Thousands of cars travel across New York State every day. Unfortunately, some of those vehicles will end up in car accidents, resulting in serious injuries to the vehicle occupants. When you get injured in a car accident, you could be looking at a long road to recovery, gigantic medical bills, and the mental stress of figuring out how to handle what comes next. Indeed, the feeling of not knowing what to do after a car accident can be overwhelming.

If you were in a car accident in or around Amherst, our lawyers can help. We are experienced attorneys who have represented plaintiffs injured in car accidents, and now we are ready to represent you. We can provide professional and competent legal representation and fight hard for you to get the financial compensation you deserve after a car accident.

Call The Carrion Law Firm’s car accident lawyers at (718) 841-0083 to get a free case review.

Causes of Car Accidents in Amherst, NY

Car accidents are caused by all sorts of different things. Most car accidents that result in lawsuits were caused by another party’s negligence. In any car accident lawsuit, it is important for our car accident lawyers to prove that the defendant actually caused your injuries as one of the “elements” or parts that make up negligence. Going over the specific facts of your accident and figuring out the specific causes or causes of your injuries can help us bring the right parties to court so you have the best chance of recovering damages.

Negligent Drivers

One of the most common causes of car accidents is driver negligence. In law, negligence means that someone acted carelessly, and their carelessness led to your injuries. In other words, the defendant did not act how a reasonable person would have acted under the circumstances. In a car accident, driver negligence can take many forms. For example, it would be negligent for a driver to follow someone too closely on the road. Following a motorist too closely, or tailgating, can lead to accidents because the tailgating driver has less time to react to sudden things happening around them and may crash into the vehicle in front of them. A reasonable driver would not tailgate, so a tailgating driver that hit and injured you could be found negligent in a court of law.

In addition, drivers can also be negligent by not following traffic laws. In these instances, the driver is negligent because there is a law or rule in place that makes their conduct negligent. For example, driving above the speed limit is prohibited, so a driver that speeds and injures someone is negligent purely because they were going over the speed limit.

Finally, drivers can be negligent by doing criminal acts, like drunk driving or driving away after a hit-and-run accident.

Vehicle Defects

Problems with the vehicle itself can also cause car accidents. In these cases, the driver might not be wholly responsible for your injuries; a manufacturing company or car company could also be a possible defendant.

Defects are generally categorized as design defects or manufacturing defects. First, design defects are problems with the vehicle that are inherent in its design. For example, the 1970s Ford Pinto had a design defect where the gas tank was particularly prone to catching fire. A more modern design defect might be a self-driving mechanism that disengages without warning or an ignition switch that turns the car off.

Second, manufacturing defects are problems with the construction or maintenance of the vehicle, not things inherent in its design. Examples of manufacturing defects could include improperly installed airbags that do not deploy, hairline cracks in the chassis of the vehicle, or faulty transmissions. If your vehicle had a manufacturing defect that injured you, you might have a claim against not just the manufacturer but also the mechanic or vehicle maintenance company that worked on the car and caused the defect.

Types of Car Accidents We Can File Lawsuits for in Amherst, NY

Our lawyers can help with a variety of car accidents which you may want to file lawsuits for. The type of accident that you were in can provide helpful information to our lawyers in building your case and making sure you sue the right parties in court.

Head-On Collisions

Head-on collisions are often caused by two cars traveling at each other in opposite lands. One motorist loses control of their vehicle or moves too far into the oncoming lane and hits the other vehicle. These accidents can be especially dangerous at high speeds. Modern vehicles have a built-in “crumple zone” in the front and rear that is designed to absorb some of the impact forces in a car accident. However, many older vehicles do not have this feature, and at high speeds, motorists can still suffer very serious injuries even with the benefit of modern safety features.

T-Bone Accidents

T-bone accidents are when a car hits another vehicle perpendicularly in one of the side doors. These accidents are especially likely to cause serious injuries because there is a less physical car between the oncoming vehicle and the passenger of the struck vehicle. T bone accidents frequently result in broken bones, bruising, and cuts or puncture wounds.

Single-Vehicle Accidents

You can still sue in court for some single-vehicle accidents. These accidents can sometimes be written off as purely the fault of the driver, but this is sometimes not the case. For example, manufacturing defects could cause the driver to lose control of their vehicle when attempting an otherwise safe maneuver, or poor road conditions could make a driver get in an accident that could have been avoided were the roads well-maintained. If the crash was the driver’s fault and you were injured as a passenger, you can often sue the driver.

Talk With Our Amherst, NY, Car Accident Lawyers Right Away

The Carrion Law Firm’s car accident lawyers are ready to take your calls and give free case reviews at (718) 841-0083.