CAR WRECKS

In the United States, the automobile is a way of life. Most of us drive or ride in a car, bus, truck, or other motor vehicles every day. However, because of how ubiquitous cars are to our lives, we often forget just how dangerous they can be and how often serious car crashes occur.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, automobile accidents are the cause of one death every 12 to 15 minutes and injure more than 2.5 million people each year. Many of those injured come away with permanent disabilities like brain damage, paralysis, amputation injuries, orthopedic injuries and other serious ailments that significantly and negatively affect the lives of crash victims. In cases where a death results, the family members of those killed suffer both emotionally and, often, financially.

AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT

If you’ve lost a loved one or sustained a very serious injury in a car accident because of another driver’s carelessness, you have the right to hold that driver responsible for his or her actions. Nothing can make things the way they were before the crash, but you can be compensate you for the terrible, unexpected losses the crash caused.

A motor vehicle accident lawsuit can also help pay high medical bills and other costs caused by the accident, and provide financial support for those who’ve lost an income to an injury or an unexpected death. And in some cases, it can help you prevent a similar tragedy from happening to others. A lawsuit is often the only way to hold wrongdoers and companies accountable for actions that put consumers at risk.

WORLDWIDE MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT STATISTICS

Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day.
An additional 20-50 million are injured or permanently disabled.
More than half of all road traffic deaths occur among young adults ages 15-44.
Motor vehicle accidents are the 9th leading cause of death and account for 2.2% of all deaths globally.
Auto accidents are the leading cause of death among young people ages 15-29, and the second leading cause of death worldwide among young people ages 5-14.
Nearly 400,000 people under 25 worldwide die in auto accidents annually..
Over 90% of all road fatalities occur in low and middle-income countries, which have less than half of the world’s vehicles.
Road crashes cost (U.S. dollars) $518 billion globally, costing individual countries from 1-2% of their annual GDP.
Auto accidents cost low and middle-income countries $65 billion annually, exceeding the total amount received in developmental assistance.

UNITED STATES MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT STATISTICS

Over 33,000 people were killed in U.S. motor vehicle accidents in 2012
An additional 2.35 million are injured or disabled
An average of 92 people died each day in motor vehicle crashes in 2012—that’s one every 16 minutes
Over 1,600 children under 15 years of age die each year
Motor vehicle accidents cost the U.S. $230.6 billion per year
That comes out to $820 per person
The U.S. fatality rate has gone done by almost half from 2.1 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles in 1990 to 1.1 in 2009
Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents are the leading cause of death for persons aged 8 – 34

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF AN AUTO ACCIDENT?

While you can never completely avoid the risk of a car accident altogether, you can significantly reduce the chance that you or your loved ones suffer serious injury or death.

Wear your seatbelt – Research has found that the proper use of a seatbelt reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by as much as 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-severe injury by up to 50 percent. Observational data from NOPUShas put seatbelt use for all U.S. passenger vehicles at around 86 percent. Buckle up.

Use car safety seats for children – According to the NHTSA, proper use of child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger car accidents.

Obey the speed limit – The NHTSA reports that 30 percent of fatal accidents are speed related – that amounts to over 10,000 deaths in 2012.

Keep up with safety recalls for your vehicle – 2014 was the “year of the auto recall” with automakers issuing more than 550 recalls for more than 52 million vehicles. Some of the recalls are for minor issues, but many were issued to fix very real safety issues. For example, Ford issued a recall for 2 parts in the ignition of several models that could cause the car to shut off and loose steering and prevent the airbag from deploying. You can search for recalls by vehicle make and model or by entering your car’s VIN into the database at safercar.gov.

Don’t drink and drive

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SUFFERING FROM OTHER INJURIES?

Wrongful Deaths

A wrongful death occurs when a person is killed due to the negligence or other liability of another person or entity. Surviving beneficiaries or dependents may seek compensation from the negligent and responsible party or parties.

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