Common Types of Car Accidents and How To Avoid Them

Common Types of Car Accidents and How To Avoid Them

There are many types of car accidents resulting in injuries to drivers and passengers, but some are much more common than others. These types of accidents occur hundreds of times on a daily basis across U.S. and Texas roadways. If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident in Texas, you should speak with a Dallas car accident lawyer today.  Below is a list of the six most common types of auto accidents, and some tips on how you can avoid them.

1. Rear-End Accidents

One of the first things you learn when you are a beginner driver is to not hit the car in front of you. As simple as this sounds, rear-end collisions account for 25 to 30 percent of all car accidents.

Perhaps we drive close to the car in front of us because we think it will help us get to our destinations quicker. Or we don’t think that the car in front of us will step on his or her brakes until after we finish sending our text. However, car accident statistics show that this isn’t the case. While rear-end accidents are usually not viewed as anything more than a fender bender, they can and do cause serious injuries frequently.

Avoiding rear-end crashes: Leave ample space between your car and the one in front of you. You learned this in drivers’ education – don’t forget it now. Also, don’t drive distracted. Don’t access your cell phone while you are behind the wheel.

2. Falling Asleep Behind the Wheel

This may not seem like that likely of an event, but falling asleep at the wheel happens more than you think. In fact, it’s estimated that about 7 percent of all car accidents, and 21 percent of crashes with fatalities, are caused by sleeping or drowsy drivers. Additionally, nearly 37 percent of drivers have admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel at least once in their lives.

Avoiding falling asleep behind the wheel: This one is simple – if you haven’t had enough sleep, or you feel drowsy, don’t get behind the wheel. There isn’t anything so important that you should take the risk of driving while you are so tired.

3. Losing Control of Your Car

Losing control of a vehicle causes about 11 percent of all car accidents. This percentage may seem like quite a large number because it’s hard to imagine losing control of your vehicle, but it does happen. A driver who is driving at too high of a speed can easily lose control going around a curve. Wet roads can also cause drivers to lose control. There are many other reasons that a driver may lose control. Really, any surprise situation whether a sudden turn or stop, an animal in the road, or anything that demands an instant response, can cause even an experienced driver to lose control.

Avoiding losing control of your car: Always keep in mind that your driving skills are not the only thing at play when you are driving. Your car, other drivers and the weather are also contributing factors.

4. Heading into Blind Areas

If you have ever made a left turn at an intersection when there is a big truck or bus opposite you and your vision is blocked, then you understand what it is to head into blind areas. As much as 12 percent of car accidents happen in these types of situations.

Avoiding heading into blind areas: Don’t assume. Always make sure that you can see what is coming. If you can’t, wait.

5. Lane or Road Departure

Staying in your lane is right up there on the list of things you learn first in drivers’ ed. Yet, 33 percent of accidents happen due to distracted lane departure. Distracted lane departure can be caused by a number of things, but it usually boils down to distracted driving. Whether it’s a cell phone, children in the backseat, or eating dinner with one hand and driving with the other, distractions can and do cause many accidents.

Avoiding lane departure accidents: Put down your technology, eat before you get in your car, and pay attention to the road in front of you – it might just save the kids in the backseat.

When the Worst Happens and You are Involved in a Car Accident

If you have been involved in a car accident, one of the types listed above or another type, it’s important that you contact a car accident attorney like Zach Herbert at Herbert & Eberstein for help with your case. If the other driver is responsible, and you have sustained injuries, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages.

 

Media Contact:

Attorney Zachary Herbert

T: (214) 414-3808

http://zachherbert.attorney

Google Directions

5 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney

5 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney

Hiring an attorney is a challenge that many of us have never had to face before.  Here are some questions to ask when hiring a personal injury lawyer in Dallas.

1.  How Many Clients Are You Personally Responsible For?
First, this question assumes that you are talking to an attorney.  If the attorney’s office that you called does not have an attorney handling your call, do you think you will have access to an attorney throughout your case?  It is not unreasonable to speak with an attorney, especially when you are hiring that attorney to handle your case! Ask to speak with an attorney, then ask them how many clients they are responsible for.  Ask how many clients total they are responsible for, including pre-litigation cases. There is no magic number here, but if it is more than 100, or the attorney refuses to answer, then consider how that will affect communication in your case.  If communication is important to you, consider going with another attorney with fewer cases.

2.  How Often Can I Expect Updates on My Case?
Look for attorneys that have a ready answer to this question.  If they do not have a specific plan for updating clients, beware.  Also, ask for the methods by which clients are updated. Do they have the ability to text clients?  Email? Is there a client portal? Attorneys that focus on communication will likely have all three.  Get a commitment to update you at least once a month, or look for attorneys that promise this level of communication.

