Posted on October 20, 2021 in Firm News

A motorcycle accident can leave you physically and emotionally devastated. Plus, you're bound to have a mountain of medical bills, and you won't be working during your recovery time.

If the accident was due to another driver's mistake, you have every right to expect compensation. What you can claim depends on the facts surrounding your crash as well as the seriousness of your injuries. Here are some of the possibilities:

Medical expenses

You can seek compensation for the treatment of injuries you have sustained following the accident as well as future health complications resulting from the accident. A motorcycle accident can result in brain and internal injuries, broken bones and psychological trauma – all these can cost tens of thousands of dollars to treat.

Lost income

Depending on the severity of the accident, you may spend weeks, months or even years out of work. You can seek compensation for lost past and future wages while recovering from your injuries. Also, you may sue for lost earning potential if the injuries result in a permanent disability.

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 Posted on October 18, 2021 in Car Accidents

As your parents get older, you might worry about their ability to stay safe when driving. Aging can make driving riskier for two reasons. First, it reduces our ability to drive well. Second, it reduces our ability to survive a crash.

The proof is in the numbers. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) figures for 2018 showed that almost 5,000 older adults needed emergency treatment after car crashes each week, and nearly 150 died each week.

How does aging affect driving ability?

Old age affects our ability to do certain things:

• Seeing: Good vision is essential to safe driving. Glasses can help up to a point, but some people's eyesight may deteriorate to where it is no longer safe to drive.
• Hearing: Our ears help us detect what is happening around us. Hearing children's laughter reminds us to slow down. Hearing an impatient driver's horn alerts us to get out of someone's way.
• Thinking: Age can affect mental sharpness and cause slower decision-making. Driving requires fast decisions.

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 Posted on October 13, 2021 in Pedestrian Accidents

Walking is good for your mind and your body — but walking isn't always the safest mode of transportation.

Serious accidents involving pedestrians have been on the rise, even as overall roadway traffic accidents have declined. Even though traffic on the roads was pretty thin during much of 2020, for example, 94 pedestrians and bicyclists lost their lives in the Northern Virginia, Maryland and D.C. metro area alone. An untold number of others suffered serious, life-altering injuries.

Safety is a shared responsibility between drivers and pedestrians

The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reminding everyone that October is National Pedestrian Safety Month, and the agency wants drivers and pedestrians alike to remember one thing: Everybody is in this together.

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 Posted on September 17, 2021 in Car Accidents

In cities across the U.S., pedestrians share the roads with drivers of motor vehicles. When people need to cross the street or enter traffic to get to their destination, they need to carefully follow traffic laws in order to avoid being hit by a car.

Unfortunately, not all motorists practice safe driving habits when around pedestrians. Countless people are injured due to other driver's careless acts.

For example, a pedestrian may be crossing a busy city street that is controlled by a traffic signal and a walk/do not walk signal. The pedestrian waits for the "walk" signal and, when it appears, they start to cross the street.

A truck approaches the intersection and disregards the red left-turn arrow. They speed through the intersection, striking the pedestrian, causing them to suffer serious injuries.

How an injured pedestrian may recover damages after being hit by a vehicle

As traffic officers respond to the scene, they may speak to the driver and, if possible, the pedestrian. If other people saw the accident, the police may want to speak to them as well.

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 Posted on September 16, 2021 in Truck Accidents

Tanker trucks haul liquids around the country. People usually see this type of semitruck trailer at gas stations delivering fuel. It's imperative that the drivers of these rigs understand the safety features of them as well as the safe operating procedures when they drive.

One of the challenges of these trucks is that the liquids slosh around, which can make the trailer unstable. The rig might be difficult to control if that happens. Because of this, it takes an experienced tanker driver to handle these loads safely.

Safety is always a priority

Some people might assume that a fully loaded tanker truck is more dangerous than a partially loaded one. This isn't at all the case. A fully loaded tank is more stable because the liquid doesn't have as much room to slosh about.

Tanker trucks usually have advanced safety systems to help prevent accidents. This includes safety valves or electronic stability control modules. The safety valves help to keep the liquid contained if the truck is in a crash. The electronic stability control module can help to prevent the truck from rolling over or having other stability issues.

