Missouri Auto Attorney Blog - Car Accident Lawyer St. Louis

Personal Injuries Related to Auto Accidents

The Dangers of a Multi-Vehicle Car Crash

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When we think about car accidents, we generally envision a crash between two cars. While this is the most common type of car accident in St. Louis, there are a variety of other types that happen frequently.

One of these alternate scenarios is multi-vehicle crashes, which are handled a bit differently than regular collisions. What makes them different comes down to three primary factors: A heightened chance of injury, hectic aftermath, and complex liability. Below, we explain the basics of these three factors. If you ever need more information on the subject, don’t hesitate to contact a Missouri car accident attorney.

car accident damage

High Chance of Injury

Your first priority should always be your health. That is why we need to talk about injuries before anything else. When it comes to multi-vehicle crashes, your injury risk is significantly higher. The reason for this is that speed that is generally associated with this type of accident. For typical two car accidents, there is a range of speeds they take place at. When that speed is low, the risk of severe or life-threatening injuries is generally lower. When it is higher, crashes become much more dangerous. Multi-vehicle crashes almost always involve high speeds because it usually takes a certain level of speed to cause a chain reaction. If you are ever caught in an accident like this, you need to take stock of your health and ensure that you are not in immediate danger.

A Hectic Aftermath

The aftermath of a car accident is often very hectic when there are just two drivers involved. When there are more, things can get out of control. With more people involved, there is a higher chance of one of them being aggressive and further escalating the situation. Because of this effect, it is imperative that you stay calm after an accident. If you can, try and be the cool-headed leader of the situation. If not, you can still be a polite and level-headed party.

Complex Liability

Two car collisions are often simple. One driver runs a red light, doesn’t brake in time, is texting, or behaving in some other negligent way, and they are found liable. When there are multiple vehicles involved, assigning fault is much more complicated. We can explain this using two scenarios. In the first, the car in front comes to a sudden stop. Three vehicles behind it do not hit their brakes in time, and they form a chain of rear-endings. Here, the first car will likely not be held liable, while the other three may be held liable for the damages they caused to the vehicle in front of them. In scenario two, the three front cars are stopped when the fourth car hits the third car at high speeds. This collision causes each vehicle to move forward and hit the car in front of them. Here, only the fourth car will likely be held liable.

Though we believe hiring a lawyer is the right decision in any car crash case, doing so in an accident that involves multiple vehicles is especially important. Considering the high chance of injury, chaotic aftermath, and complicated liability of these types of crashes, you’re going to want to have an experienced attorney on your side.

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The Most Dangerous Days and Times of Day For Driving

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Doing your best to avoid driving at these times will increase your odds of avoiding an accident.

When it comes to driving safety, there are two primary factors. The first is behavioral. That includes not drinking and driving, staying off of your phone, resisting distractions, and anything else that involves your personal habits. The second factor is environmental. These are the elements of safety that are mostly outside of your control. Some examples are weather, the behavior of other drivers, and the times at which you drive. In this article, we focus on how timing affects car accidents. That means which days of the year, days of the week, and times of day are most dangerous. Doing your best to avoid driving at these times will increase your odds of avoiding an accident.

Holidays

On certain days of the year, St. Louis car accident attorney offices receive a significant spike in calls. These are the days after major holidays. You might be able to guess a few of the holidays that are the most dangerous, but some of them will surprise you. According to the US Department of Transportation, the six holidays that are most dangerous are Thanksgiving, Labor Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Christmas, and New Years Day (source: NHTSA). The primary reason for this is alcohol consumption. On these days of the year, the majority of people have work off. They frequently drink alcohol at parties with friends or family, and some of them choose to drive afterward. The results are often fatal.

Days of the Week

Something that might come as a surprise to you is that the most dangerous day of the week does not have a rush hour. Instead, it is Saturday (source: NHTSA). The reason for this seems to be the same as for holiday danger: Alcohol consumption. Given that the second and third most dangerous days are Friday and Sunday, this theory holds up. One more contributing factor is the speeds people are going at due to lack of traffic. Though road congestion is frustrating, it does not usually lead to fatal crashes. When the roads are clear, drivers have more freedom to drive fast, making their accidents much more severe.

Times of Day

The last metric you should know about is time of day. The most dangerous time range is 4:00-6:59 PM, followed closely by 7:00-9:59 (source: NHTSA). Three factors contribute to this trend. First, rush hour can be a dangerous time. Drivers are often frustrated after a long day at work and want to rush home. The result is speeding and aggressive driving. The second factor is visibility. As the sun sets, people lose their ability to see the road. This leads to making mistakes. Lastly, alcohol is a significant contributor again. The later in the day it gets, the more likely it is for people to be drinking. This raises the frequency of fatal crashes significantly.

