Road Hazards

Debris in a road can be quite dangerous to vehicles and their occupants. If debris unexpectedly appears in the path of a vehicle traveling on a highway at a high speed, there is as good possibility that the driver will end up in a collision after striking the debris or after swerving to avoid the debris. Such an accident can cause not only extensive damage to your vehicle, but could result in you, your passenger, or occupants of other vehicles to suffer serious injuries. For example, a victim of such an accident may suffer a severe blow to the head resulting in a traumatic brain injury such as a severe concussion. In other cases a victim may suffer broken bones or a back or spinal cord injury. These types of injuries involve long recovery times, with the victim being unable to work for weeks or even months. This puts the victim and his or her family in financial jeopardy. However, under New York law victims of vehicle accidents are allowed to seek compensation from the person or entity whose negligence resulted in the car accident. If you are in need of a New York Injury Lawyer because you or a family member was injured in a car accident caused by a road hazard, it is important to contact an experienced Bronx Road Hazards Accidents Lawyer who will help ensure that the party responsible for your losses is held accountable in a personal injury or wrongful death claim.

There are many different types of hazards that a driver may encounter on New York roads and highways, such as:

• Road debris. If a load on top of a car or on a truck is not properly secured, portions of the load can fall and end up in the middle for the road. For example, in 2015 a tanker truck rolled over and exploded when it swerved to avoid mattresses that had fallen off another vehicle. The driver of the tanker truck died in the accident. In addition, tree branches and other foliage often end up on roads following storms.
• Potholes. Potholes are a major problem in New York. Cars often swerve to avoid large potholes, and as a result collide with other vehicles, or end up off the road in ditch. In other cases cars run over a deep pothole, causing the driver and passengers to suffer injuries from the impact.
• Construction zones. Construction zones are inherently dangerous. Large, slow-moving vehicles entering in and out of traffic are hazardous to oncoming traffic. In addition, constructions workers often walk dangerously close to traffic, posing yet another hazard.

Those injured in car accidents due to road hazards can suffer a variety of serious injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, facial injuries, whiplash, lacerations, amputations, broken bones, internal injuries, and spinal cord injuries. These types of injuries are very serious and can require extensive treatment. This means substantial medical bills and missed work.

However, New York law gives injured victims the right to see compensation from the negligent party. Depending on the type of hazard the defendant in a personal injury claim could be another driver or a government entity. The types of compensation that you may be able to recover if you file a claim against the negligent person include:

• Lost wages
• Medical bills including bills from the hospital, your doctors, prescriptions and bills associated with medical equipment
• Damage to your vehicle
• Pain and suffering

If a family member was killed in the accident, the law allows the decedent’s personal representative to seek damages through a wrongful death claim

Beware that New York law has a specific time limit for filing a claim in a personal injury case. If you do not file your claim within the time period, you will be forever barred from collecting damages even if your case has merit. In addition, if the party responsible for your injury was a government entity then there are special procedures you must follow to file a claim.

A car accident leaves victims in both physical pain and financial pain. Thus, it is important to hold the negligent party accountable for their actions. If you were injured in a car accident in order to ensure that your rights are protected, it is important to contact an attorney who not only has experience handing car accidents, but is also familiar with the medical issues victims of such accidents experience. The staff at Stephen Bilkis and Associates has extensive experience representing clients injured in car accidents, construction accidents, truck accidents, as well as other types of accidents. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your car accident.