3.  Do You Have Jury Trial Experience?  If So How Many Jury Trials Have You Tried as First Chair to Verdict in the Last 3 Years?
While not all cases go to trial, and while you probably aren’t excited about that proposition either, attorneys that go to trial are the ones that have a reputation for fighting.  Insurance companies track everything. This includes attorneys. They know that they can settle cases for cheaper to the attorney that never goes to trial versus the attorney that isn’t afraid to fight.  Notice that we aren’t asking about whether or not they win. You are looking for an attorney that is known for fighting, that will get your case resolved. That attorney goes to trial. If the answer is zero, then consider going with an attorney that has fought at least once in the last three years.  There is a flip-side to that coin, however. If the attorney you are speaking with goes to more than 10 trials per year, you might have an attorney that doesn’t have enough time to focus on your case.

4.  Is My Type of Personal Injury Case One That You Typically Handle?  
Make sure that the attorney that you are hiring has handled your type of case before.  For example, some personal injury attorneys only handle medical malpractice or cases against doctors and hospitals.  Others only handle car wrecks or truck wrecks. Get specifics and ask for numbers. You might have a unique case that few attorneys have handled before.  Just because your case is one that this particular attorney hasn’t handled doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hire them. If you get an honest answer, that may be just the thing you need from the attorney.  A simple, “no I haven’t, but I have handled many cases that deal with the same issues as your case” is way better than an evasive or vague answer that doesn’t begin with yes or no.

5.  How Are Your Expenses Handled?
Every personal injury case has expenses that are the responsibility of the attorney that you are hiring.  Remember that he or she is taking a chance on you to be able to hopefully get paid later. Make sure there are no surprises in the expenses.  For instance, does the attorney charge a flat handling fee for office supplies and such? Does the attorney finance their expenses through a finance company?  If so, do they pass the interest charge on to their clients? What this means is if the attorney spends $1,000.00 on your case and settles it, they will take $1,000.00 out of your settlement.  This is normal. But if they finance $1,000.00 through a bank, will they take the interest out of your settlement as well? Neither option is a negative one. However, it is good to know up front so there are no surprises.  Also, ask if the expenses are taken out of the settlement before or after the contingent fees. Most of the time contingent fees are taken out of the settlement first, then expenses, then any liens or doctor’s bills. Make sure you understand this before hiring your attorney.  You don’t want any confusion when it comes time to close out your case.

If you are in need of a personal injury attorney in Dallas, contact attorney Zachary Herbert at Herbert & Eberstein today at 214-414-3808. 

Media Contact:

Dallas Personal Injury Lawyer Zachary Herbert

(T): 214-414-3808

http://zachherbert.attorney

Four Excuses Insurance Adjusters Use To Not Pay

Four Excuses Insurance Adjusters Use To Not Pay

“Insurance companies don’t want to pay claims. The business model of an insurance company is simple: take in more money than they pay out.  So they hire people called adjusters that are rewarded for finding reasons not to pay claims. These reasons usually make no sense in the real world. However, the insurance world is so large, and the insurance companies are so big, that they can literally shape the way people think about personal injury lawsuits and claims. Here are some examples of excuses that insurance adjusters use:

1.  Gap in Treatment – Insurance companies constantly measure how long it takes to get to a doctor, or how long between visits to a doctor, and have created a term of their own, called “gap in treatment.”  Adjusters will say “there was a gap in treatment, so we reduced our valuation.” The thought process here is that if you were really hurt, you’d be sitting in a doctor’s office all day every day. Which brings us to our next example:

2.  Overtreatment – Even if a doctor recommends physical therapy for a certain amount of time, adjusters will still consider more than x number of weeks of treatment to be “overtreatment.” No matter how different we all are, no matter how old or young, regardless of our medical history, adjusters typically apply some sort of “one size fits all” approach to medical treatment based on the next example:

3.  Low Property Damage – This is mostly based on what the adjuster sees in a picture. If you have a lot of damage to your car, then they will just ignore it and look for other excuses. If your car held up pretty well despite the wreck, then that’s all the adjuster will talk about. Things like, “well property damage was minimal, we feel you overtreated, so we reduced our offer” are often said when the car only has a dent in the bumper.  

4.  Not Accepting 100% Liability – when all else fails, then the adjuster will find something that you did wrong to be able to reduce the offer. Even if the other guy ran a red light and t-boned you when you had a green light, the adjuster will say, “you had a duty to enter the intersection cautiously, so we only accepted 90%.”  What this means is they will offer 90% of whatever they decided the claim is worth.

Fight them! Fight them at every turn.  Don’t give an inch. Call them out on their hypocrisy!  And if they don’t budge, file suit! Insurance companies ultimately don’t decide cases – juries do. And juries are made up of regular people. People that know we all put off going to the doctor even when we are in pain. People that know we do what our doctor tells us because we want to get better. People that know you can be fine when the car is demolished, and hurt when the car has a few dents. People that know running a red light or rear-ending another person is negligent! The answer is to fight.” 

Call 214-414-3808 today if you need an insurance claim attorney in Dallas to fight for you. Attorney Zach Herbert is a Marine Veteran who loves fighting for his clients. Don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation with Herbert & Eberstein LLC to discuss your case.” Source

 

Media Contact:

Dallas Insurance Claims Lawyer Zachary Herbert

(T): 214-414-3808

https://zachherbert.attorney/

Sources:

  1. https://www.zherbertlaw.com/blog/2018/3/6/four-excuses-adjusters-use-to-not-pay