Any kind of car accident can be dangerous. Even a supposedly minor fender-bender can sometimes result in injuries that are much more serious than they appear when they first happen. But an accident on an interstate is a much different beast, leading to catastrophic injuries as well as fatalities.
A skilled motor vehicle accident attorney with Sand Law will be ready to help if you’ve suffered an injury, or the tragic loss of a loved one, due to the negligence of another driver. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us online, or by giving us a call at 651-291-7263.
Why You Need an Attorney for a High-Speed Crash
Even if you’re completely certain that someone else caused your interstate accident, that won’t mean anything when it comes to trying to obtain compensation from that driver’s insurance company. You’re going to need hard evidence in order to have the best chance of getting the money you deserve to pay for your medical bills, as well as the money you’ve lost due to the time you’ve had to miss from work.
An experienced attorney can uncover that evidence, and can help you get the compensation you have coming to you.
Another reason you’ll need legal help is the other driver’s insurer will probably harass you into admitting the wreck was really your fault. Your attorney will shield you from that harassment.
Higher Speeds Mean More Severe Injuries
What makes an interstate accident worse than just about any other kind of collision? The speed at which the vehicles involved in this kind of accident are typically traveling. The faster cars are moving, the stronger the forces that will be unleashed on drivers and passengers. Not only are the injuries more severe, the risk of a fatality occurring is much higher.
Car vs. Truck Accidents
The next time you’re on an interstate, pay attention to the number of commercial vehicles that are sharing the road with you. There are far more than you may have ever noticed. When a huge truck – one that can weigh upward of 80,000 pounds – collides with a passenger car, the consequences can be horrible.
As you might expect, an accident involving a car and a truck can lead to debilitating injuries. These are just a few examples.
- Traumatic brain injuries – When a truck hits a car, the occupants of the car will typically hit their heads on the side window, the dashboard, or even the front window. The impact can cause the brain to move violently inside the skull, leading to debilitating damage. The costs associated with a traumatic brain injury can, in some instances, reach into the millions of dollars.
- Spinal cord injuries – A truck/car collision, especially from the rear, can cause the body to whip back and forth with such force that spinal cord damage occurs. Of course, this kind of injury can lead to permanent paralysis and even death.
- Internal injuries – Seatbelts do a great job of saving lives, but in a collision between a car and a truck, they can break ribs. This kind of injury can result in severe organ damage that is often permanent.
Causes of Accidents on the Interstate
There are a lot of factors that can contribute to an interstate accident. Here are just a few of the more common ones.
Distractions
Distracted driving can be deadly when cars are moving at high speeds. Someone might be talking or texting on a smartphone, fiddling with their radio, or simply daydreaming. These and other behaviors take their attention off of the highway.
On/Off Ramps
When a motorist is driving on an unfamiliar stretch of interstate, they might not know exactly when they need to enter or exit. They could make a sudden move because they didn’t expect their exit to come up so suddenly, potentially cutting off other cars as a result. Even worse, they may wind up going the wrong way when entering an interstate, leading to a potentially fatal head-on collision.
Construction
Even if you know where you’re going, road construction on an interstate can be scary to say the least. Imagine all of a sudden coming up on a construction zone when you don’t expect it. That can quickly reduce the number of available lanes, and it can also make those lanes much narrower than normal.
Speeding
Intentionally driving over the speed limit opens drivers up to many different dangers. Interstate road conditions can change, seemingly out of nowhere. A car could hit a pothole the driver didn’t see, resulting in a potentially devastating tire blowout. When cars go too fast, drivers don’t have enough time to adjust to those kinds of changes.
Contact a Minnesota Interstate Accident Attorney to Discuss Your Case
Amazingly, there are still people out there who believe they can go it alone when it comes to obtaining compensation after a car accident. They watch attorneys on TV or in the movies and figure they could do the same thing. At Sand Law, we’ve seen far too many examples of clients representing themselves – it doesn’t end well.
Please don’t make this mistake. Get in touch with one of our vehicle accident attorneys so we can help you get what you deserve. Not only will we work to uncover the evidence you need to have the best chance of winning, we’ll also be able to give you a good idea of how much your case is worth.
When you hire us, we’ll conduct a thorough investigation into the accident. We can find skid marks, or other indications that the negligent driver was going too fast. Our attorneys can also work to obtain video footage from nearby cameras that might have captured the accident, and tell the story of how it occurred.
If you would like to learn more about how we may be able to help, please contact us online or call 651-291-7263 to schedule a free case review. The sooner you get in touch with us, the sooner we can get to work building the strongest case possible on your behalf.