Articles Posted in Car Accidents

How costly and dangerous can an accident with a deer be? Consider this: according to an American Family Insurance report, the insurance provider paid more than 32,000 claims for deer collision accidents in 2010, which resulted in more than $85 million in payments. As fall begins, deer migration is an important hazard for drivers to look out for especially at sunrise and sunset; which are common times for deer to cross roads. This is especially true in November, as the risk of deer accidents occurring are three times as higher compared to other months.

So what should a driver do avoid or reduce the severity of a deer accident? This post will highlight a few tips. 

Pay attention to deer crossing signs – Drivers should know that these signs warn drivers that deer may be cutting in front of them. While deer may not cross at the exact point where the sign lays, deer could cross down the road.

When young drivers first learn about operating a car, they may not understand the importance of checking their blind spot. After all, it may be a foreign concept because they may not be used to looking over all of the areas before making a lane change. However, even some of the most experienced drivers may forget to look over their shoulder every once in a while.

But if a blind spot is missed, it could spell disaster.

So when driving a different car for the first time (such as a rental car) or when shopping for a new car, it is essential to complete the following steps to get your bearings. 

While the summer driving season may be over, the occasional frustrations that come with driving will stay throughout the fall, and likely into the winter. Because of this, the threat of road rage and the potential for accidents will be something that drivers will have to deal with as long as they are behind the wheel.

We generally know that road rage is the wrong response to frustrations caused by other drivers’ behaviors. However, it is amazing how many excuses that drivers give for engaging in such behavior. This post will highlight a few of the top 10 excuses.

He (or she) was driving too slow – Rage over being stuck behind a slow driver can certainly tick a person off. 

As we noted in a prior post, the change of seasons means that drivers must continue to use reasonable care while behind the wheel; especially during the morning hours, since there are people walking to school, riding bikes and taking morning runs. Because of this, drivers must pay attention to pedestrians and use reasonable care while behind the wheel.

This post will highlight a few of the things that a driver must adhere to as part of their duty to use reasonable care.

Refrain from distracted driving – Of course, drivers must limit distractions while behind the wheel, because failing to do so could result in hitting a pedestrian because the driver was not paying attention to their surroundings.

The summer driving season in central New York may be over as fall as officially begun. However, there are still a number of road construction projects going on in our region. With that, accidents in or near construction zones are still a danger to drivers. Because of this, it is important for drivers (both of cars and trucks) to keep the following safety tips in mind.

Pay attention to the signs – While this may seem obvious, the orange signs that warn drivers of upcoming construction zones are there for a reason. When drivers see these signs, they should begin slowing down. Not only because traffic is about to stop, but there are workers ahead who work better when cars and trucks are not whizzing by.

Keep your distance – As we alluded to above, traffic tends to stop suddenly in or near construction zones. If a driver is tailgating, a sudden slowdown could spell disaster not only for other drivers, but for the construction workers as well. So treat a construction zone like it would be gridlock.

Last year, it seemed uncertain if Toyota Motor Corporation would survive all of the controversy stemming from the Takata airbag recall after the highly publicized sudden acceleration problems that plagued Camrys and Lexus ES models years before. Fast forward to September 2015, and Toyota has scored two major victories.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named two Toyota vehicles, the Lexus ES and the Scion iA, were recently named IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus. This honor is bestowed to vehicles that receive at least a “good” rating on all the crash tests the IIHS performs. These include side impact tests, rear end crash simulations, overlap crash tests, and several others. 

The IIHS crash tests are notoriously more stringent than other federal crash tests; which is why manufacturers look to these crash tests to make improvements when they do not achieve satisfactory marks.

The Labor Day weekend holiday has come and gone. Unfortunately, it was marred by tragedy in the lower Hudson Valley. The accidents and the lives lost are sobering reminders that drivers must use reasonable care when on the road in central New York. This is especially true with more young people on the road as school returns for another year.

While no one actually plans to be in an accident, being prepared in the event of one is critical. Indeed, it is normal to panic, or to be upset; but the following tips can help in preserving your claim and help you in the event you need a lawsuit. 

Call the authorities – Besides assessing whether either driver should be cited for a moving violation, law enforcement agencies can produce reports that detail who is responsible for the crash. For what it is worth, you should not leave the scene of an accident until the authorities arrive as well.  

With automakers bringing their newest offerings to dealerships this month, performance is likely going to be one of the things automakers will use to entice car buyers. Some will also tout the latest safety features; while others will flaunt new designs. While performance and design will cater to buyers who want the newest toy, a recent study suggests that few drivers understand the latest safety offerings.

According to the University of Iowa Public Policy Center’s Transportation and Safety program, there are large information gaps when it comes to communicating potentially life saving safety features. For example, drivers may know about the term cruise control, which keeps a car at a certain speed, but a majority of drivers do not know about adaptive cruise control, which does the same thing but also can slow the car down when approaching traffic or encountering difficult driving conditions. 

The same could be said about backup cameras. Once something that could be found only on luxury car models, the federal government has now required all new cars built in 2018 to require such cameras as standard equipment.

The concept of sovereign immunity is likely something that most people who are not lawyers will ever have to know about or deal with. However, if you are even in an accident with a vehicle controlled by a municipality (i.e. a garbage truck, public works vehicle, or fire truck) or want to hold a state agency accountable for poor road design or maintenance, this term may be used against you in order to limit or prohibit your claim.

This post will briefly explain what sovereign immunity is and how it may hamper your case. 

At its core, the concept of sovereign immunity is where a government and its political subdivisions cannot be sued unless it consents to the lawsuit. The concept is generally used to protect government employees in their daily decisions from lawsuits. For instance, a negligence claim against a sanitation department for a truck stopping suddenly to pick up trash may not be actionable depending on the circumstances.  After all, these employees must be able to do their jobs without the constant fear of a lawsuit.

We hope our readers had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. As we have noted in a prior post, the last holiday weekend of the summer would be known for one last getaway. This would mean that a high number of people would be on the roads in central New York, and the possibility of accidents would increase as well.

While many people will get home and back to work safely, there unfortunately are some who may be in an auto accident. For those who are in accidents, it may be difficult to determine whether medical attention is necessary. After all, you may not feel as if you are injured in the minutes after the crash.

Nevertheless, this post will highlight reasons why medical attention can be helpful.