Parker Waichman LLP: Sophisticated and Experienced Car Accident Lawyers.Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm, stakes its reputation on zealously representing their clients who suffered injuries through no fault of their own. To date, Parker Waichman’s dedicated and experienced personal injury lawyers have recovered over $2 billion in financial compensation for their clients. Their success illustrates the firm’s commitment to representing their clients to the best of their collective ability.

Parker Waichman’s car accident attorneys are no exception. Parker Waichman’s auto accident attorneys have decades of experience representing people who were injured or the families of those killed in car accidents in New York, Long Island, New Jersey, Florida, and across the United States. Car accident cases can be very complicated, especially when complicated insurance coverage issues emerge during a case. That is when you need a car accident law firm with seasoned lawyers who understand the intricacies of insurance coverage to represent you. Otherwise, you could lose out on substantial compensation.

The Dangers We Face on Our Roads

2016 was the deadliest year in a decade on U.S. roads. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, total deaths rose 5.6 percent nationwide from 2015 to 2016. In 2016, 37,461 men, women, and children tragically died in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. That is an astounding 14 percent increase from 2014, which would be the most significant increase in almost 50 years.

In reality, only a small percentage of auto accidents result in a fatality. To illustrate, 4.6 million people suffered injuries in car wrecks in 2016. Although lives cannot be measured regarding a dollar amount, the U.S. experiences a genuine economic loss from so many people being injured or killed in car accidents. The latest estimates demonstrate that $432 billion was lost in 2016 due to death and injuries from car crashes. The losses mounted from the loss of productivity, expenses to employers, lost wages, used sick time, medical bills, property damage, and other costs.

Why Have Our Roads Become So Much More Dangerous?

Several factors contribute to the increased risk of experiencing a severe and potentially life-threatening motor vehicle crash. The one reason many experts highlight is that there are more vehicles on the road than at any other time in history. Streets are crowded and cheap (relatively) fuel ensures that the highways will be packed with cars, trucks, SUVs, and big rigs for a long time.

Driving behavior plays a prominent role in the declining safety of auto travel. The NHTSA points out several driving behaviors which contribute to the frequency and severity of automobile crashes. According to the NHTSA, the following factors substantially contribute to the rising death toll on our streets:

• Drivers and passengers refusing to wear seatbelts,
• Speeding and reckless driving,
• Alcohol and drug impairment,
• Fatigued driving,
• Texting while driving, and
• Engaging in distracted behaviors.

Other factors contribute to auto accidents. Driving behavior such as not knowing or understanding the rules of the road, intentionally disobeying motor vehicle laws, and aggressive driving contribute significantly to the increased number of fatalities in 2016.

Additional consideration must be given to the aging “Baby Boomer” population for contributing to an increased volume of crashes. The NHTSA calculates that drivers aged 65 and older cause more accidents than younger drivers. The number of accidents in which drivers aged 65 and older were involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes increased by 8.2 percent in 2016. By contrast, the youngest population aged 16 to 24 the frequency with which they were involved in a fatal crash grew by 4.0 percent.

We Handle All Motor Vehicle Crashes Involving Personal Injury or Death

With the widespread carnage on the highways, we often serve many clients who have had terrifying experiences. Our clients have been involved in various types of wrecks, with varying degrees of severity. From multiple-fatalities, drivers operating under the influence, distracted driving, pedestrian accidents, large truck crashes, bicycle accidents, and motorcycles accidents, our lawyers have worked on thousands of cases just like these. Each one of these accidents presents a unique challenge because every person involved in different and all crashes involve various circumstances that do not allow for a lawyer to take “cookie cutter” approach to your car wreck claim.

The short list above is merely a sampling of the types of auto crash claims we handle. Our caseload includes:

• Auto accidents,
• Wrongful death accidents,
• Pedestrian accidents,
• Truck accidents,
• Commercial vehicle crashes,
• Construction vehicle collisions,
• 18-wheeler crashes,
• Emergency vehicle accidents,
• OUI/DUI/DWI,
• Unlicensed or uninsured accidents,
• Dram Shop Act cases,
• Motorcycle accidents,
• Bicycle accidents,
• Restricted licensed drivers’ collisions,
• Texting while driving, and
• Fatigued operation.

Types of Injuries Our Clients Suffered

Our auto accident lawyers have represented clients and their families who have suffered catastrophic injuries. Some injuries we often see are:

• Neck and back injuries,
• Broken bones,
• Dislocated joints,
• Crush-type injuries,
• Facial scarring,
• Permanent disfigurement,
• Amputation,
• Soft tissue injuries,
• Spinal cord injuries,
• Paralysis,
• Coma,
• Concussions,
• Loss of consciousness, and
• Catastrophic injuries.

This list is not exhaustive. Many other injuries might occur when someone is in an auto accident. Whatever the nature and extent of the injuries a person suffers in a vehicle collision, they can be life-altering. Often, people lose the ability to return to work and require long-term health care, sometimes for the duration of their lives due to another driver’s carelessness or recklessness. Frequently, auto wreck victims cannot return to the jobs they held before the crash because their injuries prevent them from performing their duties. Such long-term injuries negatively affect the individual’s ability to earn so they can provide for their family.

The aftermath of a catastrophic car crash affects more people than the injured person. Family members, loved ones, friends, or even professional healthcare workers must provide care to the injured person because the injured could no longer care for them after the accident.  Compounding the difficulty is that the family has lost income if the person is permanently disabled; thereby depriving their family of an economic benefit, every person has a right to seek.

Damages Commonly Available to Auto Accident Victims

As mentioned above, each auto accident claim differs from every other. Therefore, it is impossible to predict the precise amount of damages an accident victim could recover without analyzing the specifics of the crash and the resulting injuries. Notwithstanding, the law in most states permit car crash victims to recover certain types of damages such as medical bills, future medical costs, lost wages, loss of economic advantage, and pain and suffering.

Potential claimants must be aware that a settlement is not offered in every instance. A person might be entitled to a recovery if the other person was liable for the damages. In other words, the victim can recover as long as the other person was careless in operating his or her vehicle. There is no recovery if the victim is found to be liable. However, depending on the jurisdiction, the court might allow recovery even if the victim was at fault for the crash but, the victim’s recovery will be reduced by the percentage of the award if recovery is allowed at all.

Get Your Life Back on Track

Call Parker Waichman LLP to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your rights if you or someone you love suffered personal injuries or died in a motor vehicle accident. You can use our online form if it is more convenient than calling. Time is of the essence, and any delay might cause you to lose your rights forever. Therefore, you must call Parker Waichman LLP today at 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529) and speak with one of our experienced car accident attorneys.