In 2014 alone, there were more than 1,000 traffic fatalities in Ohio (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). The majority of those were involving ordinary cars and trucks, while a lesser percentage involved motorcycles and commercial trucks. Still fewer involved vehicles that were unoccupied, pedestrians, and bicyclists. More than half of these fatal accidents involved alcohol. Yet another alarming statistic from 2014 revealed that every day, more than 275 people, on average, sustained injuries – at an average rate of one auto accident injury every five minutes, just in Ohio. It is very clear that auto accident injuries are alarmingly common and that thousands of people will be filing auto accident injury claims each year.
If you are among these auto accident victims, you need professional and experienced legal representation to ensure that you don’t get pushed around by auto insurance companies, which are have plenty of experience in minimizing claims. The attorneys at Ohio Car Accident Lawyers are here to help. We will assist you in navigating the complex laws of Ohio’s auto accident litigation procedure and ensure that your rights are protected and your damages are covered. While you focus on recovering from your injuries and getting your life back on track, we’ll focus on building your case, communicating with insurance companies, and ensuring that you get a fair settlement or judgment, should the case require a trial.
Our Attorneys Can Handle All Types of Auto Accident Claims
The attorneys at Ohio Car Accident Lawyers have been pursuing all types of auto accident claims for many years, and we’re prepared to take on traditional auto accident claims, rear end accidents, wrong way driving accidents, broadside collisions, multi-vehicle crashes, head on collisions, and much more. Whether the accident resulted in minor, severe, or fatal injuries, we’re here to ensure that you get the compensation that you deserve. We are even prepared to take on more complex auto accident claims, such as those involving pedestrians and bicyclists, motorcycles, DUIs, uninsured drivers, commercial vehicle accidents, and accidents in which any of the parties failed to buckle up. No matter what happened in your auto accident, our attorneys have the skills and expertise to ensure that you are fairly represented and compensated.
Understanding Negligence and Comparative Negligence in Ohio Auto Accidents
Negligence is defined as any failure to uphold a reasonable duty of care to others. In an auto accident, this duty of care is owed to all other drivers and pedestrians. Everyone on the road owes a duty of care to everyone else on the road. If a driver fails to uphold this duty of care, then he or she is negligent and responsible for any accidents that occur. Driver negligence can involve driver errors, such as following too closely, driving impaired, failing to yield, weaving in and out of traffic, running a stop light, etc. Driver negligence can also involve a lack of vehicle maintenance, in which an accident occurs because some part of the vehicle was not maintained, such as the brakes, the steering, safety mechanisms, or signal lights. Finally, driver negligence can also include distractions, such as cell phone use, talking to passengers, or reading a map.
Now that you have an idea of what driver negligence consists of, you’ll need to understand Ohio’s comparative negligence laws to determine how this relates to your auto accident claim. Ohio is one of the states that operates under comparative negligence liability. This means that more than one person can be responsible for an auto accident, and each party can be determined to hold some percentage of fault. Thus, if one driver ran a red light and another driver was speeding, then each one is responsible to some degree. One driver may be determined to be 60% at fault, while the other is determined to be 40% at fault. If you are less than 50% at fault for an accident, then you can receive damages, up to the percentage of fault of the other driver. If you are 40% at fault, then you can receive 60% of your damages. If you are more than 50% at fault, then you cannot receive damages from the other driver at all.
Ohio’s Statue of Limitations on Auto Accident Claims
The statute of limitations on an auto accident claim refers to how much time you have to file that claim before you no longer can. In Ohio, as in many states, the statute of limitations on an auto accident injury claim is two years from the date of the accident. If you fail to file your claim within this time period, then you will not legally be able to seek compensation. Of course, you should not wait to file your claim or come anywhere near running out the statute. Rather, you should contact an auto accident attorney to assist you in taking the appropriate steps and filing your claim in a timely manner. The sooner you file, the better off you will be.
The Cost of Legal Representation in an Ohio Auto Accident Claim
Many victims of auto accident injuries fear that they will not be able to afford adequate legal representation. However, the attorneys at Ohio Car Accident Lawyers work on a contingency fee system. This means that we don’t get paid unless you receive compensation for your damages. Then, and only then, we receive a percentage of your settlement or judgment. You can learn more about our fees and processes by contacting us today for a free consultation. We are happy to discuss your auto accident injury claim and provide advice and guidance on what you should do next and how to proceed with filing an auto accident claim in Ohio. You don’t have to face the insurance company alone. At Ohio Car Accident Lawyers, we’re here for you.
