3 Things I See All the Time as a Personal Injury Attorney
As a personal injury attorney, I see these three things ALL the time:
1. Distracted Driving
I see a LOT of people driving and not paying attention to the cars in front to them. It only takes a second to go from having a normal day, looking forward to getting home from work to a complete catastrophe.
Everybody has a smartphone these days. For a long time, there were public service announcements telling people, “Don't hold your phone while driving” or “Don't talk on the phone when you're driving.” But what about today? Now cars have large screens mounted directly to the dashboard that directly connects to your phone – with all of its notifications and connections.
People look at their screen to figure where to go using GPS maps. People are talking on the phone. People are watching videos on their phone. People are not turning off their notifications. They're getting text messages on their phone and notifications from Messenger, WhatsApp, Facebook, and TikTok, … the list goes on.
It's addictive. It's powerful. But it takes only takes two seconds for catastrophe to happen.
If we could ALL put our phones in the backseat or turn them off when we are driving, there would be fewer collisions. I guarantee it.
2. People Following Too Closely
Probably 90% of the people that I represent have been rear-ended. There is no excuse to rear-ending somebody. It's not like the car in front of you is invisible. Keep your eyes on the roadway in front of you.
There is almost NO defense to rear-ending someone. If you hit somebody in front of you, you should have seen it coming. Your duty is to look at the cars in front of you. And, if you don't and you hit them, YOU are at fault.
People say, “Oh my gosh, they slammed on their brakes! They wanted me to hit them!” But if you were following right behind them and hit them, that means you were too close – even if they slammed on the brakes.
The law says, you should travel one car length for every 10 miles per hour. So, if you are traveling 30 miles per hour, you should be 3 car lengths behind the person in front of you. If you do this, and you are paying attention to the car in front of you, you will have enough reaction time to avoid a collision if the person in front of you stops suddenly.
Do those two things and we might be able to get rid of at least 75% of most motor vehicle collisions.
3. They Myth: Get Rich Quick
Some people believe that personal injury lawyers are “ambulance chasers” representing “fakers”. They believe there are a bunch of people running around pretending to be injured and get lots of money. This is simply NOT true.
The reality is, you DON’T get money unless you are hurt. Your lawyer has to prove your injuries were “caused” by the collision. This means, a medical provider has to state under oath that your injuries were caused by the collision and your treatment for those injuries are “reasonable, necessary and related.” You CAN get compensated if your prior condition was made worse, but your lawyer needs to prove your condition was made worse.
NONE of my clients - not a single one - has ever said, “Oh my gosh, I'm so glad I got into a motor vehicle accident, it was worth it for the money!” Your time and health are worth far more than a little money. Only those who are permanently injured get large sum of money. However, even some of those who are permanently injured do NOT recover enough. The recovery is limited to the amount of money or insurance the at-fault person has. If an uninsured driver hits you, you might not get any money if you don’t have uninsured motorist coverage.
No amount of money brings back the time you lost or the suffering you endured through no fault of your own. The reality is, most insurance companies will not pay you what your case is worth short of taking them to court. Unfortunately, I can’t help everyone who is injured. There are more people injured in auto accidents than there are attorneys who do this kind of work. Paralegal can help attorneys, but only attorneys can present your case to a jury.
Let’s STOP distracted driving!!!!
Rivera Law Offices is a premier South Puget Sound Personal Injury law firm. We focus our practice on representing injured individuals injured in motor vehicles collisions through no fault of their own.
Reach out now for help receiving compensation for your injuries: http://www.riveralawoffices.com/ or (360) 705-8200
Specialties: Medical Malpractice, Auto Accidents, Bicycle Accidents, Pedestrian Claims, Dog Bites, Insurance Claims, Wrongful Death, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Slip and Fall Injuries, and Uninsured Motorist Claims.
NOTE: This post is not a substitute for legal advice. Please consult an attorney for a more in-depth consultation if you or a family member has been injured.