If you are injured in an automobile accident, either as a driver, passenger or pedestrian, you may need an attorney to help you with the myriad of difficulties that you are bound to have. Remember that the guilty party’s insurer is not going to solve all your problems for you. The biggest mistake made by injured people is to rely on the other party’s insurance company to do everything for them. Remember that the insurance company’s first job is to protect their insured. They take that responsibility seriously.

Before you begin, be sure to ask yourself the following questions:

Do you know how to get the right medical care, particularly if you don’t have health insurance or some type of automobile insurance that will pay your medical bills? Remember that you simply cannot count on the guilty party’s insurance carrier to pay your medical bills, and you can almost never expect them to pay the bills as you incur them. If you don’t know, remember that we do know. Please CONTACT US.

Do you know how to how much money you should be getting? If you don’t know, remember that we do know. Please CONTACT US.

Do you know how which insurance companies to call? Have you put everyone on notice of the accident that needs to be on notice? If you don’t know, remember that we do know. Please CONTACT US.

Do you know who to call if the person that hit you doesn’t have insurance, or has too little insurance? If you don’t know, remember that we do know. Please CONTACT US.

Do you know what evidence will be needed to win your case? Is that evidence going to disappear before you learn of its importance? If you don’t know, remember that we do know. Please CONTACT US.

Do you know enough about how the coordination of health insurance benefits works? Do you understand the way that a health insurer, Medicare, or Medicaid work together or against each other? Do you know what an insurance lien is? Have you ever heard of a Medicare-set aside? Do you know how to negotiate and a lien? Do you even know when they are expected to be paid back? Did you even know that they might expect to be paid back? What are you going to do if the insurance company only offers you a fraction of the cost of your medical treatment? Could you conceivably owe more money to your health insurer than you collected in your settlement? If you don’t know, remember that we do know. Please CONTACT US.

Traffic congestion and the inevitable accidents resulting from congestion have simply become a part of life in the Washington Metropolitan area. Too many cars, too many long commutes, and too few and inadequate roads and highways all contribute to the problem. While our vehicles become more sophisticated, safe, and comfortable, the same problems which have always led to vehicle collisions keep causing injuries. Most accidents are caused by:

WEATHER. If you are the victim of an accident and the other driver claims that the accident was caused not by his or her negligence, but rather, by the weather, what rights and obligations do you have? Does the other driver’s obligation to slow down and leave extra space between vehicles play a part in a determination of negligence? These cases are often the most difficult and we know how to handle them. Ask yourself, is a driver that causes an accident in the ice or snow going to accept responsibility for an accident or try to blame it on the weather? If you don’t know, remember that we do know. Please CONTACT US.

ALCOHOL AND DRUGS: Despite all of the attention given by law enforcement groups to driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated, alcohol and drugs still present an enormous danger. Thousands of people are killed by drunk or impaired drivers. Remember, if you are injured by a drunk driver your case may be far more complicated than the average personal injury case. We have years experience dealing with alcohol-related accidents. Ask yourself, do you think a drunk driver is going to go out of his or her way to protect your interests if they cause an accident? If you don’t know, remember that we do know. Please CONTACT US.

INNATENTIVE DRIVERS: Many accidents occur because someone is not paying attention. How often have you seen a driver driving erratically and then noticed that that person is engrossed in a cell phone conversation, examining themselves in the mirror (or even applying make-up during the morning commute), turning to look at or speak with their children in the back seat, yawning, playing around with a radio, texting on their cell phone, or even watching a television or reading the newspaper? The fact is that it happens all of the time.

Ask yourself, do you think that someone neglectful enough to drive while reading the newspaper is going to try to help you if they cause an accident? If you don’t know, remember that we do know. Please CONTACT US.

AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS: Increasingly, Washington Metropolitan Area drivers have resorted to tailgating, flashing lights, speeding, disregarding traffic signals and unsafe passing.

Ask yourself, is an aggressive driver going to honestly report the fact of an accident to their insurer? If you don’t know, remember that we do know. Please CONTACT US.

SPEED. Speeding decreases the amount of time a driver has to make decisions to avoid a crash and increases the amount of damage caused by the accident. Speed also leads to reckless driving citations and raises the issue of punative damages resulting from an accident.

Ask yourself, is a reckless speeder going to be fair to you if he or she causes an accident and hurts you? If you don’t know, remember that we do know. Please CONTACT US.

If your injury was caused by any of these contributors, please CONTACT US.

The Washington Metropolitan area is dominated by Interstate 95, the Beltway, and countless feeder highways which surge traffic right through our cities. For most of us, the daily commute involves contact not only with lots of traffic, but lots of dangerous traffic. Contributing to that danger are the thousands of tractor trailers that haul goods up and down the east coast.

Trucking accidents are more common than you might think. Trucking accidents are common and frequently result in fatalities for those unfortunate enough to be riding in a car that comes into contact with a tractor trailer.

Due to the danger to others, it is vitally important that truck drivers and trucking companies take action to protect others on the highway. You might be surprised to find that  don’t always do so. Some of the most common causes of trucking accidents are:

Speed. Drivers are driving too fast and failing to follow safety procedures. Truck drivers want to get home as soon as possible, but maneuvering, stopping, or even simply controlling a multi-ton vehicle is difficult enough at the speed limit. When a truck is violating the speed limit, it can become almost impossible.

DUI. Would you believe that some drivers of tractor trailers are actually operating while under the influence of drugs and alcohol?

Maintenance. Some trucks are operating with defective parts, expired breaks, malfunctioning or broken headlights, turn signals and taillights, and balding tires.

Lack of sleep. Truck drivers are asked to drive for too long. In particular, when trucks are shipping perishable goods, the drivers must drive long hours in order to assure that the goods are delivered without spoiling. This results in the drivers getting tired and failing to stay alert.

Improper loads and over loads. Over loading, a cost-saving measure, contributes to control problems in tractor trailers. Even trucks which are not over loaded can be loaded incorrectly. An incorrectly loaded truck can be just as dangerous as an overloaded truck, especially while the vehicle is turning sharply, changing lanes, and stopping short.

Failure to yield the right of way. Familiarity breeds contempt. Truckers drive for years and they forget how dangerous their vehicles can be to others. Swerving in and out of traffic, changing speeds, and changing lanes for a truck driver seem easy due to the size and intimidating nature of the tractor trailer. However, when a truck driver gets too comfortable and fails to yield the right of way, the result can be extremely dangerous to others.

Unskilled drivers. There are thousands of extremely competent, safe, and experienced truck drivers. However, these drivers come with the highest price tags. In order to keep costs down, truck companies don’t always have the ability to hire the best. Consequently, drivers who are willing to work for less are out there on our highways driving every day. Some drivers are not even licensed.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident with a tractor trailer, please CONTACT US.