Most Common Causes of Car Wrecks in Alabama

Most everyone perceives our law practice as “those lawyers who go to court in serious automobile or tractor-trailer wrecks, where someone is seriously injured or killed.”

The truth, though, is that because of the better design of modern automobiles, luckily there are many fewer deaths and catastrophic injuries on our roadways now than in the past.  Often the causes of wrecks are conditions and situations that we may be able to avoid entirely, if we just think about what we are doing and always concentrate while behind the wheel.  Here are some of the culprits:

4)  Always consider the Road Conditions while driving.  Many Roads are in disrepair, with potholes and  uneven surfaces posing hazards.  The best thing a driver can do in those conditions is slow down and abide by all the rules of the road. Most of the time, cities and counties are immune from a lawsuit due to hazardous road conditions.  However, there are circumstances when you can recover from a third party, such as a construction company for design defects in roads.  We here at the Wininger Law firm are experienced in road design accidents and can help you determine if someone might be at fault.

3)  Statitics say that many people have driven after having had a couple of drinks or under the influence of prescription drugs or perhaps illegal drugs.  We all know that impaired driving is against the law and outright dangerous as even a small amount of an inebriating substance can affect one’s ability to react to emergency situations greatly.  Don’t take the chance.  The odds of being stopped by a police officer is much greater today than it ever was 20 or 30 years ago.  Also, even if a driver injures you in a wreck which is clearly his fault, if the investigating officer believes you have been drinking or are under the influence of drugs, Alabama law usually prohibits you form recovering for your injuries. An experienced lawyer can help you determine if you can recover in these situations and to receive a maximum recovery from a drunk driver.

Lately they have been calling them onlookers but when I was younger (and I still do), one of the most common causes of traffic accidents are Rubberneckers, or those drivers who just can’t seem to look away while passing a wreck scene near their roadway.  Many drivers who take their eyes off the road for just a few seconds while rubbernecking find that the vehicle in front of them has stopped suddenly, almost guaranteeing a rear-end collision.  While most of these type wrecks mainly cause only property damage, we recently had a case where a woman was made to have a dangerous and expensive neck surgery due to a collision from behind due to a driver behind her surveying a wreck scene on the side of the road.  Just watch the road please.   

An experienced attorney with knowledge about all types of rear-end collisions can  help you recover maximum damages if you have been injured by a rear-end collision.

1) It will come as no surprise that the most common cause of automobile wreck in Alabama is the driver attempting to multitask while behind the wheel.  Whether it is reading, applying makeup, changing the radio station, or possibly the most dangerous of all, using a cell phone, any multitasking, by it’s definition takes away from what should be the driver’s only true responsibility, the safe operation of the vehicle.  We have long been advocates of strict anti-texting laws, which have finally been passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor. We believe that soon the use of cellular phones  without a “hands-free” mode will be illegal in Alabama.  In the meantime, please be careful while driving, and never assume that the other drivers will do the same.  Give  your driving your full attention , all the time.

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