Atlanta Passenger Injury Attorneys

Legal Representation for Injured Passengers in Atlanta

When you are riding as a passenger in a vehicle, you are at the mercy of the person driving and other drivers on the road. Your injuries in a crash could come through no fault of your own. If this happens, you have a right to seek compensation for your medical expenses and other losses. A passenger cannot be at fault for an accident unless he or she chooses to ride with an impaired driver.

Depending on who caused the accident, you may be entitled to pursue a claim through the insurance policy of the driver in whose vehicle you were riding or the insurance coverage of another at-fault driver. Your own car insurance policy may also come into play in the situation. In most cases, passengers injured in traffic crashes are entitled to full compensation for their losses.

If you’ve been seriously injured or have lost a loved one who was a passenger in an Atlanta car accident, the husband and wife team at Grant Law Office may be able to help you recover damages. We can investigate your accident and file the necessary claims for your injuries. Call us at (404) 995-3955.

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What Types of Injuries Can a Passenger Suffer in a Motor Vehicle Collision?

Passengers involved in traffic crashes can sustain a wide variety of injuries, ranging from minor to catastrophic to fatal. Common passenger car accident injuries include:

• Neck and back injuries: Whiplash, herniated discs, damage to the spinal cord, and severe sprains and strains are common passenger injuries.
• Head trauma and brain injury: This type of injury can be caused by a blow or jolt to the head in a collision.
• Arm, leg, and knee injuries: A passenger’s knees can hit the dashboard or the seat in front of them in a crash. Arms and legs can be thrown against the door in a side-impact collision.
• Chest injuries: A high-impact collision with a seatbelt or the dash can cause broken ribs, punctured lungs, and internal injuries.
• Fractured pelvis: This is common in passenger-side T-bone accidents when the pelvic bones absorb the impact of the crash.
• Disfiguring facial injuries: Lacerations to the head and face may require plastic surgery and cause lasting damage.
• Crush injuries: Passengers involved in side-impact collisions, with only the door for protection from the impact, are likely to suffer serious crush injuries.

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What Are the Common Causes of Automobile Accidents?

Traffic crashes happen for many reasons, and most of them involve driver negligence. Common causes include:

• Speeding: In a recent year, speeding killed 9,478 people on U.S. roadways, as stated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
• Aggressive driving: Actions such as weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating, failure to yield, disregarding traffic signs and signals.
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs: Every day in the U.S., approximately 28 people are killed in drunk driving crashes, as reported by NHTSA.
• Distracted driving: Texting while driving is particularly dangerous, as it requires manual, visual, and cognitive attention from the driver.
• Drowsy driving: Over a five-year period, researchers found that drowsy driving was responsible for an annual average of 83,000 crashes, of which 37,000 caused injuries and 886 were fatal, according to CDC.

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Situations That Commonly Impact Passengers in a Collision

Passengers can be seriously or fatally injured in a motor vehicle accident. In T-bone collisions and intersection accidents, when a car is struck on the passenger side, there is little more than the car door between the passenger and the other vehicle. Researchers found that restrained passengers seated in the right front seat in far-side crashes are likely to sustain injuries to the trunk (64.5%), head (27.2%), upper extremities (5.1%), and lower extremities (3.3%) in a study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

If the seat belt is defective, a passenger can be ejected from the vehicle and may sustain catastrophic injuries or death. An ejected person suffers not only the impact of being thrown through glass and onto the ground, but also the risk of being run over by another vehicle. Partial ejection can occur when the seatbelt malfunctions and a passenger’s body breaks through the windshield or side window but is not completely ejected from the vehicle. This can be particularly deadly when the vehicle rolls over. Children run a serious risk of injury in a crash when child safety seats are not properly installed and secured.

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What Are Your Legal Rights As a Passenger?

You have a right to seek damages if you were injured as a passenger in a traffic crash. You may have more options as a passenger than a driver involved in a crash. Depending on the circumstances, you may be entitled to:

• Seek compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurance company: This may be the driver you were riding with, or another driver involved in the collision.
• File a personal injury claim against liable parties: For example, a company whose employee caused the crash while driving on the job may be responsible for your injuries.
• File a claim with your own insurance company.

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How Can Negligence Be a Factor When Passengers Are Injured in Car Accidents?

When a passenger is hurt in a motor vehicle crash, it may have been caused by negligence on the part of the the driver of the vehicle in which the passenger was riding, another driver who was at fault for the wreck, or another party.

If either driver was distracted, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, speeding, driving recklessly, or violating other local traffic rules, that driver may have been negligent. A defective seatbelt or airbag could also contribute to passenger injuries. Our Atlanta car accident lawyers can thoroughly investigate your accident to determine fault and liability and secure evidence to support your claim.

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Do You Need a Lawyer?

If you have been injured as a passenger in a car accident, the insurance company for the responsible party might try make you a lowball offer in an attempt to quickly settle your claim. They are in business for profit and mainly concerned with their own bottom line. We advise you to speak with an experienced Atlanta personal injury attorney before talking to insurance companies or accepting any settlement offer.

Our husband and wife team at Grant Law Office can assess the full extent of your losses – past, present, and future – and advise you on whether a settlement offer is fair. We can also negotiate with insurance companies for the compensation you deserve or present your case to a jury if necessary. Contact us at (404) 995-3955 if you have been hurt as a car accident passenger.

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