If the negligence of another caused your Pulaski, Tennessee auto accident and your subsequent injuries, speaking to a knowledgeable personal injury attorney could be the best thing you could do for your future. As the county seat of Giles County, Pulaski may not be huge in population, yet auto accidents still occur. In 2013, Pulaski had two fatalities as a result of car accidents. These fatal auto collisions occurred on W. Woodring Street, and at the intersection of US-64 and US-31. Overall, Pulaski ranks significantly below the average in the state of Tennessee for fatal auto accidents.
Since Pulaski is only about an hour’s drive from Nashville, there are commuters going both ways, as well as those who head to a larger city for entertainment and dining opportunities. In the opposite direction are Athens State University, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Columbia State Community College. Giles County ranks 33rd in overall number of crashes in Tennessee, and 29th in fatal car crashes.
What are the Most Common Causes of Automobile Accidents?
More than 40,000 people are killed in the U.S. every year as a result of an automobile accident; overall, auto accidents are the leading cause of death across the globe. Click here for a more comprehensive guide to the types of auto accidents. With an auto accident happening every sixty seconds, it is easy to understand the nearly three million moderate to severe injuries from those accidents, occurring each year in our nation. While there have been amazing improvements made in the safety technology of automobiles, human error combines with other factors to result in a constant stream of car collisions. Since many of these accidents are the result of driver behaviors, a large percentage could have been avoided.
Is Excessive Speed a Contributor to Auto Accidents?
Excessive speed continues to rank towards the top as a primary cause of car and truck accidents, or, at the very least, a contributing factor. It is estimated that exceeding the speed limit causes almost a third of all fatal auto accidents. A driver exceeding the speed limit reduces his or her ability to adjust to a curve or object in the road significantly. According to the Institute for Highway Safety, when a vehicle’s speed increases from 35 mph to 60 mph, the energy discharged in a collision is effectively doubled, meaning the resulting injuries are likely to be more serious in an accident with excessive speed.
What about Driver Inattention or Distraction?
Driver inattention or distraction is fast moving up the list for leading causes of motor vehicle accidents. Our vehicles have become our home away from home, making it more likely drivers are eating, talking, texting, adjusting their radio or GPS, turning around to scold the children in the back seat, talking to a passenger, looking at something happening on the side of the road, or just daydreaming while driving. Auto accidents happen in the blink of an eye while the driver’s attention is distracted from the road or the drivers around them.
What are Other Factors Involved in Auto Accidents?
Drivers who slow down to watch another accident are 16 percent more likely to be involved in an accident of their own, while fatigued drivers are responsible for about 12 percent of all accidents. Drivers who drive under the influence are obviously at a greater risk of causing an accident involving another driver, and more and more often, road rage is a factor in auto accidents as well. Road rage can encompass rude hand gestures, changing lanes in an unsafe manner, tailgating aggressively, preventing another driver from passing, refusing to yield the right-of-way, or disregarding traffic signals.
What are the Most Common and Deadly Source of Personal Injury?
While some people involved in an automobile accident will suffer only minor injuries, and will recover in a matter of days or weeks, others are not so lucky. Moderate to severe injuries resulting from an automobile accident can lead to months, years, or even a lifetime of dealing with the aftermath of the accident. Multiple surgical procedures, ongoing doctor visits and rehabilitation therapy can cause medical expenses to mount alarmingly. Families who have been touched by a car accident are well aware of the pain—both mental and physical—involved in this type of personal injury. Loved ones may be lost, and lives can be irrevocably altered, due to the distraction or negligence of another driver. For a more comprehensive guide to injuries sustained from auto accidents, click here.
Are You Protected in the Event of an Automobile Accident?
Most of us assume if a car accident ever happens, we will be protected, financially speaking, by virtue of the fact we have automobile insurance. Every month, as we send in our automobile insurance premium, we get a feeling of security, knowing we will be protected in the event of a disaster. We are constantly assured through television ads that should an accident occur, a single call to our insurance company and we will be taken care of. Unfortunately, many who have experienced a serious car collision have found out the unpleasant truth—dealing with auto insurance companies following an accident is entirely different than imagined. An insurance company may offer you a ridiculously low settlement, which may not even begin to cover your current and anticipated medical expenses.
If you suffered severe injuries, such as a spinal cord injury, severe burns or fractures, or traumatic brain trauma, you could be looking a months or years of surgical procedures, rehabilitation and therapy, and the limits of your insurance policy could soon be exceeded. While commercials make insurance companies seem like a trusted friend who will be full of concern and compassion for your injuries and will pay your bills as promised, in truth, insurance companies are in the business to make a profit. Insurance adjusters are specially trained to keep the amount of compensation to a minimum and are experts at talking an injured person into accepting a low settlement. For more resources following your auto accident, click here.
Do You Need Legal Help Following Your Auto Accident?
In many cases, an experienced Pulaski, TN personal injury attorney is the only thing standing between you and an unscrupulous insurance company following your accident. Your personal injury attorney truly has your best interests at heart and believes you deserve to be fully compensated for your accident. For a compassionate and knowledgeable legal professional who believes you deserve the time to heal from your injuries without worrying about how you will pay your medical expenses, call Martinson & Beason, P.C. Our firm has been protecting people just like you since 1937 and would welcome a call from you to find out the many ways we can help following your auto accident.