Arguably, highways can be seen as safer than local roads per mile because traffic flows in one direction. Specifically, this eliminates the risks of T-bone and head-on collisions, accidents with pedestrians at intersections, etc. However, when a highway accident does happen, it may unfortunately result in more catastrophic injuries and damages. With that being said, please read on to discover what factors will likely increase the chances of a serious highway accident occurring and how a seasoned Miami car accident lawyer at the Law Offices of Gonzalo Funes, PA, can help you recover your great medical and financial losses after yours.
What external factors can increase the risk of serious highway accidents?
Of course, drivers travel at higher speeds on highways than on local roads. This may be the root of most serious highway accidents, as faster speeds mean a driver has less time to react to hazards or other external factors. Below are more specific examples of what circumstances might increase this risk:
- A driver may have little room to maneuver around an abrupt congestion or bottleneck, resulting in high-speed rear-end crashes or even multi-vehicle pileups.
- A driver may have a limited ability to avoid an impending rear-end collision given the guardrails, barriers, and narrow shoulders present on a certain highway.
- A driver may have limited visibility of the road ahead and neighboring vehicles, due to rain, fog, or inadequate lighting conditions, which can result in a rear-end or side-swipe collision.
- More truck drivers may be present on the highway, and their large blind spots may increase the odds of them sideswiping a standard motor vehicle (i.e., driver negligence).
- More long-distance truck drivers may be present on the highway, and their fatigued driving may impair their judgment and reaction times on the road (i.e., driver negligence).
Why do highway accidents lead to higher medical and financial losses?
The likelihood of higher medical and financial losses after a highway accident, once again, goes back to higher speeds. That is, when your body absorbs the impact of a high-speed crash, your injuries may be far more traumatic and widespread. Therefore, you may be put at greater risk of incurring a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, crushed bones, internal bleeding, organ damage, etc.
Further, these types of catastrophic injuries typically require more intensive medical intervention. Namely, you may need emergency surgery immediately after your accident, a long-term stay in the intensive care unit at the hospital, follow-up appointments with medical specialists, months of physical therapy sessions, and home health aide services, among other things.
Inevitably, all of these treatments may cause your medical bills to pile up rapidly and contribute to your extensive financial losses. This may be on top of your lost wages if you cannot return to work until you are physically healed, or your lost earning capacity if you cannot reach a full recovery. For these reasons, we strongly urge you to fight for sufficient financial compensation in a personal injury claim.
With all that being said, please do not hesitate to work together with a competent Miami auto accident lawyer. The team at the Law Offices of Gonzalo Funes, PA, will have your best interests at heart always and will fight for justice to reign in your favor.
