While safety-minded drivers and conscientious police officers do everything, they can to reduce the threats of hazardous driving, road accidents are still a daily part of the news cycle in Duluth.
The US as a whole suffered more than 37,000 deaths caused by auto accidents in 2017. Georgia’s share of that sad total was 624 fatalities coming from 591 different motor vehicle accidents. That’s nearly two road deaths a year, all year long.
An accident – possibly even a serious one – is an inevitable possibility whenever you drive or ride in Duluth, Georgia. Auto accidents have the potential to permanently harm their victims. Death is, as noted above, a real possibility. Even those that survive an accident may be left with significant injuries, life-long effects, and tremendous pain. Even after medical treatment, some victims find themselves unable to return to the lifestyle or work that they engaged in before their car accident. The medical treatment required for auto accidents, as well as other expenses, can impose real financial hardships on victims, too.
If you or one of your relatives suffers an injury in a Duluth auto accident, be aware that you may be owed compensation. Arrange a free consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys to find out where you stand!
Our firm is a highly specialized one. We are personal injury attorneys who concentrate on helping Georgia residents who have been injured car accidents. Our lawyers have accumulated decades of experience with personal injury law, covering a wide range of different types of road accidents.
Examples include:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- DUIs
- Motorcycle accidents
Thanks to our commitment to client satisfaction and the high demand for our services, we currently operate eight offices to serve a wider range of potential clients. You can get in touch with our Duluth GA office and set up a free consultation by calling (404) 875-0900.
Car Accidents in Duluth: Common Causes Based on extensive research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver error is the most common cause of car accidents.
The margin is a huge one; driver error was found to be responsible for fully 94 percent of the crashes included in the NHTSA study. But “driver error” is, in itself, a wide category. It can be broken down into many sub-categories depending on road condition, driver behavior, and more.
Here are just some of the more specific causes that can lead to a car accident in Duluth:
- Speeding
- Drunk or drugged driving
- Reckless or distracted driving
- Running red lights
- Severe weather
- Night driving
- Tailgating
- Wrong-way driving
- Vehicle failures (e.g. tire blowouts or design defects)
- Road construction
- Road defects
- Illegal turns
- Inexperienced drivers
- Animals on the road
Distracted Driving in Duluth, Georgia
Distracted driving continues to be a problem of growing significance. Since it started appearing in accident reports decades ago, distracted driving has become a causative factor in more and more accidents every year. The technical definition of distracted driving is “any sort of driving combined with any other activity which diverts the driver’s attention from the road.”
Drivers that allow themselves to be distracted pose a danger to themselves, their passengers, other vehicles on the road with them, and even pedestrians. Many things can distract a driver and cause an accident, but in recent years, cellphones have become the overwhelming cause of distracted driving. Nationwide data gathered in 2013 shows that over a million motor vehicle accidents were caused by drivers engaging in phone calls and another 340,000 were caused by texting.
Specific driver behaviors that can lead to a distracted driving accident include:
- Placing or taking phone calls while driving
- Reading or sending text messages
- Adjusting music (e.g. tuning the radio or changing volume)
- Applying makeup
- Talking with passengers
- Losing focus due to fatigue (AKA “zoning out”)
- Managing pets or children in the car
- Eating or drinking behind the wheel
While these behaviors do not guarantee that a distracted driving accident will occur, they all increase risk. And as noted above, that risk applies to many other people in addition to the distracted driver.
You may be entitled to compensation if you or a loved one was injured in an accident caused by distracted driving. Please feel free to call us today. We will be happy to discuss the nature of your accident and help you determine if filing a personal injury lawsuit is an appropriate way to secure the compensation you deserve.
Duluth Car Accidents Caused By Alcohol Or Drugs
The state of Georgia has traffic safety laws specifically intended to reduce the threat posed by motorists who drive under the influence, particular those who drive drunk. Georgia law places the threshold of intoxication for drivers in the state at a level of 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
Operating a road vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is considered an especially heinous offense because the threat posed by such driving falls disproportionately on other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians who have the misfortune of coming into an impaired driver’s proximity. Alcohol is a prime or contributing cause in accidents that kill roughly 29 people a day in the United States.
The influence of drugs is also a significant factor in many (roughly 16 percent) motor vehicle accidents. These statistics are all the more upsetting because alcohol and drug-related accidents are entirely preventable. Individuals who choose to drive in an intoxicated or influenced state can be considered reckless, negligent, and careless. Research conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that one in three traffic accident deaths in the United States can be ascribed to accidents where an intoxicated driver is responsible.
Statistics show that across the whole nation, 1.9 percent of drivers will admit to driving in an intoxicated state. The numbers are very slightly better for the state of Georgia, where the percentage of drivers making such an admission is only 1.5.
You may be in a position to file a claim or lawsuit and secure compensation if you or someone you love suffered an injury in a road accident that involved an intoxicated driver. Talk to an experienced attorney after such an accident to learn more about your options.
Georgia Car Accidents And Serious Injuries
Many car accidents have fatal results, but serious and permanent injuries are also a sad possibility. Permanent car accident injuries can make it impossible for victims to return to their pre-accident lifestyle.
The number of people who suffer debilitating and permanent injuries in car accidents is hard to quantify; in an average year, anywhere from 20 to 50 million may suffer such injuries. The financial costs of serious injuries are severe, too.
In 2012, for example, the total cost of car crash injuries in the United States was roughly 18 billion dollars.
