Car accident attorneys typically handle a wide range of cases, from minor fender benders to catastrophic crashes. Depending on the type of case and its severity, the attorney may be primarily responsible for handling all legal aspects of the case or may specialize in one specific area. Negligence cases are the most common type of car accident cases handled by lawyers and involve drivers who fail to drive with reasonable care or use lousy judgment due to distractions or recklessness. If a driver’s negligence is determined to cause an injury or death in an accident, they could be found liable for damages suffered by victims. Injuries in these situations can range from minor scrapes and bruises to more severe injuries such as broken bones, head trauma, and internal organ damage. When a person is injured in a car accident caused by another party’s negligence, they can often seek compensation for their medical bills, lost wages due to missed work days, pain and suffering, future medical expenses related to ongoing treatment, property damage repair costs, and other losses. These compensation claims can vary greatly depending on the injuries’ severity and the crash’s financial impact on victims.
Although rarer than negligence cases, product liability lawsuits can occur when an automobile defect contributes to causing injury or death. It could refer to vehicle design or manufacturing defects that pose a higher risk for crash-related injuries when compared with other vehicles on the road. Examples include seat belt failures that fail during a crash (causing injury) or airbag failures that do not deploy when needed (causing additional damage). When a fatal car accident occurs due to someone else’s negligence (e.g., drunk driving), surviving family members may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit against those responsible for the negligence that led to the fatal collision. Wrongful death claims seek compensation for funeral expenses, pain and suffering endured by victims before passing away, loss of wages and future lost earning potentials associated with deceased victims’ career path trajectory before they pass away. Other non-economic damages approved under state law statutes include loss of consortium (spousal bond), parent/child bond, etc. Similarly, if surviving children were financially dependent on the deceased parent who passed away due to a car collision, then surviving children would also qualify for a wrongful death claim if the defendant was found liable for the said collision.
In addition to the main categories above that are most commonly handled by car accident attorneys, there are also specialized areas, such as uninsured motorist coverage disputes, requiring experienced attorneys specializing in this field. Uninsured motorist coverage disputes generally involve insurance companies refusing payment on legitimate uninsured motorist coverage policy claims. Such attorneys representing claimants in these scenarios must have extensive legal experience working with insurance companies and understanding underlying state laws governing uninsured motorist coverage policies. Furthermore, any time there is a dispute involving multiple parties, i.e., multiple claimants contesting a single claim, it also requires specialized knowledge and expertise because each claimant has a different burden of proof they must meet while proving the legitimacy and validity nature of their respective claims. Hence, car accident attorneys play a vital role in ensuring justice gets served correctly and accurately regardless of the complex nature of given fact patterns regarding collisions.