While survivors of serious car accidents can have terrible physical pain and scars, they may also have emotional damage as well. They may find that they carry the fear from an accident around with them for months or years.
For instance, a woman who lost her mother and her 3-year-old daughter six months ago in a Nashville-area car accident told a reporter that recently, she was, once again, hit by another car. Luckily, no one was hurt in this latest accident, but the experience deeply troubled her. She told friends she will never drive again.
The woman was driving on U.S. Highway 41 in January when a speeding driver crossed into her lane and struck her car head-on. The woman's mother and daughter died in the crash, as did the driver of the other car. The woman's infant son suffered a broken leg. The woman herself was hospitalized and now walks with a cane. She said she still undergoes physical therapy and counseling. She also works with the Governor's Highway Safety Office to try to promote traffic safety.
Those injured in car accidents can be left with extreme medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages and other damages. When their injuries were the result of a negligent driver, the injured may be compensated through a personal injury lawsuit. Drivers are negligent when they fail to exercise the same level of care that a reasonable person would under similar circumstances, and someone else is injured as a result. Speeding, driving while intoxicated or otherwise violating traffic safety laws is solid evidence that can show negligence.
Tennessee residents who have been injured by a negligent driver should get help understanding their legal rights. A personal injury lawsuit could help them cope with a life that has been forever changed.
Source: The Tennessean, "Six months after deadly crash, Robertson family rattled by another car accident," Adam Tamburin, Aug. 6, 2013