Sioux City Car Accident Attorneys

How Did Your Car Accident Happen?

The questions surrounding the cause of your car accident are crucial to answer accurately. It is highly likely that the other driver will deny that they did anything wrong, even though you might know with utmost certainty that they caused the crash. If you cannot depend on them staying honest or being realistic, then you will have to prove your argument with convincing, powerful evidence.

Our Sioux City car accident lawyers are well-versed in auto accident investigations and analyses. Let us get to work on your case, so we can prove that its cause was not your mistake.

Five common causes of car accidents are:

• Drunk driving: Intoxicated drivers have virtually no control over their vehicles. They get behind the wheel and hope for the “best,” which is a worst-case scenario for everyone else on the road. If a drunk driver hit you, then we might be able to use criminal evidence in your civil claim like blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test results and police reports.
• Distracted driving: As smartphones have become so common in today’s society, they have also become a common cause of car accidents. By some estimations from groups like the National Safety Council (NSC), between 10% and 25% of all car accidents involve a driver who was not paying full attention to the road.
• Reckless driving: There are many different driver behaviors that constitute reckless driving, such as speeding, tailgating, changing lanes without checking mirrors or signaling, and so on. We can use eyewitness statements, official reports, dashcam footage, and more to ­see the best way to prove that the other driver was acting reckless and breaking traffic laws when they hit you.
• Auto part defect: If a defective auto part causes a crash, then the automaker could be liable for the resulting losses and damages. Auto part defects are most often caused either by an unsafe design or a manufacturing error. Working with a mechanical engineer might be necessary to get to the bottom of what caused the defect and how that caused your crash later.
• Roadway damage: Were you driving when a defect or damage to the road caused you to lose control of your vehicle? It might be possible to hold the city accountable for failing to properly maintain that stretch of the road. Lawsuits against municipal entities are complicated and sometimes need to be started within a few months of the accident, so contact our firm quickly.

Injuries Often Suffered in Car Accidents

The extent of your injuries caused by the car accident is important to understand. The worse your injuries, the more your claim will be worth, in most situations. By working with your doctor and other medical providers, we can get a full picture of your injuries, their consequences and symptoms, and what needs to be done to treat them.

Some of the worst injuries that can be suffered in a car accident are:

• Brain injuries: A traumatic brain injury (TBI) will change your life forever to some extent. Some TBIs cause memory loss, speech impediments, mobility issues, mental health difficulties, etc. Most TBIs are also considered permanent and incurable, but they can be treated with specialized care and therapy.
• Spine injuries: Damage to the spine and spinal cord can cause paralysis if the damage is severe enough. Paralysis of both legs is called paraplegia, and paralysis of all four limbs is quadriplegia.
• Broken bones: When recovering from a bone fracture, the level of care provided is important. A bone break that does not heal correctly can cause permanent complications and technically become a catastrophic injury.
• Permanent disfigurements: Scarring and disfigurements that do not cause any physical symptoms can cause mental and emotional harm instead. Car accident survivors with visible scars, for example, might struggle with their appearance for quite some time after. This struggle can be added as non-economic damage in a car accident claim.

What Should You Do After a Car Accident?

It is important to take certain steps after being in a car accident. By doing so, you can help get the scene under control, make sure people get the help they need and improve your chances of filing a successful claim later on.

If you took these steps after the car accident, let our attorneys know right away:

1. Dialed 911: Emergency responders should be notified immediately after any crash that results in severe injuries or vehicular damage. The reports that these responders write could be beneficial to your claim.
2. Collected information: You should always exchange full identifying and insurance information with all other drivers involved in the crash. Without this information, you might not have a claim at all.
3. Photographed the scene: Use your smartphone to take pictures of the car accident. Pictures of injuries, damage, traffic conditions, and the weather can all help us piece together what happened as we work on your case.
4. Spoke with eyewitnesses: The best evidence in some car accident cases comes from eyewitnesses who saw the crash from a different angle. If you can, pass the contact information of eyewitnesses to our team, so we can interview them, too.
5. Received medical attention: If you are not taken to the hospital in an ambulance, then you still need to go to urgent care as soon as possible. Let a doctor check your injuries and diagnose any underlying issues. This step also adds to your medical record a timestamp that shows when your injuries happened and why they did.

Make the Most of Your Claim Today

Building a car accident claim is not a simple task, especially when the opposition is actively working against you. You can simplify everything, though, by letting our Sioux City car accident attorneys handle the case. We know how to work on a case from start to finish, so you do not need to worry about a thing. We will act as if we are representing ourselves, so you can be confident that your case is being taken seriously.

For a free consultationwith our firm, call (515) 705-0233.