In Traffic Liability Laws, Two Wrongs Do Not Make a Right

Many traffic collisions are not entirely the fault of one driver. As often as not, multiple factors contribute to a collision, sometimes including errors by both drivers. Other factors, such as dangerous road conditions and manufacturers’ defects in car parts, can also play a role. According to Louisiana law, you have the right to seek compensation through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit if you sustained injuries in an accident for which you were partially at fault. This is known as comparative negligence. The insurance company or court has the right to reduce your payout proportionally to your share of fault for the accident. A Houma car accident lawyer can help ensure that you get a fair settlement, even if you were partially at fault for the accident that caused your injuries.

Commercial Truck Crashes Into Unofficial Driving Lesson

Last November, a 35-year-old man was helping his 17-year-old niece learn to drive, even though she did not have a learner’s permit. During this unofficial driving lesson, the man’s six-year-old son was riding in the backseat as his cousin practiced driving. The student driver ran a stop sign in her uncle’s Ford Edge and collided with a semi-truck that was carrying agricultural produce. A rescue team had to pull all three occupants of the Ford Edge out of the vehicle. The boy, who had been riding in the backseat without a seatbelt, was airlifted to a hospital, but the man and the teen were transported there by ambulance. The driver of the truck, a 66-year-old man, suffered only minor injuries.

News reports did not indicate whether the injured people have filed a lawsuit in connection with this case. They indicated, however, that the man received a traffic citation for allowing a minor without a driver’s license to drive his vehicle. Regarding civil liability for traffic collisions, the legal principle is that the owner of an item of property is legally responsible for damage caused by the item of property. For this reason, it is much easier to recover damages when the vehicle that caused the accident was a commercial truck; the trucking company is legally required to carry commercial liability insurance exactly for cases like these. In this case, though, there is much that the owner of the Ford Edge could have done to prevent the accident or to reduce the risk of serious injuries in the event of a collision. He allowed the teen to drive his vehicle without a license, and he allowed the boy to ride in the vehicle without a seatbelt. Furthermore, it was the teen driver who ran the stop sign, placing her at fault for the collision.

Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About Comparative Negligence

A car accident lawyer can help you recover your accident-related financial losses if you were partially at fault for the collision that resulted in your injuries. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana, to set up a consultation about your case.

Sources

https://newsradio1310.com/injury-carey-crash-truck/