Motor Vehicle Accidents

The cause of a motor vehicle accident is not always the driver’s doing. Sometimes, it is possible that poor road design or poor road conditions are the causes of motor vehicle accidents that result in injury or death.

Often the fault of the accident falls into the hands of the driver involved. It is possible, however, to have outside factors contribute to the accident. These include:

• Confusing road signage
• Roads not designed for inclement weather
• Lack of appropriate markings and signals or poor signal placement
• Roads not properly banked or aligned
• Blind curves in roads before intersections or ramps
• Lack of visibility due to obstacles or shade
• And more

When a person is distracted while driving, and this leads to a motor vehicle accident that causes serious injuries or death, distracted driving lawsuits can come into play. Distracted driving is defined by the official U.S. government website for distracted driving as “any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving.” These activities may include:

• Using a cell phone
• Texting
• 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

Text messaging while driving is considered the most serious form of distracted driving because it requires visual, manual and cognitive attention focused away from the act of driving. All forms of distracted driving endanger the driver, any passengers, bystanders and nearby drivers.

Breaking a traffic law while driving can lead to serious motor vehicle accidents that injure passengers, other drivers or bystanders. Common types of traffic laws that can be violated include:

• Entering and leaving roadways
• Observing right of ways at intersections
• Obeying traffic signs and signals
• Reckless driving
• Speeding
• Illegal lane changes
• Illegal U-turns
• Using signals when changing lanes
• And more

Traffic laws are put into place to help keep drivers, passengers and bystanders safe. When traffic laws are violated, they can lead to motor vehicle accidents involving injuries or even death. When this happens, the person who committed the traffic violation may be held liable for damages through a traffic violation lawsuit.

The owner, captain or operator of a motorboat, sailboat, luxury cruise liner, charter ship or maritime vessel is responsible for the welfare and safety of those aboard the craft. When a boating accident occurs, serious injury is often a direct result, with the life and physical well-being of everyone involved being placed at risk.

Boating accident lawsuits can cover a broad range of incidents, including:

• Disappearance of a passenger or member of crew
• Wrongful death
• Physical damage, beyond that of minor first aid
• Excessive property damage

No matter how rare they may be, airplane accidents do occur and can cause serious injury. Among survivors injured in airplane accidents, or the loved ones of someone killed in an aviation accident, airplane accident lawsuits can be sought to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for injuries or wrongful deaths.

When an airplane crashes, negligence usually falls into the hands of someone. An airplane accident lawsuit can help determine who that someone might be.

Common reasons for airplane crashes include:

• Defective equipment
• Pilot error
• Errors made by air traffic controllers
• Defective airplane design
• Structural problems with the airplane
• Fuel problems
• Faulty maintenance or repairs of the plane

As stated by the Federal Motor Vehicle of Safety Standards, a bus can be defined as a vehicle capable of carrying more than ten passengers and that is used to transport preprimary passengers. This definition can cover a wide array of vehicle types, including school buses, large vans, airport shuttles and public transport vehicles. There is also no one set of rules and regulations that governs bus accidents. Instead, liability can vary on a local and state level.

Because of the number of regulations involved in defining a bus and a bus accident, determining liability can become an overwhelming task. Fault can be attributed to a wide range of parties, including:

• Bus company
• Maintenance company
• Governing body (e.g. local government, school district)
• Bus driver
• Driver of other vehicles
• Manufacturer