CAR ACCIDENT & AUTO INJURY LAWYERS

One of the most central documents in determining liability is the report filed by the police officer who responds to the scene of the accident. In almost every accident, the responding officer will file an incident report containing their assessment of the accident site and making note of whether any of the persons involved received a citation.

Where police reports can be tarnished by poor reporting, state traffic laws provide a more reliable barometer in situations like who had the right of way in a four-way stop or whether the driver’s right turn on red was illegal. Just remember that these laws change state to state. If you visit a friend or relative on the other side of the country, make sure you familiarize yourself with their traffic laws.

The type of accident itself can often determine the at-fault party. For instance, while this is not always true, rear-end collisions often indicate that the person who hit you from behind is at fault. Another example is when a car runs a red light or stop sign and T-bones another car, a situation that is increasingly caught on film, thanks to many cities installing cameras on stop lights around busy intersections.

Similar to truck accidents, bus accidents are typically some of the most severe that occur on the open road. Part of the increased chance of injuries and deaths is that a lack of seatbelts and other onboard safety measures can put riders at serious risk of injury. And while passengers injured while riding a bus might be entitled to compensation for losses following an accident, recovering an adequate settlement from a bus can be difficult.

Buses are typically owned and run by the government, which means state laws can play a more disruptive role. For instance, claims made against Florida’s municipalities tend to face stricter guidelines and have shorter time limits in which legal action can be taken. While lawyers not familiar with the intricate claim process are likely to hit a wall in their case, Morgan & Morgan’s lawyers boast substantial experience, having handled bus accident cases against both the government and third-party companies.

Have you been injured in a truck or bus accident either as a passenger or third party? You might be eligible for compensation. Morgan & Morgan’s bus accident attorneys are here to review your claim at no charge or commitment to you.

In the case of truck accidents, drivers and manufacturers of big rigs are held to a much higher standard than other drivers, and if an accident occurs, you or your loved one may be reimbursed for your injuries. Typically, a full-scale big rig can weigh 80,000 pounds or more, whereas the average sedan weighs around 3,000 pounds. With all that weight, accidents in which large commercial trucks are involved tend to present serious challenges and dangers — their size can cause total devastation to the cars and property around it. Large trucks also make it harder for the driver to have control over visibility, acceleration, braking, and turning. The latter two are symptomatic of when 18-wheelers are most likely to jackknife, though the truck driver may avoid being held liable due to unforeseeable road conditions, an abrupt turn, or something else. When it comes to assigning fault in an accident with a large truck, it’s important to recognize that these vehicles are typically driven for a trucking or shipping company. Therefore, when it comes to identifying defendants, there may be far more people involved than just the motorist. Employers, contractors, trucking companies, and insurance companies can all share the liability.

In addition to the risk caused by trucks’ difficult maneuverability, truck drivers themselves can pose a threat when they have insufficient training, payment determined by compensation systems that encourage faster driving, and overly long schedules that can lead to falling asleep at the wheel.

Normal-sized cars, on the other hand, can pose a danger to trucks when changing lanes abruptly, making a turn in front of the truck with too little space, or driving too close to the truck so that the driver has limited visibility. In addition, wind turbulence can push a car into a truck, and a slow entry upon the freeway can also cause a truck to stop abruptly. Morgan & Morgan’s team of truck accident lawyers are on call to help you with your case.

Pedestrians might be the most at-risk traffic segment when it comes to automobile-related accidents. Unlike a driver of a car, pedestrians have no built-in safety features like airbags or shocks. Even when areas with high pedestrian traffic are given $5 million safety upgrades, there’s still no guarantee that pedestrians themselves will follow the best practices to keep them safe. Furthermore, if you are blind or visually impaired, then quiet hybrid or electric cars can pose a significant threat, especially when walking without a service dog. With pedestrian fatalities in such states as Georgia, which is up 37% over the past two years , it’s clear that this is a crucial and overlooked area of personal injury law.

Morgan & Morgan’s team of pedestrian accident attorneys are experts in this often-confusing legal realm, excelling at in-depth negotiations with insurance companies and winning verdicts against poor drivers. We have the resources at hand to expedite this often arduous process, with multiple steps that must be followed.

Learn more about how Morgan & Morgan work to ensure you get the best compensation possible for your pedestrian-related accident. .

For enthusiasts, motorcycles are one of the most fun and freeing ways to explore the open road. But the fact of the matter is there is little separating you from hitting the ground fatally. When a motorcycle accident occurs, it’s typically much deadlier and more destructive than a car crash. And in many states, automobiles are actually responsible for the majority of motorcycle wrecks.

One way motorcycle enthusiasts can protect themselves is to wear a helmet, though this is often an unpopular fashion choice. Nonetheless, many states have severe laws in effect, because not wearing a helmet means one is three times more likely to experience brain injury following an accident. In addition to your helmet, it is advisable to wear any of the other protective gear mandated by your state, not just for your safety either. If you were struck by a motorist while riding your motorcycle but were doing so without a helmet, then the case would be inadmissible in some personal injury suits in certain jurisdictions.

Another area that Morgan & Morgan’s lawyers are constantly keeping an eye on is motorcycle recalls and defects that can harm motorcyclists. It’s not uncommon for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the companies themselves to issue a recall after discovering a defect because the stakes are so high when it comes to motorcycle-related injuries and deaths. One way to keep yourself safe is to conduct a periodic check of motorcycle recalls to see if you’re riding on a bike with defective shocks or a similar issue that can be life-threatening.

At Morgan & Morgan, we get results for our motorcyclist clients, including a $47.5 million award for a severely injured biker who was run over by an intoxicated truck driver. And if you’ve had an accident lately or were the victim of a crash, contact our motorcycle specialist lawyers to get a free, no-risk case review.

Using bikes within metropolitan areas to travel between one’s home and place of work has never been easier or more popular. Cities across the country are building new bike lanes and instituting bike sharing programs. However, while bicyclists might not travel as fast as those on motorcycles, their bodies are just as vulnerable if they happen to be struck be a car or hit something on the road and go flying. And while cities are making efforts to protect their bikers by adding signals to their bike lanes, there are no surefire safeguards in place to guarantee the safety of riders across the county.

What’s particularly disheartening is the fact that victims of bike accidents caused by vehicles, buses, or even trucks often face extreme pushback from insurance companies that fight legitimate claims. Morgan & Morgan have helped accident victims recover compensation for injuries and property damage, and are committed to holding negligent motorists accountable for their actions.