Pretty much everything that happens in the world comes down to the relationship between cause and effect. For example, rain causes you to get wet if you are outside and unprotected. Drinking too much soda causes you to gain weight. Giving the cashier your money causes them to let you take the items you have selected out of the store and back to your home.
For every cause, an effect—and for every effect, a cause.
That’s certainly true when it comes to car accidents. Every car accident is the result of one cause or another. And the accident itself can be the cause of many negative outcomes—including damage to your vehicle, personal injury, rising insurance rates, litigation, and more.
It might be easy to think that all accidents have the same cause: someone makes a mistake while driving and the effect is a crash. But that oversimplifies the situation. Let’s look at some of the common causes of car accidents.
Car Accidents Related to the Environment
Sometimes, the conditions you are driving in lead to an accident. Those conditions—separately or in combination—can make the driving experience more dangerous. Environmental factors that can cause accidents include:
- Rain, snow, and/or ice
- Darkness or the angle of sun obscuring your vision
- Potholes that unexpectedly impact your path
- Construction sites—particularly if they narrow or reduce lanes or are poorly marked
- Wildlife and/or people that suddenly appears in your path
Car Accidents Related to Behavior or Experience
There are, of course, plenty of ways to cause an accident via improper driving decisions that are a result of either recklessness or inexperience. They include:
- Speeding, abruptly changing lanes, turning too quickly, tailgating, etc.
- Distracted driving—including texting, talking on the phone, eating, adjusting the radio, and more
- Running red lights, ignoring (or rolling through) stop signs, failing to yield, etc.
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Drowsiness or fatigue
- Errors related to one-way streets, proper lane choice, etc.
- Inexperience (teenaged or new drivers) or reduced capacity (elderly drivers)
Car Accidents Related to Mechanical Issues
Some accidents occur because a person’s car does something unexpected that the driver cannot correct in time. Possible examples include:
- A blown tire
- A mechanical issue with the engine or other key components under the hood
- Brake failure
- A malfunction inside the car like sudden airbag deployment
- Sudden deceleration due to running out of fuel
Call a Lawyer to Investigate the Crash
In the moments after a car accident—and even for quite some time afterward—it may not be clear what the actual cause of the accident was. That is why it is important to hire an attorney who can investigate the situation fully. Knowing the cause of the crash is extremely important if you are to prove negligence on someone else’s part and recover damages.
The negligent party could be another driver. Or it might be the manufacturer of your vehicle. Or it could be the construction company that created a needlessly confusing situation for drivers. A careful and thorough investigation is absolutely essential to determine who is at fault and to determine the appropriate amount of damages to pursue in court. An experienced lawyer is your best option for making sure you are treated fairly after an accident.
Contact Our Flagstaff Car Accident Attorneys for Help
The top-rated trial attorneys of Griffen & Stevens can help you navigate your legal options after a car crash. We handle personal injury cases in Flagstaff and throughout Northern Arizona, and we are committed to robust advocacy for our clients. Your first consultation with a member of our team is free. If you have been in an accident, contact us today.
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