Recovering Compensation After Single-Car Accidents

Drivers and passengers involved in single-vehicle accidents caused by the negligence of others may be able to recover compensation from responsible third parties. In many single-car accidents, the car driver is not at fault. Several factors come into play in single-vehicle accidents that can make other parties responsible for the accidents.

Vehicle Defects

Manufacturers can leave serious defects in vehicles which could cause accidents. There could also be a marketing defect, with a vehicle manufacturer failing to warn drivers about certain non-obvious dangers that could lead to serious accidents.

Defective brakes can cause single-car accidents. When the brakes fail, a driver may not be able to control the vehicle, leading to an accident. In 2018, a total of 691 vehicles were involved in accidents caused by brake defects in Chicago. Sudden tire blowouts can cause rollover accidents as people drive their cars normally. In 2018, 203 vehicles crashed in Chicago because of defective tires.

Steering mechanism failures, cruise control failure, accelerator failures, and problems with lane departure systems and speedometers are some of the other issues beyond a driver’s control that could lead to a single-car accident.

People familiar with auto engineering can help show that a defect in a car caused an accident. Injury attorneys help victims conduct thorough investigations to prove a defect contributed to their crashes, allowing them to pursue compensation.

Environmental Factors

The government should ensure all citizens access safe roadways. Lack of proper design or maintenance creates unsafe road conditions that make drivers lose control and cause single-car accidents. Some of the dangerous conditions that could lead to accidents include:

• Potholes
• Steep shoulder drop-offs
• Inadequate signage
• Missing guardrails
• Defective street lights
• Faded road markings

If unsafe road conditions caused a single-car accident, a victim could sue the government entity responsible for maintaining the road for damages. It is crucial to bring legal claims against government entities in the shortest possible time. Time limitations when bringing legal claims against the government are significantly more limited than those involving private parties. A small delay can result in a person not being able to file a claim.

Just because a single car was involved in an accident does not make the driver automatically at fault. Single-car crashes often involve circumstances that a driver cannot control. Therefore, people can recover compensation for single-car accidents.