Will The High Price Of Gasoline Cause You To Be Involved In An Accident?
As an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney for over three decades, I have evaluated tens of thousands of car accident cases and there is probably one event that most people never think about. As the price of gasoline reaches limits that put a strain on almost all of our wallets, many people choose not to fill up until the last moment trying to stretch their tank of gas. Unfortunately what many of these individuals do not realize is that if your car stalls or runs out of gas on a busy highway, you are a sitting duck for a potentially dangerous car accident. What many vehicle operators never think about is getting stranded or stopped in the middle of a busy highway or a deserted road where you can potentially be the victim of a vehicle that does not see you. Many also end up stranded in the "middle of nowhere" to be held hostage by road recovery or repair crews. Many times gas gauges are inaccurate or deceiving and you think you can make it to the next gas station when in fact the perception of the fuel indicator does not match the actuality of the circumstances.
Recently a state law enforcement officer was sitting in a stopped vehicle when another vehicle who did not see the vehicle slammed into him at full speed causing his car to burst into flames with the individual trapped inside.
In another case scenario, the occupant of a vehicle whose car had stopped due to a lack of fuel exited the vehicle in the evening and was struck by a passing vehicle whose driver claimed they did not see him. Simply put these tragic car accidents resulted from human error.
Stalled vehicles and vehicles left on the side of the road that have run out of fuel are often the cause of major crashes that result in catastrophic injuries. Imagine for instance being stopped on the Atlantic City Expressway or another high speed roadway late at night, out of fuel, and unable to move your vehicle. Simply put you are a sitting duck for an accident waiting to happen. As Louis Pasteur once noted, "chance favors the prepared mind" and there is almost a day that does not go by when a merging driver or another inattentive driver strikes a disabled vehicle causing a wrongful death or catastrophic injury. Most of these instances are high rate of speed crashes that involve a stalled vehicle or another vehicle that swerves to avoid the stalled vehicle resulting in an accident avoidance maneuver resulting in a catastrophic injury or death. In fact, an experienced, creative, and aggressive car accident lawyer might even suggest and be able to prove that the motorist who allows his vehicle to run out of gas was negligent and the cause of the accident. Many times such accidents involve drivers of big rig trucks who do not have the ability to maneuver or stop in the same amount of time as a single car.
As an experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer, I advise paying heed to the wisdom of Louis Pasteur and to always keep your tank filled and to avoid being the sitting duck on the highway. If you or a loved one has been involved in a catastrophic car accident, please contact us for a free, no obligation consultation with a team of some of the most experienced car accident lawyers in the United States. Our record of success speaks for itself. Contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.
