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Professional & Experienced Columbus Auto Accident Lawyers

Car Accident Lawyers In Columbus

If you’re looking for car accident lawyers in Columbus, Kurgis & Associates can help. Our experienced attorneys have helped many car accident victims file a lawsuit, gather all the proper medical bills and records, and receive the compensation they deserve. We can help you navigate the complex legal process and ensure you are up-to-date on the progress of your car accident claim. In addition, we help you thoroughly document your injuries with understanding and compassion.

Our team of Columbus auto accident lawyers has experience with:

  • Rollover, rear-end, and intersection collisions, crashes, and accidents
  • Hit-and-run accidents
  • Uninsured and underinsured drivers
  • Wrongful death suits
  • Alcohol and drug-related accidents

Distracted Driving In Columbus

Many car accidents result from distracted driving, where the driver loses focus, increasing the risk for those behind the wheel. These activities are either visual, manual, or cognitive:

  • Visual: taking your eyes off the road
  • Manual: taking your hands off the wheel
  • Cognitive: taking your mind off driving

Every day, about eight people in the United States are killed in car crashes as a result of distracted driving. In 2018, 25 percent of the distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes were young adults aged 20–29, with 39 percent of high school students admitting to sending texts or emails while driving. Those who texted or emailed while driving were also more likely to report other transportation risk behaviors such as not wearing a seat belt or being under the influence.

Current Efforts to Prevent Distracted Driving

Many states, including Ohio, have taken steps to help prevent distracted driving. Examples include:

  • Banning texting while driving
  • Banning hand-held cell phone use while driving
  • Requiring passenger limits for young drivers
  • Using high-visibility enforcement of these laws

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is committed to reducing distracted driving and increasing public awareness of the dangers of this behavior.

Don’t become a victim of a distracted driver. Our Columbus car accident attorneys can guarantee that you receive the assistance and compensation you are entitled to from an auto accident.

Columbus Car Accident Causes

Our team of Columbus auto accident attorneys can assist you with all causes of car accident cases, including reckless driving, weather conditions, road hazards, and mechanical issues.

Unfortunately, negligent drivers create dangerous situations on and near the road. Reckless driving is among the most common causes of car accidents, creating dangerous situations on or near the road, including:

  • Speeding
  • Running red lights
  • Tailgating
  • Illegal passing
  • Cutting off other drivers

Changes in the weather can affect regular driving patterns and behaviors. Extreme weather conditions can cause poor visibility and hazardous conditions that even skilled drivers have difficulty adjusting to. These conditions include:

  • Fog
  • Glaring sunlight
  • Rain and snow

It is not only other vehicles on the road that can cause a crash. Man-made dangers increase the potential for an accident, putting drivers and passengers at risk. If the driver isn’t aware of these road hazards, it can lead to unwanted collisions and even fatalities. Such road hazards include:

  • Construction zones
  • Poor road conditions
  • Faulty traffic lights
  • Incorrect signage

Although the majority of car accidents are due to road conditions, driver negligence, and weather, there are also accidents caused by mechanical defects. In some cases, the driver may not even be aware they exist until it’s too late. Common mechanical issues that cause accidents are:

  • Tire blowouts
  • Faulty brakes, steering, and suspension systems
  • Headlight or tail light failures

Common Types of Auto Accidents in Columbus

There are many types of car accidents, ranging in severity from minor fender benders to those involving fatalities. These collisions result in hundreds of millions of dollars in medical bills, lost financial opportunities, and property damage.

Our team of Columbus personal injury attorneys can assist you with all types of car accident cases, including:

Many factors can contribute to an intersection collision. A driver may fail to yield the right of way, run a red light, or drive while impaired by drugs or alcohol. Alternatively, the chain reaction force of one vehicle colliding with another can send it crashing into other cars in the intersection, putting other automobiles at risk. The most common intersection crash is a t-bone collision.

A rear-end collision occurs when a vehicle hits the vehicle in front of it. Although most of these fender benders occur in heavy stop-and-go traffic, other events can lead to this type of accident, such as inclement weather. Rear-end collisions can result in a number of injuries, including:

  • Whiplash
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Herniated discs

From delivery trucks and charter buses to tractor-trailers, collisions between large vehicles can have devastating results. Truck and bus companies that do not adequately maintain the vehicles in their fleet might share responsibility for the crash if it resulted due to mechanical failure. The manufacturer may be found negligent if equipment failure or defects cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Car accidents may involve only one vehicle and driver. However, they frequently affect several passengers. Passengers injured in a single-car accident may hold the driver accountable for any injuries they suffer. If the driver collided with a building, parked vehicle, or other property, the owners might seek compensation for their losses.

A sideswipe may occur when drivers change lanes or merge into traffic without checking blind spots. Damage varies, based on the angle of impact and speed. Multiple cars can be involved if one car pushes another into other vehicles.

Expenses Associated With Auto Accidents in Columbus

While property damages are typically seen in auto accident claims, the more prevalent expenses associated with auto accidents are medical expenses. While the at-fault party is responsible for ambulance and emergency visit fees, there are many other costs they may be required to pay. These include:

  • Diagnostic tests
  • Medication
  • Physical therapy or chiropractic visits
  • Accessories such as ice packs, heating pads, or crutches
  • Cognitive therapy for brain injuries
  • In-home services
  • Transportation to and from doctor appointments

At Kurgis & Associates, our Columbus auto accident lawyers look at any expected expenses for medical therapies or treatments even after your settlement and add those charges. Additionally, we assure that any surviving spouses or family members are awarded damages from the at-fault party for expenses such as wrongful death settlements, funeral expenses, and general loss of companionship.

Lastly, in accidents where the crash victim sustains an injury, they may be compensated for their lost wages. Our team ensures accident victims are awarded sums of money if they cannot work due to a permanent disability.

Expense Reimbursement

Victims of motor vehicle accidents may think the at-fault party’s insurance company pays for all damages. However, insurance companies take steps to pay out as little as possible. During the claims process, an adjuster may use tactics such as refusing to pay for medical expenses, say that someone is not entitled to a claim, or that the crash was too minor to result in any harm.

Hiring a personal injury attorney is imperative, especially when it comes to expense reimbursement. An insurance company does not want you to use an attorney because they know it will likely cost them a lot more money. Our Columbus car accident attorneys help you with expense reimbursement claims to guarantee that you’re not paying more than you need to.

Long Term Consequences of Auto Accidents

For many victims of motor vehicle accidents, there may be long-term consequences beyond lost wages or ongoing medical care. Psychological complications resulting from an accident are pretty common and can have a severe impact on day-to-day living.

Research has found that around 33 percent of victims involved in nonfatal crashes experience emotional or psychological stress and symptoms up to one year after an accident, including:

  • Depression
  • Phobias
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Persistent anxiety
  • Lethargy
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Difficulty sleeping

 

If not treated properly, these emotional consequences can start to affect all areas of life such as productivity at work or withdrawal from loved ones.

How To Contact Us

If you or someone you love is suffering from psychological complications from a car accident, our Columbus auto accident lawyers can help. Contact us to see how you can receive compensation for emotional suffering if long-term mental damage stemmed from the accident.

And remember, “We don’t get paid, unless you get paid.”

The personal injury attorneys at Kurgis & Associates serve serious injury and animal attack cases in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, Dayton, Parma, Canton, Youngstown, Lorain, Hamilton, Springfield, Kettering, Elyria, Lakewood, Cuyahoga Falls, Euclid, Middletown, Mansfield, Newark, Findlay, Urbana, Chillicothe and Zanesville OH areas.