MAUMEE, OH CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS

Not all car crashes are the fault of a driver, but most are. In fact, very few auto crashes occur that do not involve one or more negligent parties. As such, after any car collision it is important to take swift action to gather evidence to prove guilt on the party that caused the crash. The sooner that your attorney begins building a case against the negligent driver and goes to work with the

negligent driver’s insurance company, the better the outcome will be for you and your family. For aggressive legal representation in and around Maumee, Ohio reach out to the car collision attorneys of Groth & Associates today. Our attorneys have a broad and deep knowledge of personal injury law that will prove to be invaluable in determining the compensation you are awarded.

WHILE PERSONAL INJURIES ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS ACCIDENTS, THEY ARE OFTEN THE RESULT OF ANOTHER PERSON’S RECKLESS OR NEGLIGENT CONDUCT.

When investigating the cause of a crash, official police traffic reports are useful, though we do not stop there. Our firm may employ investigators and expert eye-witnesses in court if necessary. It is important to uncover all of the small details when addressing anything from a small crash to a catastrophic car wreck. Was the other party driving without their lights on at night? Did they really have their turn signal on? Who had the legal right of way leading up to the collision? These and many other questions must be answered before determining who was at fault, and our attorneys are adept at getting to the bottom of even the most complex multi-car pile-ups. Some common types of crashes include the following:

• Right of way violations, including vehicle from side road that pulls out in front of oncoming traffic;
• Turning, changing lanes, swerving, or merging without looking and/or signaling;
• Rear end collisions;
• Side impact collisions, which often occur from the negligent driver going through a stop sign or red light;
• Driver loses control of vehicle due to high speed or unsafe maneuvers; and
• Overcorrecting and losing control (for example, this happens often when a driver is looking down at their phone, looks up and sees that they have drifted into oncoming traffic or hit the shoulder of the road, then overcorrected, resulting in an erratic movement).

Most of these crashes are caused by the same thing: driver error. The human mind is not skilled at multi-tasking, despite what many people trick themselves into believing. Much like it is impossible to read a book and hold a conversation at the same time, a driver cannot safely operate a 65 mile per hour vehicle through traffic while talking on the phone, even if it is hands-free, according to the National Safety Council. Distraction comes in many forms, such as loud passengers or children in the backseat, though more commonly it involves a cell phone. Distraction is killing tens of thousands of Americans every year, and the numbers are continuing to rise. In fact, one in four crashes is due to cell phone distraction.

Negligence is defined by the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) as “the failure to exercise the degree of care required of a reasonable and prudent person in any given circumstance resulting in injury or damage to another.” All vehicle operators must abide by the unwritten but implied duty of care as stated above. When another party is injured by actions that are not within the realm of careful or prudent, the negligent party will be held financially responsible for the victim’s damages. However, when the crash is deemed to have been caused by both you and the other driver, the amount of financial compensation you can receive may be reduced. Ohio is one of many states that employs the concept of comparative negligence.

If you have been injured in a car crash, you may be able to recover damages for medical bills, future medical costs, lost wages, permanent scarring, pain and suffering,