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 Posted on August 13, 2021 in Car Accidents

Motor vehicle collisions are one of the most common ways that people suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Contact sports and falls are other leading causes.

While every TBI is unique, the impact they have on people can be easier to predict. Regardless of the symptoms, TBIs frequently affect someone's ability to keep a job. They can require expensive medical care and even in-home nursing care or life support systems in extreme cases.

Understanding how a TBI occurs in a car crash can help you build a case for compensation after you were a loved one suffer a brain injury in a wreck.

Blunt force trauma

The most obvious way that a car crash could hurt someone's brain is through blunt force trauma. A driver could hit their forehead on the steering wheel or the side window. A passenger could strike the dashboard, the windshield or even the headrest of the seat in front of them. Those thrown from a vehicle could strike their head and suffer possibly fatal brain injuries.

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 Posted on August 11, 2021 in Truck Accidents

Commercial trucks are big for an obvious reason. Their size reflects the economy of scale for modern surface shipping. The more that they can haul at once, the less shipping costs for a company will be. Large trailers are more efficient than using smaller vehicles closer to the size of passenger vehicles to transport merchandise materials and equipment.

Big commercial trucks can deliver an entire week's worth of produce to a restaurant or a season's worth of merchandise. Their design focuses on efficiency for shipping, rather than on safety and ease of driving. Unfortunately, the size of commercial trucks plays a direct role in how dangerous they are for others in traffic.

The bigger the vehicle, the harder it is to see around

Commercial trucks with a single trailer are longer than multiple passenger vehicles put together. Many commercial trucks have extra mirrors added to the cab that protrude out to the side and have multiple reflective surfaces pointed in various angles.

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 Posted on August 09, 2021 in Car Accidents

Most drivers are aware of the typical hazards that can make operating a motor vehicle in Virginia and elsewhere especially dangerous. That includes situations caused by ice, fog, heavy rain and road construction. There are drivers who are under the influence, distracted drivers, drivers who are speeding and drivers who are overly aggressive. But there is another potential problem that most drivers encounter daily and probably never think twice about – intersections.

Intersections can be tricky at best and downright hazardous at worst, not just for the person behind the wheel, but for pedestrians and bicyclists. Incredibly, something that most drivers deal with every day can be very dangerous. In fact, "[I]ntersection crashes account for about 50% of crashes according to the Federal Highway Administration." Even more concerning is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's finding that almost all intersection collisions "involve driver error or inattention."

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 Posted on August 09, 2021 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

Ideally, you want to avoid every kind of collision. However, if you had to choose, you would probably rather have a fender-bender in a parking lot than a highway collision with a big truck.

Traveling at high speeds near huge semi-trucks can put you at risk. There are two things that you can do to help keep yourself safer when you have to drive close to a big commercial vehicle.

1. Give them as much space as possible to respect their blind spots.

Commercial trucks are hard to maneuver, and they are also so large that the drivers can't reasonably see all the way around them.

Even with extra mirrors, the truck driver may not see someone right beside or behind them. The more space you can give commercial trucks in heavy traffic, the less likely you are to wind up in one of their blind spots.

2. Never merge in front of a truck unless you're traveling faster than it is.

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 Posted on July 12, 2021 in Car Accidents

Whether you're having engine trouble, you've got a flat tire or you've been in a fender-bender with another vehicle, you're eventually going to need to pull your car over to the side of the road and wait for assistance.

Unfortunately, being stuck at the side of the road can put you in harm's way from other vehicles — whether you're in or out of your car.

Tips for safety at the side of the road

Even in an emergency, you can usually steer your car a little before you park it. Here's what you need to keep in mind.

1. The right side of the road is best. Usually, that's the side that will give you the most room to be out of traffic's way.
2. Put your hazard lights on right away. Hit that button as soon as you know you're having trouble or before you move the car following a sudden stop.
3. Move as far off the road as possible. You may have a lot of room or barely any, so do your best. Every inch or two can make a difference.

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