Fatalities from Car Accidents in Atlanta
More often than not, fatalities from Atlanta car accidents are completely avoidable. While compensation for the loss of your loved one cannot undo what has been done, it could help you financially. However, to recover, you likely need the help of a client-centered attorney who could use his or her cutting edge technology to fight for your fair monetary award.
When Could an Atlanta Car Accident Case Become a Wrongful Death Case?
Atlanta has many congested highways, roadways, and interstates where people are traveling at high speeds. With the tractor-trailers and motorcycles speeding, with all the other vehicular traffic, are ingredients that could lead to car wrecks that cause severe injuries and sometimes, unfortunately, death.
Fortunately, a wrongful death claim could be pursued in if the person dies immediately after the accident or succumbs later on due to his or her injuries. Sometimes because of the nature of the wreck, the person dies immediately or very shortly thereafter, and other times the car wreck occurs and the person survives for weeks or months.
Common Trends Among Fatal Atlanta Car Wrecks
Fatal accidents on the expressways and highways often start a chain reaction of wrecks where two or three cars may get into a wreck, and then unsuspecting cars following behind may not have time to avoid the collision, causing secondary collisions and additional collisions. Tractor-trailers do occasionally drive aggressively, cutting people off and causing injuries to much smaller cars. If drivers of vehicles, tractor-trailers and normal everyday cars or motorcycles are medicated or under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they could cause severe and lethal car wrecks in Atlanta.
How Illegal Behavior from Negligent Parties Could Affect a Claim
If the at-fault driver was behaving illegally, he or she might be subject to criminal prosecution as well. That would be handled by the appropriate state prosecutors or county prosecutors and would proceed along with the wrongful death case. From a civil standpoint, there is what is called “negligence per se”. By virtue of there having been a violation of a law, the person could be deemed negligent. Depending on the illegal behavior, it could also open the door to a claim for punitive damages which would deter the illegal behavior in the future.
For example, if illegal activity took place, if the at-fault driver was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, that could open the door to punitive damages. If somebody is violating Georgia’s hands-free law and is texting while they are driving, it could add an additional claim as a possibility.
Attorneys could then ascribe a value to the damages a victim has endured with the help of an in-house doctor and vie for compensation for these losses in court or negotiations.
Speak Directly to a Compassionate Attorney Who Could Help
No one expects that his or her loved one would be harmed in a serious car accident. Still, car accidents are a part of the roadways you travel. When accidents happen, a small percentage of them are tragic and lead to the death of a victim. Fatalities from car accidents in Atlanta are often completely preventable. If you had a loved one die because of the negligence of another, you could recover compensation for the medical and funeral costs that you have undeservingly had to address. Choose to work with an attorney who takes calls after hours. Call for your free case review today.
