Family Firm of West Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers Represents Victims of Motor Vehicle Accidents
Protecting your rights when you have been injured
Motor vehicle accidents are among the most common causes of serious injury and death in the United States. According to the last United States Census, there were nearly eleven million motor vehicle accidents in 2009, in which 2.2 million were injured, and 33,808 died. Despite major technological advances in automotive and highway design, along with improved law enforcement technology, America’s automobile accident related injury and death rates remain unacceptably high.
If you were injured, or a loved one was injured or killed, in an automobile accident because of another’s negligence, or because of a defective vehicle or improperly maintained roadway, consider speaking with Paulson & Nace, PLLC. Our family firm of personal injury lawyers is well known and highly regarded throughout West Virginia. Our West Virginia personal injury lawyers have been helping individuals and families for decades, representing their interests when they were injured by others’ negligent acts.
What is negligence in West Virginia in terms of auto accidents?
Generally speaking, negligence is a lack of ordinary care. It involves a failure to exercise the degree of care that a reasonably prudent person would have used under the same circumstances. It may arise from one’s doing what a reasonably prudent person would not have done, or from failing to do what a reasonably prudent person would have done, in a given situation. Negligently caused automobile accidents often include:
- Driver error. Common driver errors include failure to yield the right of way, following too closely, speeding, driving while intoxicated (DWI) or while impaired, and disregard of traffic control signals.
- Driver distraction. These include drivers using a cellular phone to talk or text, attempting to read, changing a radio station, and numerous other distractions both inside and outside the vehicle.
- Failure to properly maintain the vehicle. This is especially significant where steering, braking, head and tail lights, and signal lights are concerned. It is the vehicle owner’s/driver’s responsibility to keep all critical apparatus and safety mechanisms in good working order.
- Road defects or negligent roadway design. Roadway design and defect cases involve factors external to the driver or the vehicle. Factors such as insufficient length of entry and exit lanes, poor maintenance, poor surfacing, lack of lane designations and reflectors, and failure to properly remove construction or accident debris and spills can cause or contribute to serious accidents.
- Manufacturing defects. A defective automobile design or component may either cause an accident, worsen an injury, or both.
If you are injured in an automobile accident, you should seek legal advice as soon as possible. Insurance claims adjusters have been known to approach victims in hospitals to get them to sign releases prematurely. A qualified West Virginia personal injury attorney can help by being the point of contact between you and other parties, as well as by overseeing the collection and evaluation of medical information and investigative reports.
Your attorneys for auto accident injuries in West Virginia
Paulson & Nace, PLLC, our family-owned and managed law firm, is widely recognized throughout West Virginia for compassionate care and comprehensive legal services to families, and for our aggressive advocacy for victims of automobile accidents. When you choose a personal injury attorney from our practice to represent you, you are choosing a team that values families and family relationships. Please call 304-741-8079 or fill out our contact form to tell us your story in a no-obligation consultation. Our office is located at 3501 Maccorkle Ave SE, Charleston, WV 25304.
We have dedicated our lives to helping victims of personal injury and their families. Let us help you.