The National Safety Council estimated that during 2013, 35,200 people died in U.S. traffic accidents, plus there were about 3.8 million crash injuries requiring medical attention. An NSC agency official blamed most of the accidents on human error. Auto accidents with serious damage and injury occur at a rate of once every 14 seconds in the United States leaving millions of people permanently disabled. If you have been hurt, you need to call a top Nashville Auto Accident Attorney right away. Distracted driving has quickly become a major cause of such automobile accidents. 10% of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash by texting or looking at their cell phone according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010 again per the NHTSA. Per The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, five seconds is the average time a driver’s eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded. Other forms of distracted driving include:
- Eating and drinking
- Talking to passengers
- Grooming
- Reading, including maps
- Using a navigation system
- Watching a video
- Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player
The sad fact of car accidents is that they cannot always be avoided by being alert and driving carefully. We all share the road with other drivers, and accidents caused by road conditions or faulty equipment are often beyond driver’s control.
Do Not Rely on Insurance Companies
Insurance company representatives aim to protect company profits. Tennessee is a “fault” state when it comes to automobile accidents and who is on the financial hook. This kind of system focuses on determining who is legally liable for causing a given auto accident, and makes it the responsibility of the at-fault parties to pay for losses associated with the crash. All drivers in Tennessee are required to carry a minimum amount of automobile insurance, specifically $25,000 per person with a cap of $50,000 for each wreck. If two people are injured in a wreck, and the at-fault driver has minimum insurance policy limits, generally speaking the most the insurance company could ever have to pay is $25,000 to each person. If three people are injured in a wreck and the person at fault has minimum limits, the insurance company generally will not have to pay more than $50,000 to all three people combined, and each person cannot recover any more than $25,000. Of course, many drivers break the law and do not carry the required minimum or any insurance at all.
An Accident Attorney Who Focuses On Car Accidents Can Help You
Although you must contact your insurance company when you are involved in an auto accident, you should not provide them with more details than are necessary and you should never offer any opinions about cause or fault. Contact attorney Michael Pence to make sure your best interests and your legal rights are protected. Mr. Pence is an experienced automobile injury attorney who has successfully represented auto accident victims. He will work diligently and fight for you to be fully compensated for all damages resulting from your car accident. You may also be able to recover any wages from missed work and future earnings lost from resulting disabilities. Additionally, you may also be able to receive financial compensation for the pain and suffering you experienced from the accident and your injuries.