Charlotte Interstate and Highway Car Accident Lawyers can Help Injured Persons

Charlotte, North Carolina is a large American city with a web of busy roadways shared by long and short-haul tractor trailers, private passenger vehicles, buses, cabs, and other motor vehicles. The crush of traffic on the city’s often-jammed roadways leads to inevitable bumps, crashes, and (unfortunately) injuries and loss of life.

Studies have shown that Charlotte’s “rush hour,” extending from just before five o’clock in the afternoon to around six o’clock, is the most dangerous time to travel Charlotte’s roadways. Drivers speed along the roadways in opened pockets of space on otherwise jammed roads, swerving through traffic. One false move can lead to serious injuries or death for drivers and passengers alike.

Highway and interstate car accidents are particularly dangerous because of the high speeds that vehicles travel on these larger, multilane roadways. Many studies have established that higher rates of speed increase the chances that an accident will result in one or more fatalities, which has led Tar Heel State safety officials to launch, in recent years, a “Speed Kills” public information campaign.

Many driver errors can contribute to or cause highway and interstate accidents. Drivers may fail to merge safely onto a highway or interstate, and they may collide with one or more vehicles. Far too many drivers have mistaken highway off ramps as highway on ramps, and they have alighted onto roadways driving in the wrong direction, causing deadly head-on collisions. Drivers commonly make sudden lane changes, colliding into the sides of other vehicles and causing further collisions with other vehicles.

Studies have shown that rear-end collisions are the most common kinds of collisions. These crashes are typically not deadly at low speeds, but when a driver is traveling seventy (70) miles-per-hour and crashes into another driver, a multiple-vehicle pile-up can occur, and the force of the impact can cause serious injury or death to multiple persons. Multi-vehicle pile-ups are especially dangerous because they can spark explosions, causing severe burn injuries.

Distracted drivers pose a significant threat to the safety of drivers, and they cause numerous interstate and highway car accidents in North Carolina. Many persons operate cellular phones or other devices while they are driving, and their diverted attention can lead to errors in judgment and crashes.

Many studies have linked the high speeds vehicles travel on highways and interstates with the seriousness of injuries and high number of deaths in crashes on these roadways. Even when a driver or passenger is wearing a seatbelt and airbags properly function, drivers and passengers in highway and interstate crashes can suffer devastating head and spinal cord injuries.

Drivers and passengers who have pre-existing heart conditions may also experience traumatic cardiac arrest at the scene of an accident or on the way to a hospital. Drivers and passengers may suffer internal damage to organs or bleed internally. If not detected and treated promptly, damage to internal organs can become permanent, and internal bleeding or hemorrhaging can cause death.

Many people who are involved in interstate car accidents suffer broken pelvic bones, injuries which can prove incredibly painful and can involve significant medical treatment and rehabilitation. Many of these injuries require a long stay in a hospital and multiple surgeries. Recovering from devastating injuries is hard enough, but not being able to work and provide for one’s family makes recovery even more difficult. Drivers involved in dangerous highway accidents suffer a wide variety of dangerous injuries, some of them life-altering, including:

• Whiplash;
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs);
• Broken bones;
• Internal bleeding;
• Herniated discs;
• Knee trauma;
• Cuts;
• Scrapes;
• Organ damage;
• Head injuries;
• Bruises;
• Concussion;
• Spinal cord damage resulting in partial or full paralysis.

Victims of highway car accidents have a right to receive compensation under North Carolina law when an at-fault driver’s negligence causes their injuries. If you are considering bringing a lawsuit against an at-fault driver, you will need to prove that the driver acted negligently or recklessly, causing the highway accident that resulted in your injuries. Successful plaintiffs are entitled to non-economic and economic damages, including lost wages, medical bills, and compensation for pain and suffering.

The most important thing you can do after being involved in a Charlotte highway or interstate car accident is hire an experienced lawyer who will advocate for you throughout the process. Contact Arnold & Smith, PLLC today to schedule a free initial consultation and learn how we can advocate for you.