rarely as uncomplicated as they may seem. Many actors may be at work in a given claim, including insurance companies, commercial vehicles and contracted drivers, pedestrians, bikers, and more than one passenger vehicle drivers.
Often, individuals injured in car accidents are partially responsible for the collision. Minnesota courts operate on the basis of comparative negligence, a doctrine that allows an injured party to bring a case against a driver if the injured party was fifty percent or less at fault for the accident. For example, if one of your headlights was out but another driver’s reckless speeding was the primary cause of your collision, you may be assigned 10 percent of the fault under comparative negligence. If you seek $100,000 in compensation, then you may be eligible for $90,000.
Determining fault may be difficult without a lawyer, and arguing that you were less than 50 percent at fault may take on great importance in your case. When you’re recovering from a serious car accident, you do not want to be responsible for the stress of building a compelling case in your favor.
A lawyer can also compile various witness testimonies, physical evidence from the collision, insurance documentation, and medical records to prove your injuries were caused by the other driver’s reckless or negligent actions. This investigative work is instrumental in a car accident case and is difficult to take on even without the added pressure of dealing with the aftermath of the accident, such as work-related changes and medical treatment.
Why choose Robert Wilson & Associates?
Robert Wilson & Associates can offer more than three decades of experience and treatment of their clients unmatched by personal injury attorneys throughout the state of Minnesota. We value every client and case as a way to give back to the community and to treat each person like we would a close family member.
The Robert Wilson & Associates team understands from years of experience that the time after a car accident can be emotionally and physically painful, and do the best of our abilities to make the legal process as painless as possible. We ask our clients to provide us with relevant information and then to simply sit back and heal as we win your case. Over the years, we have secured the maximum possible compensation for car accident victims throughout the state of Minnesota and are eager to do so for you, too.
Car Accidents in Minnesota
A study by the Minnesota Office of Public Safety found that in 2017, the Department of Public Safety reported 78,465 car accidents. That amounts to 215 accidents, 1 death, and 81 injuries sustained per day on average in the state of Minnesota.
Driving can be inherently dangerous, even for the safest drivers. Bad weather conditions, construction, and low visibility can pose safety challenges for sober drivers operating at normal speed limits and obeying all traffic laws. When you add a reckless, aggressive, or inattentive driver to the mix, driving on Minnesota roads and highways becomes a threat to an individual’s safety and the safety of the drivers around them.
After an accident, victims are often left with extensive injuries and property damage and few options to help them pay for their accident-related losses. Not only are car accidents often frightening experiences, but they also leave lasting emotional and physical damage that victims should not have to pay the price for.
In the wake of a harrowing accident, many people do not want to consider pursuing legal action for their injuries, thinking the process will be stressful and financially burdensome. But if another person has caused your accident and led you to pay costly medical bills, take time off work, and seek rehabilitative treatment, they should be held responsible for their actions.
Common Causes of Auto Accidents
Even the safest of drivers can be involved in an accident caused by someone else’s careless or reckless behavior. Some of the most unfortunately common causes of auto accidents include:
- Reckless driving – As handheld devices become more prevalent in our daily lives, texting while driving is more dangerous than ever, and has caused many injuries and deaths on Minnesota roads. Reckless driving actions can also include aggressive driving tactics, such as tailgating, and disobeying traffic laws.
- Driver errors – We have all made errors on the road, but have a responsibility to pay as close attention as possible to the vehicles around us to ensure that our actions will not precipitate a collision. Driver errors can include a failure to maintain lanes, driving the wrong way on the road, general inattentiveness to the movements of other drivers, and encompass much more.
- Drunk drivers – The Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety estimated that in 2017 at least 4,418 car crashes were caused by alcohol impairment. 113 deaths and 2,389 injuries were reported in relation to alcohol-impaired driving accidents in the same year, making drunk driving one of the most fatal causes of car accidents in the state. If you or a loved one was injured or killed by a drunk driver, an attorney could help.
- Vehicle defects and malfunctions -Every driver has an obligation to maintain their vehicle. Without regular inspections and tune-ups, vehicles can become dangerous to other drivers on the road not expecting a tire to blow out from the car in front of them, or to have to come to an abrupt stop when another car breaks down. Vehicle malfunctions are a major cause of accidents on Minnesota roads.
- Highway defects – Drivers have to be attuned to all aspects of the landscape, including construction and obstacles that may litter the roads. If you were involved in an accident from debris or defects on the highway, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries from other drivers, contracted construction agencies, or government entities.
Any combination of these elements may cause serious accidents and injuries. When one driver is fully responsible for partaking in one of these actions, the lives of all other drivers on the road are threatened, and you may be eligible to secure compensation for your personal injury claim.
At Robert Wilson & Associates, we are committed to fighting for the rights of car accident victims and helping injured individuals pursue the fair and generous compensation they need for their injury-related losses. If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident, contact an experienced attorney today to begin your pursuit of justice.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident, the Minnesota auto accident attorneys at Robert Wilson & Associates have the qualifications and experience necessary to handle your case. Contact our offices today at (612) 334-3444 to speak with a lawyer about your legal rights and options.
Related Posts: