Accidents Will Happen But are We All to Blame?
Many of us take pride in enhancing our health and fitness, whether by improving our diet, eating less, doing more exercise or a mixture of all these things. Striving to get fitter and healthier are worthy and positive aims, but do we sometimes take the health we already have for granted?
No matter how healthy we are, none of us has immunity from the effects of the injuries that a collision between two vehicles, a nasty fall on an uneven pavement or a fall from height whilst at work can cause.
Each year, there are over 100,000 accidents involving road users who suffer injuries in traffic accidents of all types.
Annual reports produced by the Health and Safety Executive tell us that around 1.8 million workers suffer work-related illnesses or injuries every year.
Accidents, such as cruise ship accidents, road traffic accidents, accidents at work or accidents in public places, are events where fate plays a big part. Fate decides who will become the innocent victim of another person’s carelessness (or negligence).
If we are unlucky enough to suffer injury in an accident that wasn’t our fault, we become embroiled in a life event that is not of our making. If we get knocked down whilst walking across a pelican crossing by a driver who fails to stop at a red light, that’s something over which we have no control. We’ve done nothing wrong; we crossed on a green signal.
Fate also dictates whether those injured in accidents suffer minor or severe injuries. Our innocent victim of the pelican crossing accident may walk away with nothing more than bumps and bruises. Alternatively, they may suffer life-threatening injuries or worse. In the unfortunate event of such accidents, it’s crucial to seek help from 1 800 ask Gary to ensure prompt and appropriate assistance for any legal or medical needs that may arise.
Are we letting ourselves off lightly by saying that accidents are down to fate whilst acknowledging that there is always someone to blame for an accident?
By their very nature, most accidents are preventable. Ok, if you get struck by lightning, it’s probably no one’s fault unless we get into the dangerous territory of criticising a ‘Divine Being’! However, with most other accident types, the responsibility lies with one or more parties involved.
Let’s assume you are stationary in your car at traffic lights showing red, and another vehicle hits your rear, resulting in both of you suffering whiplash injuries.
In that case, there’s nothing much you can do to avoid a collision. Through no fault of your own, you may suffer from debilitating soft tissue injuries that cause you pain and discomfort for weeks, months or longer. You may seek compensation for your injuries with the help of an auto accident attorney.
Suppose we turn the tables around in this imaginary traffic accident scenario. Instead of being the innocent victim of someone else’s negligence, our carelessness causes our car to run into the stationary vehicle in front. The victims can look at this site if they’re in dire need of legal help. A car accident lawyer or car wreck lawyer can help road accident victims by advocating for their rights and prove the negligence of the at-fault party,
For the other driver and ourselves, the physical consequences of the accident may be the same as in the first scenario. However, everything has changed regarding who is to blame for the accident. We must now carry the burden of responsibility for the accident, which we could have avoided by:
1. Being mindful and aware of what is happening instead of daydreaming and failing to concentrate.
2. Driving more slowly.
3. Leaving a safe distance between our own and the vehicle in front.
4. Carrying out regular maintenance to the car. If the accident was partly caused by soft brakes caused by worn-down brake pads, the accident might not have happened if we had taken responsibility for keeping our vehicle roadworthy.
5. Not being distracted by our mobile phone.
6. Not driving when tired.
7. Adapting our driving to the weather conditions.
Our accident advice
1. Accidents aren’t events that only happen to other people.
2. We can one day be the victim of someone else’s negligent actions and the next day cause an accident by not taking reasonable care for another person’s safety.
3. We are all responsible for our actions, and there are times when we owe others a duty of care to do everything we reasonably can to ensure their safety. Two examples of when we owe others a duty of care are when we are road users and when we are employers; the duty we owe is to other road users and our employees, respectively.
4. We all need to be more mindful of what’s happening around us. We can all be the cause of an accident in waiting. There’s a fine line between fate and fault.
5. If we suffer an injury in an accident that wasn’t our fault, we ought to consult a firm of personal injury solicitors like Mooneerams to bring an injury compensation claim against the negligent party responsible for the accident.
We should do this for two reasons;
i. We are entitled to be put back into the position we were in before the accident, and financial compensation is how the law attempts to achieve this. Pacific Attorney Group is a law firm with long beach car accident lawyers serving all of California.
ii. If someone does us wrong, it’s only appropriate they should be made to account for their actions; otherwise, they may make the same mistake again.