Car accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. This is the nature of motor vehicle accidents, unfortunately. If they were easier to see and predict, we wouldn’t see millions of people getting injured or killed in crashes every year.
This means that if you have recently been involved in a motor vehicle accident, you very likely never saw it coming. Further, because accidents happen so quickly, you don’t always know the cause of them until much later.
Some of the most common causes of accidents are the most difficult to see and/or anticipate as a motorist. Below, we look at three of these factors.
- A distracted driver: Even when you are paying attention to the road, keeping your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road, you might not see that another driver coming up behind you or approaching the intersection is not as attentive. Despite the fact that distracted driving is so dangerous, efforts to stop it and enforce distracted driving laws fall short because it is a very difficult behavior to spot until it’s too late.
- A defective auto part: Unless you built or maintain your car yourself, you likely have no idea what kind of parts you have and what condition they are in at any given time. That is why it can come as a great surprise if an accident is caused by a defective car part.Â
- Spilled cargo and other road hazards: Defensive driving can be a good way to anticipate and prepare for unexpected changes in the road. However, there are some scenarios we just can’t plan for, like road obstructions caused by spilled cargo. Truck and car drivers are expected to properly secure cargo on their vehicle. Failure to do this could lead to sudden spills and serious crashes.
While you may not be able to see these types of hazards coming, you can take action after the fact if you have been injured by a negligent party. Working with an attorney can help you investigate and build a claim against a distracted driver, defective parts manufacturer or other negligent party that is responsible for your injuries.
