When drivers change lanes improperly, they put other motorists at risk. If you suffered an injury due to an improper lane change in Decatur, you could be entitled to recover monetary compensation for your injuries.
This compensation could provide you with wage replacement and cover your medical bills while you heal. To pursue the monetary award that you need, you can work with our improper lane change accident with a lawyer in Decatur.
Damages In an Improper Lane Change Accident
Establishing damages is a unique part of building a negligence case, given that you not only must show you have sustained losses but also must spell out how much you are entitled to recover.
There are different types of compensation that might be available following an improper lane change accident, depending on the circumstances. Some of these types of damages include:
- Lost Wages. Many people injured in motor vehicle accidents are required to take time off work to heal. This could be a matter of days or even a number of months, depending on the circumstances. An injury claim could recover wages that are lost prior to a lawsuit as well as in the future.
- Medical Bills. Serious injuries typically result in extensive medical bills. Your injury claim could result in a monetary award for the cost of your physical therapy, hospital visit, ambulance ride, or chiropractic care, for example.
- Property Damage. Your vehicle could have also suffered significant damage following an improper lane change crash. If your claim is successful, you could recover the cost of replacing or repairing your damaged vehicle.
- Pain and Suffering. Many injuries result in significant physical pain following a crash. The physical pain and suffering you suffer can lead to monetary compensation. Often, this compensation scales with the amount of medical bills you incur.
For a free legal consultation with a improper lane changes accidents lawyer serving Decatur, call (404) 888-8888
Improper Lane Change Accidents Can Cause Severe Injuries
There are numerous ways a negligent driver can endanger others on the road while making an improper lane change. A motorist could change lanes without signaling or drive across two lanes at the same time for an extended period. While lane change accidents can involve commercial trucks, the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that the majority of these collisions occur between two passenger vehicles.
Improper lane changes have the potential to cause serious accidents and severe bodily injuries. Changing lanes without signaling could lead to a side-impact collision that sends one driver swerving off the road and into a ditch or a building. In some cases, these accidents could cause one or both vehicles to flip and roll. The potential for severe injuries in these cases is significant.
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Establishing Negligence Could Help You Recover the Damages You Deserve
In order to obtain a monetary award following an improper lane change accident, you will have to prove that the other driver involved in the accident acted negligently.
There are four steps to proving negligence, and you will need to prove each one in order to prevail on your claim. These elements include a duty of care, breach of that duty, causation, and damages.
- Duty of Care. Step one in proving negligence is establishing that the defendant owed you a duty of care at the time of the crash. In some types of injury claims, demonstrating this duty can be challenging. That is rarely the case in motor vehicle accident claims, given that drivers owe one another a duty to operate their vehicles in a safe manner.
- Breach. Once the duty is established, you must also show that the defendant failed to uphold their duty. This is typically known as a breach. Any careless or intentional act that causes an accident could be evidence of a breached duty of care. In these cases, a driver could breach their duty of care by changing lanes without signaling or ensuring there was not another vehicle in their blind spot.
- Causation. Causation is the link between a driver’s breach and your injuries. In other words, you can only seek compensation for the injuries that resulted directly from the other driver’s negligence.
- Damages. You are not entitled to monetary compensation unless you can establish that you sustained measurable damages. Damages could include a variety of losses, such as lost wages, medical costs, or pain and suffering.
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Using Citations from the Accident as Evidence
If the driver that caused your accident received a ticket after an improper lane change, a conviction could be useful evidence in your civil lawsuit. Georgia has an array of traffic rules that, when violated, can lead to fines and even jail time. Improper lane change is one of the most common moving violations under state law.
It is unlawful for a driver to turn left, turn right, or change lanes on a multilane road without first using their turn signal. A driver must also use that signal with ample time to alert the drivers behind them and in front of them that a turn or lane change is coming. A driver that fails to comply could be convicted of an improper lane change.
This might be a criminal conviction that is separate from a civil injury claim, but that does not mean it will not have an impact on your case. A lawyer with our firm could use an improper lane change conviction as evidence of negligence at trial.
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Consider an Attorney for Your Improper Lane Change Accident Case
You should not be left paying out of pocket for your injuries and losses. The team at Bader Scott Injury Lawyers can help you hold the negligent driver accountable. To learn how we can help protect your rights, call (404) 888-8888 for a free consultation. Learn what our accident lawyers can do for you today.
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