“Why Hire a Springfield, Missouri Auto Accident Attorney?”

No matter how careful and responsible you are when driving, the more you drive, the more likely you are to be involved in an auto accident. In the United States, there are over 6 million car accidents every year, resulting in over 37,000 deaths. Every day, any car accident could result in:

• Death (more than 100 people die in car accidents every day)
• Injury (more than 3 million people are injured in car accidents every year)
• Property damage (72 percent of car accidents result in property damage)

In addition to these common consequences, most car accidents lead to complex legal issues for the parties involved. These may include:

• Insurance claims
• Assessment of damages
• Compensation for injuries
• Possible civil or criminal charges

If you are involved in a car accident, you need an experienced personal injury attorney who can address your needs and get results that protect your interests. Albers Injury Law specializes in auto accident claims and has experienced attorneys who are ready to help you 24 hours a day.

How Common Are Auto Accidents?

Auto accidents occur every day, in every state, and in every town. Injuries and fatalities resulting from auto accidents can involve drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. In the United States, in 2018 alone, auto accidents resulted in:

• 1,038 fatalities of children under age 14
• 4,985 fatalities involving motorcycles
• 6,283 fatalities involving pedestrians (the most since 1990)
• 857 fatalities involving someone on a bicycle
• 885 fatalities of large-truck occupants

According to the most recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in Illinois and Missouri, there are almost half a million car accidents every year:

• There were 319,146 car accidents in Illinois in 2018
• There were 153, 422 car accidents in Missouri in 2017
• In these accidents, there were more than 2,000 deaths

 What Are the Most Common Causes of Auto Accidents?

Although most drivers may be safe and responsible, no driver can count on the safety and responsibility of other drivers. Illinois and Missouri drivers are like all other drivers in the country and Illinois and there are a host of factors that affect other drivers and increase the likelihood of causing a car accident. These include:

• Impairment
• Distraction
• Aggressiveness
• Age or inexperience

 Impaired Driving

Impaired driving involving alcohol or other illegal substances is cited in one of every 3 fatal crashes and one of every 10 crashes resulting in injury. Nearly 70 percent of impaired accidents occur during peak driving times. If you are involved in a car accident involving an impaired driver, you need an experienced auto accident attorney to help investigate the cause, hold the impaired driver accountable, and obtain compensation for damages caused to you and your property.

 Distracted Driving

Distracted drivers are also prevalent on the road at all times. A distraction can be any activity that takes a driver’s mind off of the road. Distractions can be caused by:

• Visual impairments
• Passengers
• Eating, smoking, or engaging in other activity while driving
• Mental lapses

The most prevalent driving distraction is the use of cell phones, which has been referred to as “this generation’s drunk driving.”

A July 2019 report reveals that 9 out of 10 drivers admit to using their cellular phones while driving. The most distracted drivers (one out of every 12) spend approximately 30 percent of their actual driving time manipulating their cell phones. Although distracted driving results in nearly 10% of all fatal accidents, data from the NHTSA shows that the use of cell phones while driving increases every year in almost every state. In Illinois, where even holding a hand-held device while driving is prohibited, such distractions are a primary cause of car accidents every year. Missouri police report many tickets are given for cell phone use while driving, many to teen drivers. The Missouri courthouse holds court every Thursday for people cited for traffic violations in the Missouri area.

 Aggressive Driving

Aggressive driving is also a major factor in Illinois and Missouri fatal car accidents. Aggressive driving can include:

• Speeding
• Road rage
• Erratically changing lanes
• Making improper turns
• Failure to adhere to traffic signals

According to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, aggressive driving causes over 50,000 fatalities every year. Twenty-five percent of aggressive drivers are young adults (ages 21-29), who are involved in 20 percent of all car accidents.

In many cases, there is more than one factor that causes an auto accident. Having an experienced Illinois and Missouri car accident lawyer who knows how to investigate car accidents and understands the relevance of the many different factors that can cause car accidents is critical to establishing who is at fault and recovering maximum compensation when you are injured.

 Recovering Damages for Injuries in Auto Accidents

When you are involved in a car accident, you may know if someone is injured and may even agree with other parties who was at fault. However, even in the most common car accident cases, an experienced auto accident attorney can help you through the more complicated legal issues that may ensue, such as:

• Property damage
• Lost income
• Medical expenses
• Pain and suffering

To recover damages, however, state law requires that you assert your claim within a certain amount of time after your accident. This “time limit” is called the “statute of limitations” and it differs from state to state. For example, in Missouri, the statute of limitations is five years, but in Illinois, you have only two years from the time of your accident to assert your claims. If you are injured in a car accident, an experienced car accident lawyer will know how these and other laws may affect your ability to recover damages for your injuries and can help navigate all of the important legal issues you may face.

Let an Experienced Springfield, Missouri Car Accident Lawyer Assist You

When you are injured in a car accident, you need time to recover—physically and financially. An experienced car accident lawyer can help you through the complicated and time-consuming process of asserting your legal claim for damages so that you can focus on healing.

The experienced auto accident lawyers at Albers Injury Law will help you investigate the cause of your accident, negotiate with insurance companies, and recover the financial damages to which you are entitled. Call today to learn what to do to when you are in a car accident and how Albers Injury Law can help you prepare a successful claim for compensation. Let us come to you.