Common injuries that occur in motor vehicle accidents include:
- Head injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Internal injuries / internal bleeding
- Broken bones
- Cuts and lacerations
- Chest injuries
- Extremity injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Back injuries (e.g. herniated discs)
- Neck injuries
Further details on specific injuries: Spinal Cord Injury
Any damage to the spinal cord itself or at the base of the spinal canal can cause a spinal cord injury. Sensation, control, and strength of extremities and regions below the injury can be affected permanently and negatively by spinal cord damage.
In addition to the location of the spinal cord injury, its effects will vary based on the severity of the damage.
Spinal cord damage severity comes in two broad categories:
- Complete: A complete spinal cord injury results in the complete loss of sensation and motor function control below the injury.
- Incomplete: If the victim retains some measure of motor function control and/or sensation below the injury, it is classified as incomplete.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injuries, also called TBIs, can be some of the most serious and life-altering consequences of an auto accident. TBIs are caused either by foreign objects penetrating through the skull and into the brain tissue or by sharp and violent blows to the head that transfer a dangerous amount of energy to the brain.
In foreign object TBIs, the intruding object can be a piece of debris or fragments of the skull itself. Traumatic brain injuries can lead to severe long-term health problems or even death.
Following a TBI, a victim may be left in a severely reduced state of consciousness.
Possible consciousness outcomes after a TBI include:
- Vegetative state
- Comatose
- Minimally conscious
- Braindead
If you have a loved one who has suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident, it is wise to seek counsel from a personal injury attorney. They can guide you through your legal rights and help you take appropriate steps to seek fair compensation for the injury and loss stemming from your loved one’s accident.
Whiplash
A powerful impact in a vehicle can subject occupants’ heads and necks to violent jolts. The transmission of stress energy into the tendons and muscles of the neck can strain and damage them.
Symptomatic results can include soreness, stiffness, pain, mobility restrictions, and recurrent headaches. In severe cases, the symptoms caused by a whiplash injury may persist for months or even years.
Bone Fractures
A strong enough collision force applied at an inappropriate angle can easily break bones in a car accident. Even properly functioning safety devices like airbags and seatbelts can cause bone fractures (rib fractures are particularly common) while preventing more serious injuries.
The long bones of the arms and legs can break in a car accident if the accident throws them with sufficient force into the interior of the vehicle. Any of the injuries mentioned above can decrease the overall quality of an accident victim’s life.
They can have significant long-term effects on one’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The difficulty of dealing with an injury can place a strain on the victim’s family, social, and professional lives.
Motor Vehicle Accident Injuries: The Real Cost Depending on the extent and severity of the injuries you receive; a car accident can become a fantastically expensive problem.
Visiting an emergency room after an auto average costs, on average, $3,300. Medium or long-term hospitalization due to a car accident can be far more expensive, with total costs reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even after immediate medical steps have been taken, injuries sustained in an accident may prevent you from returning to work for weeks, months, or even years.
The expenses incurred by accident injuries, combined with the reduction in earning potential they often cause, can subject victims to incredible financial hardship.
If you were injured in an accident which was not your fault, you may deserve compensation for any of these losses:
- Loss of job and/or loss of income
- Reduction in future earning ability
- Cost of medical treatment
- Paying insurance bills
- Repairing or replacing a vehicle damaged in the accident
Determining whether or not you are entitled to compensation, and if so, how much, is complicated. Speak to an experienced personal injury attorney to find out where you stand.
If you call us for expert advice on personal injury issues, we will be happy to answer your questions and ensure that your rights as the victim of an accident are fully protected.
What A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Do for You
While practicing safe and smart driving habits is a great way to minimize your risk on the road, there is no way to eliminate your risk entirely. You may find yourself in a car accident even after doing everything right.
Motor vehicle accidents are the single greatest cause of injury in the United States. Every year, more than 2.5 million individuals need hospital treatment as a result of an auto accident. Because almost all car accidents are caused by driver error (see above), there is almost always someone at fault in a car accident.
If you or a relative suffer an injury in a car accident, our personal injury attorneys can build the strongest possible case to help you secure the compensation you’re entitled to. Our goal is to make sure you have the resources you need to recover as quickly and completely as possible following an accident.
These are just some of the steps we take:
- Analyzing police reports
- Locating and questioning witnesses
- Gathering data from the scene of the accident
- Collecting all pertinent medical records
- Discussing injuries, treatment, and recovery prospects with medical professionals
- Investigating the driving records of all involved parties
- Initiating settlement procedures when appropriate
- Taking claims to trial if a settlement is rejected
A victim who secures experienced legal counsel in the aftermath of an auto accident is simply protecting his or her best interests. Personal injury law is a tremendously complicated field; let our injury lawyers in Duluth guide you through it.
A trustworthy and effective personal injury firm gives you a strong advantage in the fight to secure fair compensation.
Contact Us Today
Our firm believes that you can take steps to limit how much an accident costs you. The kind of injuries you might suffer in an auto accident can be severe and long-lasting. This does not mean that you have to accept a complete change in your lifestyle as a result of your accident!
Our highly experienced legal team is standing by to help you improve the quality of your life after an accident, in both the short and long term. We respect all of our clients, strive to answer all of their questions to the best of our abilities, and do everything we can to advocate in their best interests.
We handle a range of personal injury claims related to vehicle accidents, including:
- Injuries caused by vehicle or equipment defects
- Injuries incurred in workplace accidents that may include worker’s compensation issues
- Injuries taking place on private property
- Suspected prenatal injuries sustained by pregnant women in accidents
We operate a pair of law offices to provide comprehensive personal injury services to Duluth and the whole state of Georgia. We will always have someone available to answer your questions during business hours.
If you or a loved one have suffered an injury in an accident in Duluth, Georgia, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. You can contact us online or simply call (404) 875-0900.
