Archive for February, 2009

Fatal car and truck accidents that backup the interstate tend to appear on the news more often than we would like to see them; however, a recent study shows that car-related injuries are more likely to occur when the car is parked or to someone who is not in the car at all.

The most common car-related personal injury accidents occur not from crashes on the road but from the simple act of closing the car door. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates almost 150,000 incidents of injuries from closing a car door each year.

The use of a car jack or other lifting mechanism causes approximately 10,000 serious injuries each year. Some of these jack-related accidents are due to a product defect; however, many of these injuries occur from improper use of the lifting mechanism.

Other car-related injuries occur from hyperthermia, electrocution, and other non-crash incidents (over 740,000 injuries). As in the case of jack-related injuries, injuries from electrocution can occur from either malfunctioning equipment or improper use of the vehicle or its components.

Falling vehicles and car parts cause another 74,000 accidents each year.

The NHTSA also looked at what its terms “non-traffic crashes.” These accidents are characterized as back-over crashes and single-vehicle crashes that did not occur on a national highway. Almost 100,000 non-traffic crashes occur, involving accidents on private roads, fender benders and more serious two-car accidents in parking lots and structures, and the striking of pedestrians in driveways.

About a third of non-traffic crash injuries occurred to pedestrians and cyclists, with 14 percent of the injuries resulting from a driver accidentally backing over someone.

If you suffered a car-related injury, whether from a typical car accident or trucking accident, from the negligence of another, or from a product defect, you may be able to recover damages. Contact skilled personal injury lawyers in Scranton, Pennsylvania to learn more about your legal options.

Personal injury law is a law that covers your mind, body and, emotions in case of an accident. An example of this would be if you slip on water in the grocery store and break your arm. This law not only covers your broken arm, it covers the humiliation you felt from such a horrific fall in front of other people.

When such an accident occurs it can be extremely difficult to set a dollar amount on the accident as there are many factors to be considered. Some of the factors that play a role on the settlement in a personal injury case are doctor bills, lost time from work, ongoing medical costs, and pain and suffering.

Once an accident like this has occurred, it is important to find the right attorney for your claim. You may want to hire him, or perhaps just seek his or her advice in the matter. When looking for an attorney it is very important that you find one that has experience in personal injury and also one that has been successful in negotiating cases as well as winning the case. Find one you feel comfortable with, and one that you can share your case goals with long before it goes to court. This could make the difference in winning a substantial settlement and just settling for basic costs associated with your accident.

A standard fee for accidents such as a car accident is one third of the settlement. Be sure to receive a written contract from the attorney you chose up front. Fees can vary and they should be discussed ahead of time so there are no surprises once your case is settled. Fees can often be negotiated so be sure to ask for the best fee possible for you. In this case, it is ok to ask for a better fee, one that will allow the attorney to make money but also allow you to pay your bills and receive money for your pain and suffering.

For more information on wrongful death lawsuits, medical malpractice lawsuits, and product liability lawsuits, we encourage you to speak to our personal injury attorneys in Scranton, Pennsylvania.