Auto Accidents Can Be Devasting
Automobile accidents can be devastating, destroying the lives on many innocent victims. Crashes can have a large impact on both physical health and mental health. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports vehicle traffic accidents. More deaths were caused by motor vehicle traffic accidents than homicide, suicide, and heart disease. The Pennsylvania auto accident lawyers at the Philadelphia law firm of Reiff & Bily have been researching and handling thousands of automobile accidents cases since 1979.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reports that in 2005, there were 100,381 injuries and 1,616 crash related deaths in Pennsylvania. There was an estimated total of $5.298 billion in economic loss due to automotive deaths.
Not every accident involves more than one vehicle. A single vehicle hitting a fixed object such as a tree or guard rail rather than another car caused more car accidents and their resulting death or injury. Accidents could also include an SUV roll over or an airbag related injury. Most accidents involved males and females between the ages of sixteen to twenty. Adverse weather and road surface conditions can also impair proper driving, however, a majority of crashes and deaths were during non-adverse weather conditions (77.1%) or dry road surfaces (69.6%). Improper maintenance or vehicle defects can also lead to crashes. Tire or wheel related defects resulted in a majority of crashes (888) in 2005, with brake-related crashes (776) following.
To help reduce the risk of injury, always wear your safety belt but also check that your vehicle is not equipped with a defective seat belt. If you are ever in an accident, make sure everyone is ok and exchange information. Always keep your insurance information in your glove box. Call 9-1-1 or the police to report the accident and never leave the scene of the accident. Double check your insurance coverage and report the accident to the insurance company.
There are three important factors to automobile accidents: (1) liability; (2) establishing damages; and (3) determining where to collect the damages. Philadelphia personal injury lawyer Jeffrey Reiff and the experienced Pennsylvania auto accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily will examine the facts, evaluate your claim, determine which parties and insurance companies are responsible, and organize all of the details of preparing and presenting your automobile accident case. If there is damage to the vehicle in an accident, repairs can be assessed by a body shop.
If you are in need of an attorney because you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury as a result of an automobile accident, please call the experienced Pennsylvania auto accident and product liability lawyers at the law firm of Reiff & Bily at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.
