Tuskegee, Alabama Car Accident Attorney
Chip Nix, Attorney at Law, Experienced Car Accident Attorney
Alabama is one of the top 10 most dangerous states in the country for car accidents. Each year, there are more than 15,000 fatalities from car crashes in the state, and tens of thousands of individuals also suffer serious injuries resulting from auto accidents. Vehicle accidents can be devastating for injury victims and their loved ones. Mounting medical bills, time missed from work, and other hardships can put enormous physical, emotional, and financial strain on households. If you or someone close to you was injured in a motor vehicle accident, you may have a right to compensation.
Since 1973, Chip Nix, Attorney at Law, has represented numerous clients injured in car accidents in Tuskegee, Hayneville, and surrounding Alabama communities. Attorney Nix has in-depth knowledge of this area of the law, and a strong track record of success with even the most complex cases. Chip works closely with his clients, thoroughly investigating their cases and exploring every available legal avenue toward recovering full and fair compensation. He routinely goes up against well-funded adversaries such as large insurance companies, and he has the knowledge, skills, resources, and dedication to provide his clients with the strong personalized representation they need and deserve.
Why do So Many Auto Accidents Occur?
In Alabama, a traffic crash is reported every 200 seconds, and someone is injured in a traffic crash every 11 minutes. There are a lot of reasons car accidents occur, some of the most common include:
- Speeding/Reckless Driving: Drivers routinely disobey speed limits, and many motorists drive in an aggressive and reckless manner. Examples include excessive speeding, running stop signs and stop lights, tailgating, and weaving in and out of lanes. Driving recklessly is not only against the law, it endangers those who engage in this behavior, as well as others on the road.
- Distracted Driving: Motorists have more distractions than ever before. Inattentiveness has always been a problem, but our increasingly digitized society has made things far worse. Today, motorists frequently send texts and other types of electronic messages while driving. Texting while driving is especially dangerous, because it distracts drivers in three ways; manually, visually, and cognitively. Given the dangers, it comes as little surprise that texting drivers are 23 times more likely to get into a crash than non-texting drivers.
- Drowsy Driving/Driver Fatigue: More than half of all fatal vehicle crashes occur at night. Many fatal crashes are attributable to motorists who drive when they are drowsy or fatigued. This is a major problem among motorists who drive for a living, such as commercial truck drivers. Many truckers drive for long hours, often late into the evening and overnight. When drivers are on the road too long, they tend to get tired and less attentive to what is happening around them.
- Chemically-Impaired Driving: Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs can cause motorists to become mentally impaired, often resulting in very poor driving decisions. Some chemically-impaired motorists drive recklessly, while others get sleepy and have much slower reaction times. Either way, this endangers themselves and others, leading to more accidents. DUI/DWI is especially common among younger drivers who often make the fatal decision to get behind the wheel after having too much to drink.
- Engine Failure/Defective Vehicle Parts: Some car accidents happen because of mechanical breakdowns and/or faulty vehicles or vehicle parts. Examples may include tire blowouts, brake line failures, computer system malfunctions, and many others. When accidents occur because of mechanical failures or defective auto parts, there may be several potential parties at fault; such as the vehicle or vehicle part designer, manufacturer, supplier, or distributor.
Damages in Alabama Car Accident Cases
When an auto accident results in serious injuries or fatalities, it is important for the party responsible to be held fully accountable for the losses incurred by the injured party. Damages for motor vehicle accident cases can be broken down into three general categories:
- Economic Damages: Compensation for monetary losses such as hospital bills, rehabilitation costs, medical treatment, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and medical expenses for a permanent debilitating condition.
- Non-Economic Damages: Compensation for losses that are not quantifiable and difficult to assign a dollar figure to. Examples may include physical pain and suffering, psychological distress, diminished quality of life, and loss of consortium.
- Punitive Damages: In rare cases in which the actions of the party responsible were especially egregious, punitive damages may be awarded to “punish” the wrongdoer and help deter them (and others) from engaging in similarly egregious behavior in the future.
Successfully pursing a car accident injury case in Alabama is especially difficult because of the state’s “contributory negligence” standard. Under this standard, if an injured party is found to have “contributed” in any way to the accident, they can be barred from recovering compensation. So, if an injury victim is found to be even 1% at-fault for the accident, they may not be able to obtain the compensation they need for their injuries.
Because of the high legal standard injury victims in Alabama must overcome, it is extremely important to obtain as much documentation as possible regarding the cause of the accident and the extent of the injuries. This means taking detailed notes about the incident while it is fresh in your mind, taking multiple photographs of the accident scene from as many angles as possible, and obtaining the contact information of those nearby who may have witnessed the event. You also need to have an experienced attorney in your corner who has handled other cases like yours and knows how to negotiate with the insurance company and successfully argue your case in court when necessary.
Speak with a Seasoned Tuskegee, AL Car Accident Lawyer
Being injured in an auto accident can turn your whole world upside down. Chip Nix, Attorney at Law, understands what accident injury victims and their families go through, and he does everything possible to make the legal process smooth and seamless. Attorney Nix skillfully handles your case from A to Z, and he is highly responsive to all questions and concerns along the way. Chip provides free consultations, flexible office hours, and he can meet you at your home, the hospital, or wherever is most convenient. He also takes all personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, so you only pay attorney fees if he wins your case.
To schedule your free consultation with Tuskegee auto accident Attorney Chip Nix, contact our office today at 334-279-7770. You may also send a secure and confidential message through our online contact form.