Not only have many people experienced this first hand, but many others have witnessed it. Someone’s chugging along, doing just fine, then suddenly their car dies. The alternator could go, a belt could snap, or even the transmission could call it quits. The matter at hand is that now you’re in traffic, usually on a busy street and can’t move.
The recipe for disaster here goes something like this: your car dies, you phone for a tow, you’re waiting, and then a car hits you. Questions about whether they saw you, or why didn’t you get off the road take center stage. But the problem is that the car died and that you got hit. It’s a double-whammy. Especially if it causes a car accident.
Will Car Insurance Still Cover My Damage?
It is likely that your insurance will kick-in and offer some compensation, but it all depends on the type of insurance. If your car was missing needed maintenance or did not get the safety recall necessary, then you may have a challenge on your hands. The question will always fall back to a fault. In this case, should you have done something that you didn’t do? Did you fail to meet your responsibilities of car ownership?
Often car trouble is no one’s fault. And, if you were safely pulled over or had your hazard lights on, then you shouldn’t be at fault. Meaning that if you did everything right after your car dying, then you should have no problem proving that you weren’t at fault.
Now, the most common situation is for a car to die, and then get hit from behind. This situation occurs because someone was following too closely or traveling too fast. Although they may blame you for not being able to get out of the road, they were the ones not following basic rules.
I Was Hurt When Waiting for a Tow Truck, Am I Covered?
Virtually any injury that you sustain while on the road should be covered if the wreck wasn’t your fault. Then you can’t be held liable for the damages. But, it may be difficult to hold the other person responsible. Unfortunately, people use a massive variety of tactics to get out of reporting crashes to their insurance. Then they use their insurance to argue that they weren’t at fault.
If you were waiting for a tow truck, then you did everything you could. Not everyone is capable of pushing their car out of the road. You have instances with generally small framed people who are in the car alone. You’ll have a rough time finding someone to pull over and help, especially if you’re on a busy road. It’s always best to stay in your vehicle.
When you’re really worried about the flow of traffic, be sure not to get out of your car. Instead, call the local police and inform them that you’re waiting on a tow truck, but are in traffic lanes and can’t move your vehicle. An officer may arrive on the scene to direct traffic.
Why Didn’t the Other Driver Stop or Slow Down?
The big question for everyone, “Didn’t they see my car?” The answer is no; they were distracted or thought you were still moving and realized too late to stop. These types of crashes happen all the time, and sometimes they are genuine accidents. Someone may have thought you were still moving, especially if you didn’t turn on your hazard lights.
However, most often, people just aren’t paying attention. It’s a challenge to hold people accountable when you know that they’re just going to keep doing the same thing again and again. That same driver will get back in their car with little more attention to the road than before they hit you.
Sure, they may be more aware for a few days while they’re still shaken up from the crash. But overall, they will eventually drive with the same complacency. It’s all too easy for people to run into a car that was stopped because of trouble running.
Reaching Out to Your Local Ohio Car Accident Attorney
At 1Ohio, you can easily contact the attorneys that are most ready and able to help. That means you shouldn’t spend days or weeks going to consultations and meeting with people to see if it’s a good fit. We match the specifics of your case to different attorneys who know how to handle those situations. Contact 1Ohio to find a great attorney for your car accident claim who has not only the education and skills but also the time to handle your claim.
