Introduction
Accidents happen all the time, and there are many different types. Certain jobs, careers, and lifestyles lend themselves to greater risks of certain accident types. Optimally, measures should be taken to minimize the risks of accidents, and if an accident results because the right measures aren’t take, the responsible parties may be held liable. From car accidents to medical negligence, Here’s a list of the most common types of accidents.
Accidents at Work
You may be at risk of serious personal injury depending on the type of job you have. All employers are required by law to create a work environment that is safe for their employees and does not carry unnecessary risks. Failing to provide a safe environment can lead to frequent injuries and substantial fines, so it is definitely in the company’s best interest to make your job as safe and risk-free as possible.
In the past, many companies have gotten into a lot of trouble for forcing employees to work in sub-optimal conditions and as a result there are several laws put in place by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that prevent employers from putting their employees through undue risk. Nevertheless, no matter how much due diligence a company does the nature of particular jobs may just make them something inherently dangerous.
Working as a firefighter, for example, is a dangerous job regardless of how many safety guidelines there are. If you work in something that holds an increased risk of personal injury or death, be aware that you may have the right to compensation in the case that something were to happen to you. To be able to seek compensation for a work related injury, the accident must have happened while you were working and doing something related to your job. The same rules apply even if you suffer a relatively minor injury as a result of lax safety measures.
Car Accidents
This is perhaps the most common of the five classifications of accidents. According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT), over 1.3 million people die each year as a result of motor vehicle collisions. That’s over 3000 people per day. It is likely that you or someone you know has been in at least one, if not more, road accidents. Due to how common road accidents are, it’s important to be aware of the proper procedure to follow in the case of a motor vehicle accident.
The most important thing of course is your personal safety. As soon as you are in an accident, assess the damage to yourself and the passengers in your car first before investigating the damage to your car or the other person’s vehicle. If the accident is serious enough to warrant a police officer, call one.
Regardless of the severity of the accident, exchange information with the other driver like driver’s license, registration and insurance. Take pictures of all the damage, and video if possible. When the officer arrives, make sure to get a copy of their report as well as all the documentation pertaining to the incident.
All of this information you have collected will prove invaluable should you have to file an insurance claim or a car accident lawsuit. Just keep in mind that compensation will typically only be aware if you were deemed not at fault for the accident. However, some states have a “no-fault” law; so always check to see what your particular state’s regulations are. Arizona is a no-fault state.
Medical Negligence Accidents
This category covers a wide spectrum of accidents that can take place in a hospital or under the care of a physician. If you live in the western world, you probably have access to wonderful healthcare. However, accidents do happen and not everyone is perfect.
It’s important to be aware that if you suffer personal or emotional injury during treatment at a health facility you may have the right to be compensated. Practicing physicians are required to have malpractice insurance, in fact, precisely to cover themselves in the case of medical negligence.
Depending on the particular nature of your case, you may be suing either the medical facility you were in, the particular doctor who treated you or the company in charge of a particular aspect of your medical care. Medical negligence also includes negligence on part of a company that builds faulty medical equipment, for example.
Slip (Trip) and Fall Accidents
Besides road accidents, nasty falls or trips are extremely common among the top five classifications of accidents. If you live in a part of the country that experiences severe rains or harsh winters, the possibility of a fall is virtually ubiquitous in these areas.
Business owners and street residents alike are required to shovel and salt their driveways after snowstorms during the winter in some parts of the country and they can be charged with negligence if someone slips on their property. Slip or trip accidents remind us that we could experience an accident at any time, that’s why it’s so important to pay close attention to where you’re going and to never venture into an area that may see unsafe.
You can only sue in cases where you were walking on private property that was open to the public (such as a bar or restaurant) in most cases, but in some states municipalities can also be charged if they are negligent regarding public areas such as parks and sidewalks. The laws vary depending on where you live, the best way to know if you are eligible for compensation or not is by speaking with a personal injury lawyer.
In addition to snowstorms however, a person can sue a particular business if they slip on something that does not have a warning sign. This is the function of those yellow “Walk with caution” signs that restaurants and the like put up when a liquid is spilled on the floor. If you slip on something on the floor of a restaurant that the employees failed to notice and put up a sign for, you may be eligible for compensation.
Motorcycle Accidents
Due to fact that motorcycles are smaller in size than a motor vehicle, they are far less likely to be seen on the road. The result of this unfortunately is that many motorcyclists are involved in accidents that typically are not their fault. Most motorists are looking for other vehicles on the road and can block a motorcyclist from their view even if they are right in front of them, due to the fact that they simply are not looking for them. One of the most common types of motorcycle accidents is referred to as “the left hook”. The left hook is when a car turning left through an intersection turns in front of an oncoming motorcycle.
While it is unfortunate that motorcyclists are more vulnerable to accidents on the road, their likelihood of receiving an injury due to a car accident is even more unfortunate. Without any real protection, such as airbags, motorcyclists are far more likely to receive an injury if involved in an accident.
If you or someone you know has been injured in any kind of one of these accidents, you may be eligible to receive compensation for it. In some cases, you may have already received compensation, but it did not cover all the expenses that you have (medical, missed wages at work, property damage) and you could possible file a lawsuit to receive more. The best way to know if you are eligible is to speak with a personal injury attorney.
Call Our Personal Injury Team at (480) 467-4392 to discuss your case today.