Now that you know what days and times are most dangerous, you can do your best to avoid them. Sometimes, you cannot pause your life just for road safety, but other times you can. This is especially true of holidays. If you can, it is often a good idea to try staying in one place all day and avoid the roads altogether.

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3 Things You Should Know About St. Louis Bicycle Accidents

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If you understand bicycle accidents and the safety tips associated with them, you will hopefully be able to avoid a collision altogether.

bike accident stl

When two cars get into an accident, there is a broad range of outcomes. Often, crashes are at relatively low speeds, nobody gets hurt, and vehicle damage is minimal. On the other hand, St. Louis bicycle accidents are very often severe. While the person in the vehicle is usually safe from harm, the cyclist is likely to sustain a severe injury. This leads to more complicated personal injury cases with higher stakes. Ideally, if you understand bicycle collisions and the safety tips associated with them, you might be able to avoid a collision altogether.

The Statistics

Below, we list some relevant statistics regarding bicycle collisions. Each of them comes from the NHTSA 2016 Traffic Safety Facts report.

Frequency – While fatalities from bicycle collisions are relatively uncommon, they still happen every day. In fact, the NHTSA found that these crashes caused 840 deaths in 2016 alone.

Location – As you might imagine, the majority of bicycle collisions happen in urban areas. The official breakdown is 71% urban and 29% rural. This makes sense, as cities feature more bicyclists, drivers, and dangerous driving behavior.

Timing – The NHTSA reports that the most fatalities happen between 6:00-9:00 PM. There are two reasons for this. First, it is dark for part of this time range, which decreases visibility. Second, this is a prime commuting time, which means there are more cars on the road.

Avoidance Tips

The following are two critical behavioral tweaks you can make to increase your chances of avoiding an accident.

Don’t Multitask – The best way to avoid collisions is by giving the road your full attention. When you take your eyes off of the road, you increase your chances of hitting bicyclists and other cars.

Check Your Blind Spot – One of the most common ways vehicles hit bikes is when the bicyclist is in the driver’s blind spot. This often happens when a driver is taking a right turn and ends up unknowingly swerving into the rider.

Liability

You might think that because a car is much larger and a cyclist is more likely to get injured, liability is always placed on the driver. This is not the case. Bicycles are considered a vehicle, and thus have to follow the rules of the road. Just like if you get into an accident with another car, if the cyclist is breaking the law or being excessively careless, under some circumstances they could be found liable.

If you were on a bicycle and were hit by a car, it is a good idea to speak with an experienced St. Louis car accident lawyer to ensure your legal rights are protected. Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4242 for a FREE consultation.

How to Prevent Road Rage

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Road rage affects the majority of drivers and contributes to many fatalities each year.

how to prevent road rage

Some people are saints out on the road. They are polite, defensive, and never lose their cool. Others are the exact opposite. Their tempers flare easily, and they get caught up in a fit of road rage. Unfortunately, this kind of behavior is hazardous for them and the people around them. After a few months or years of doing this, they may unfortunately end up in a severe auto accident. The best way to avoid this is to keep your cool when driving. Below, we explain common triggers, why road rage is so dangerous, and how to prevent it.

Common Triggers

A few typical situations that elicit road rage are being cut off, not being allowed to pass, being tailgated, receiving obscene gestures, and being caught behind a slower driver.

Why It Is Dangerous

Though drunk driving steals the headlines, experts believe that aggressive driving is the number one cause of accidents in the US. In fact, AAA believes that over half of all car accident fatalities are due to at least one party being angry and aggressive. If you think about times you or somebody else have been mad on the road, this makes a lot of sense. A person filled with rage not only loses their concentration, but may deliberately start driving in an unsafe manner. They may engage in some of the most dangerous driving acts, like rapid lane changing or tailgating, to try and battle it out with another driver. These acts lead to crashes, and crashes often lead to deaths.

Tips for Avoidance

Fighting against road rage is very similar to suppressing anger in other contexts. A few of the most useful tips include:

Listen To Soothing Music – A tough day in traffic is not the best time to break out your most hardcore music. It will only contribute to your anger and make you more unsafe. Instead, opt for calming music like classical or jazz.

Calmly Get Away From Annoyances – If a car in front of you is going too slow or a car behind you is tailgating, getting angry is not going to solve your problem. If you can, get some distance between you and whoever is bothering you.

Don’t Engage With Angry Drivers – One of the most common ways people get roped into road rage is when other angry drivers start to show aggression. When this happens, take a deep breath and remember that there are more important things in life. Do not make eye contact or be aggressive with the other driver and they will soon lose interest.

Another finding from AAA is that 80% of drivers have experienced significant road rage within the last year. That means that this anger on the road is not a small issue. It affects the majority of drivers and contributes to many fatalities every year. You can do your part to reverse this trend by recognizing your road rage triggers and doing your best to avoid losing your temper. If you end up in a St. Louis car accident with an aggressive driver, it is important to speak with an experienced attorney who can help you get the compensation you are entitled to. Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4242 for a FREE case evaluation.

