Starkville Driver Fatigue Car Accidents
Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys Assisting People Injured in Starkville
Being alert when driving a motor vehicle is paramount to the safety of the driver and other motorists, passengers, and pedestrians. All it takes is a moment of succumbing to fatigue while driving – e.g., shutting one’s eyes for a second or two – for someone to cause a horrific accident. If you or a loved one has been injured in a driver fatigue car accident caused by another motorist in Starkville, the Starkville car accident lawyers of Nahon, Saharovich & Trotz may be able to help you recover damages for your injuries and losses stemming from the collision. We are a large regional personal injury law firm that has served the South for more than 30 years. With over 30 skilled attorneys and more than 120 dedicated staff members, our firm can provide you with the resources necessary to recovering damages on your behalf and the one-on-one attention you deserve. Let us show you the NST way today.
Dangers of Drowsy Driving
Most people do not realize just how dangerous it can be to drive while tired. Those who are most susceptible to fatigue are people who do not get enough sleep, work long shifts, work odd hours, take medication with drowsiness as a side effect, and drive long distances (commercial truck drivers). Signs you may be driving while too tired include nodding off, head bobbing, drifting out of your lane, and frequent yawning.
In 2013, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fatigued driving caused the following:
- 72,000 motor vehicle accidents
- 44,000 injuries
- 800 deaths
Recovering Damages After a Driver Fatigue Car Accident
Let us say, for example, that you were driving on MS-25 near the USDA Rural Development building, which is located at 510 MS-25, Starkville, Mississippi 39759, and headed for the US Social Security Administration office at 1089C Stark Road, Starkville, Mississippi 39759. The driver in the lane adjacent to yours is clearly tired and nodding off. Within moments, the other driver fails to maintain their lane and veers into yours, resulting in their vehicle colliding with yours and running you off the road. The accident damages your vehicle badly and leaves you with lacerations, broken bones, and other excruciating injuries.
In order to recover compensation from the other driver for your injuries and losses, you will likely have to establish the other driver’s negligence by proving that your injuries were caused by the defendant breaching a duty of reasonable care that he or she owed you. Photographing your injuries and the scene of the accident is a great first step in validating your claim, and you should continue that trend by hiring a knowledgeable attorney to help you substantiate your claim and inform you of the best ways to do so.
After sustaining injuries due to an accident that occurred in Starkville, you should have your injuries looked at by a medical professional at a nearby medical facility. Having a medical professional tend to your injuries not only is beneficial to your health, but it is also a good way of proving your claim since your injuries affect the types of damages to which you may be entitled. In your car accident case, you may be able to recover the costs of medical treatment such as emergency room care, primary care physician visits, orthopedic treatment, surgery, and prescriptions. Our attorneys can assist Starkville victims in gathering the proof needed to document their losses.
Consult a Knowledgeable Car Crash Lawyer About Your Case
When a drowsy driver gets behind the wheel of a car, he or she is putting countless lives at risk. Driver fatigue car accidents can result in severe injuries being sustained by victims – injuries that could potentially be with them for the rest of their lives. At Nahon, Saharovich & Trotz, we fight for people injured in Starkville, Jackson, Tupelo, Oxford, Grenada, Little Rock, Jonesboro, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville, Caruthersville, Hayti, Columbus, Meridian, and in other communities throughout Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky. Contact us today by calling us toll-free at 800-529-4004 or by completing our online form to set up a free consultation with an auto accident attorney. After speaking with us, you will know why NST is the way to go.
Most car accidents are preventable and occur as a result of errors by one or more drivers. To prove liability, you will need to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the driver owed you a duty of care, which was breached, and that your injuries resulted from the driver’s carelessness. Damages that may be available in these cases often include medical expenses, lost income, mental anguish, loss of consortium, and pain and suffering.
Truck drivers are required to follow numerous detailed regulations, including rules related to hours of service, keeping a logbook, and maintenance procedures. Many of these regulations are intended to protect other people on the road from harm. In some states, if a driver violated a law that was enacted to protect the public, the violation can create a rebuttable presumption of negligence. Trucking companies are also required to follow a number of regulations, including rules related to background checks of drivers and proper supervision. They often may be held directly or indirectly liable for a truck accident.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates applications for disability benefits. Although many people pay into this system throughout their lives, many legitimate claims are initially denied, and this process may be less straightforward than claimants expect. The SSA uses a five-step sequential evaluation to determine whether to grant benefits to an applicant. Each step is considered in a set order. We can present your case in a persuasive manner and help you appeal a denial of a meritorious claim if needed. This could include representing you in a hearing before an administrative law judge.
Workers’ compensation functions slightly differently in each state. In Tennessee, for example, businesses that employ five or more employees must carry workers’ compensation insurance. If you are injured on the job, you may recover benefits, such as medical costs and disability. Neither your employer’s nor your own culpability for your injuries will prevent you from collecting these benefits. However, it may still be a struggle to obtain benefits from your employer’s insurer. We can help you navigate this challenging process.
If you were harmed by a health care professional’s failure to use the appropriate level of care in providing treatment to you, you may be able to recover compensation. Most medical malpractice lawsuits require retaining an expert to determine the accepted standard of care and explain what the defendant did that fell short of this standard, as well as how the inappropriate conduct caused the patient’s injuries.
When you buy a toy, car, medication, or other product, you do not expect to be hurt. If you are injured, you may have grounds to file a product liability lawsuit. There are three types of defects that may be actionable: manufacturing, design, and marketing (also known as failure to warn). Manufacturers may be held accountable under multiple different theories, including strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty, and concealment. For example, if you take a drug that causes you to develop cancer, but you were not told that a potential side effect of the drug was developing cancer, you may have grounds to hold the manufacturer strictly liable for its failure to warn you of the risk.
Nursing home residents are often elderly or disabled, and thus they are especially vulnerable to neglect, physical abuse, and exploitation by staff members. Unfortunately, many nursing homes are understaffed or employ staff members who are inadequately trained to deal with potentially frustrating situations. Nursing homes are required to protect their residents from physical, mental, and emotional harm by providing a safe environment, as well as adequately training and supervising staff. A failure to do so may be grounds for a nursing home negligence lawsuit for damages.
Property owners have a duty to keep their property reasonably safe. In most situations, this includes an obligation to inspect the property for dangerous conditions and fix them or provide warnings about them so that visitors are not harmed. One type of dangerous condition, which may present a particular problem in apartment complexes or shopping centers, consists of inadequate security measures such as broken locks, poor lighting, or a lack of security guards. A failure to take security measures when appropriate may allow third-party criminals to assault, rob, rape, or otherwise harm visitors and tenants. You may be able to recover damages if you can prove that the defendant knew or should have known about a history of attacks similar to yours and taken appropriate security measures to reduce the risk of further incidents.
Consult a Personal Injury Lawyer in Memphis or the Surrounding Regions
If you are dealing with a devastating injury or medical condition, the Memphis personal injury attorneys at Nahon, Saharovich & Trotz can evaluate and explain your options. Our firm has 30 attorneys and more than 100 staff members, and we serve injured people in many areas of Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky, including Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Jackson, Meridian, Tupelo, Columbus, Grenada, Starkville, Oxford, Hayti, and Caruthersville. Contact our office toll-free by calling 800-529-4004 or by completing our online form to set up a free consultation with a personal injury, workers’ compensation, or Social Security Disability lawyer. Once you have learned more about our vigorous advocacy for the rights of the injured, you will realize that NST is the way to go.