Hollister Distracted Driving Accident Lawyers

Most Common Causes Of Distracted Driving

Hollister distracted driving accident lawyers know that distracted driving accidents may occur for several reasons. However, the most common causes of distracted driving accidents include the following:

Visual Distractions

Visual distractions occur when a driver fails to look at the road when driving because they are looking at something else—mostly their phones these days. Electronic distractions include texting, making phone calls, emailing, and viewing apps. Drivers possess a legal obligation not to be distracted by their phones.

Cognitive Distractions

Cognitive distractions occur when driver attention lacks mental focus on the road. This may happen when someone thinks about personal matters like work, family, and other topics. By distracting themselves with these thoughts, they may fail to pay close enough attention to the events happening around them. Because many people drive the same routes daily, to work or school, driving with cognitive distractions may occur more commonly than you think.

Physical Distractions

Physical distractions describe situations when a driver is distracted by something that makes them physically take their hands off the wheel. For example, someone eating a sandwich while driving may only have one hand on the wheel. Additionally, if someone drops something while driving, they may think they can quickly lean over and retrieve it. Although it may feel fast, taking your eyes off the road for even a few seconds could have disastrous results.

Liability

Understanding how to prove distracted driving is crucial to obtaining success for your claim. A determination of liability creates a stronger case for purposes of negotiation and trial. The liable party may be more inclined to negotiate a favorable settlement offer rather than pursue a lengthy and expensive trial.

Severity of Your Injury

The severity of your injury dramatically impacts the value of your case. Distracted driving accident injuries resulting in significant or catastrophic injuries yield larger settlements due to the extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation involved in recovery. Additionally, these injuries more significantly impact a victim’s quality of life.

Medical Bills

Medical bills increase substantially with severe injuries. Whether you need ongoing medical care or treatment, including whether your injuries resulted in permanent disabilities or scarring, also impacts your case.

Circumstances of the Accident

How your distracted driving accident occurred may also impact the value of your case. For example, if a driver behaved recklessly when driving, you may also be entitled to punitive damages, which are awarded in certain situations to punish the driver for their behavior and to deter future behavior by others.

Evidence

The more substantial the evidence you gather in support of your case, the higher your settlement will likely be. If the liable party knows they cannot prevail against you due to the plethora of concrete evidence in your favor, they will be eager to settle to avoid trial.