Being a New Yorker is a special quality: several generations have learned to get by without even having a driver’s license. Between the subway, city taxis and city buses, many people can live their entire lives without having to get behind the wheel.
As the city expands and people expand into smaller, more familiar neighborhoods, the need to drive their own vehicle increases. More people are choosing to commute so they can enjoy their jobs in the big city while living in a suburban neighborhood. With so many more travelers on the roads, because accidents are bound to happen and it’s just a matter of when and where.
According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, in 2009 there were more than 250,000 accidents reported by police officers, and more than 300,000 believed to have occurred in total. Of these, 15,000 involved pedestrians, 5,000 bicycles and 5,000 motorcycles. The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles also reported that this year there were more than 8,000 accidents related to alcohol in some way.
With such a large number of car accidents, many people are injured and cannot return to work for some time. Being injured in an accident can be one of the most frustrating times in a person’s life, but fighting for a full recovery is usually your only option.
Whether a city taxi is involved in the accident, a commercial truck or van, or a passenger vehicle, because accidents are an inescapable fact of life. Even in a city so well known for its streamlined public transportation system, pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and other innocent drivers will still be involved in car accidents on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, in a city with so many unlicensed drivers, driver inexperience can play a larger than normal role in car accidents. Other common causes of car accidents involve all forms of recklessness, inattention, and driver carelessness. Such examples would include: reckless driving, speeding, texting while driving, going the wrong way on a one-way street, tailgating, and drunk driving.
One of the most frequent causes of car accidents includes driver distractions. There are three types of driver distractions, including visual distractions, manual distractions, and cognitive distractions. For example, a visual distraction might include a person turning to talk to her child in the back seat or looking at a television screen in the car; visual distractions take your eyes off the road. A manual distraction is simply any type of distraction that can take your hands off the wheel, such as putting on makeup, eating, texting, or even trying to drive without your hands. The third type of distraction, cognitive distraction, is a type of distraction that takes a person’s mind off what he is doing. This can include drinking and driving or falling asleep at the wheel.
Driver negligence is a serious problem that can wreak havoc on other drivers and passengers sharing the road. Whether the driver was reading a map while driving, eating while shifting gears, or texting a friend while driving their motor vehicle, all of these types of behaviors can lead to a serious car accident. In nearly all car accidents, driver negligence played a major role in the collision, leading to disastrous consequences for those around the negligent driver.
Car accidents remain one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and New York State is no exception. The vast majority of car accidents could have been prevented if the driver had paid more attention and driven more safely. Because almost all car accidents are preventable, when drivers cause bodily injury or death to others, they can be held legally and financially responsible for any harm they cause to other people.
If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident, or if you lost a loved one in a wrongful death, you may have grounds to file a personal injury lawsuit against the legally responsible party. It would be unfair to make you bear the bills and a lifetime of consequences for someone else’s negligent behavior. A personal injury attorney will be able to help you in the matter. They can enlist the help of accident reconstruction experts, medical professionals, and witness testimony in building a strong case. They may be able to help you obtain the maximum compensation that covers your medical expenses, any pain and suffering, lost wages, and future lost wages. Don’t hesitate to contact an experienced personal injury attorney today!