5 Shocking Facts About St. Louis Car Accidents

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Because driving becomes second nature to us, we may tend to forget just how dangerous car accidents can be.

st louis mo car accident

In St. Louis, many of us are in our cars a lot throughout the day. Between commuting, meals out, and weekend festivities, we will often spend many hours each week behind the wheel. It becomes second nature to us, and we may tend to forget just how terrible car accidents can be. Because of this, we have compiled a list of surprising car accident facts. If you ever find yourself in a car accident, be sure to talk to a St. Louis car accident lawyer to discuss your legal options.

The Majority of Car Accidents Occur Within 3 Miles of Home

This happens for two significant reasons. The first is that many of the drives we make, like simple errands, are very close to home. The second is that drivers tend to go faster the closer they get to their destination. After a long day at work and a long commute, many people get careless when they are in the last couple of miles.

Car Crashes Are a Top Global Killer

In the US alone, roughly 2.3 million people are injured by car accidents every year, with 37,000 of them dying. When you take a global view, those numbers rise to 20-50 million and 1.3 million, respectively. These numbers make car crashes the 9th leading cause of death in the world.

They Are Especially Damaging to the Youth

Though car crashes are the 9th leading cause of death for the entire population, they are number one for people aged 15-29. This can be attributed to two things. The first is that young people generally do not suffer from diseases like heart disease and cancer. The second is that young people tend to be more aggressive on the road and end up in more crashes because of it.

Alcohol Plays a Major Role

There is a good reason why government agencies and nonprofits constantly advertise against drunk driving. The reason is how prevalent drunk driving is. Drunk drivers are involved in a staggering 28% of car accidents. This should tell you just how damaging drunk driving is and convince you to never do it. It should also convince you to avoid driving on weekend nights as much as possible. Drunk drivers are all over the streets on these nights, so it is safest to stay away.

Men Cause the Majority of Auto Incidents

While stereotypes might say otherwise, men are actually the lesser gender when it comes to road safety. They have been found to get in more accidents, get more tickets, and get more DUIs than women. Part of this is that men drive more miles than women overall, but experts speculate that this effect is mostly due to higher levels of aggression. (source: NYC DOT)

Being more alert and practicing safety will pay off in the long run. If you need to make some behavioral changes, start today. That being said, no matter how responsible you are, you could still end up in an accident. If that is the case, it is best to talk to a St. Louis auto accident attorney to discuss your options. Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4242 for a FREE case evaluation.

Saint Louis Car Accidents Involving Emergency Vehicles

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Unfortunately, emergency vehicles can also be involved in auto accidents, and theses accidents can be very dangerous.

emergency vehicle car accident

We all know the tremendous benefit that comes from emergency vehicles and their drivers. When somebody needs medical attention right away, those drivers can get to them as soon as possible, stabilize them, and take them to a hospital. Unfortunately, emergency vehicles can also be involved in auto accidents, and those accidents can be very dangerous. The legality behind these crashes is deeply complex, so if you ever find yourself in one, it is an excellent idea to speak with an experienced St. Louis auto accident lawyer.

The Statistics

Though these accidents are rare in St. Louis, if you take a countrywide view, they happen every day. The NHTSA estimates that ambulances alone are involved in around 4,500 crashes, 34% of them result in injuries, and those crashes kill 33 people every year.

Why They Happen

When ordinary people are in a hurry, they are at a much higher risk to get into an accident. That effect grows even more in the case of emergency drivers, who are often driving with a life on the line. They may swerve through lanes, drive on the wrong side of the road, and run red lights to get to where they need to go. This is necessary and is made much safer by their sirens, but it is still not completely safe.

How to Avoid Them

The best way to avoid one of these accidents is to be very careful when you hear sirens. If you can see the emergency vehicle behind you, then calmly pull over to the side of the road. If you cannot locate the vehicle, then drive with extreme caution until you do.

Who is Liable?

This is a complicated answer because emergency vehicles are generally either part of a government agency or working on behalf of one. What usually happens in this situation is that you cannot make a claim against the driver or the organization. This is not the case every time, though. If you believe the other driver was negligent, it is worth discussing your case with an attorney.

How an Attorney Can Help

While we believe hiring an attorney is always a good idea in the event of a car accident, some accidents are more complicated than others, and require more legal expertise. A crash with an emergency vehicle definitely fits into the latter category. Whether you are trying to get benefits from the organization that hit you, or from your own insurance company, a lawyer can strengthen your case and fight for your due compensation.

Though emergency vehicles and their drivers are a great benefit to society overall, they come with a small cost. That cost is the occasional car accidents they get into with other drivers. The first thing you can do about this is practice safe driving to avoid a collision altogether. The second is that if you are a victim of one of these crashes, you can speak with a St. Louis car accident lawyer to learn more what what your legal options are to recover compensation.