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Many studies show that fewer accidents happen on four-lane divided highways than on two-lane roads or through urban communities. One five-year study following roadways within a community showed 50 car accidents on divided highways compared to 82 on two-lane roads in the same area. There may be a lower chance of a car accident in New Haven on a divided highway compared to a two-lane road because the traffic moves in one direction, there are no intersections, and drivers have fewer decisions to make while driving; however, when accidents occur on major highways, motorists have a higher chance of catastrophic injuries or fatalities.
Cars travel at greater speeds on major divided highways, making highway car accidents in New Haven and elsewhere more dangerous to motorists. The crash force of an accident increases substantially for every ten miles per hour increase in speed. According to crash force calculations, a 120-pound person becomes an astonishing 4,200-pound force propelled forward against the seatbelt when traveling at a sedate 35 miles per hour. That same 120-pound person transforms into a 7,800-pound force in a car accident at 65 miles per hour, the common speed limit on most divided highways.
Crash force causes three collisions in an accident, the car’s collision with another object, the vehicle occupant’s collision against the seatbelt and interior structures of the car, and the collision of the organs inside the body. Injuries in highway accidents in New Haven are often severe or fatal.
While accidents on two-lane roads within city limits and neighborhoods tend to be side-angle, rear-end, and head-on collisions, highway accidents are more likely to be sideswipes, rollovers, and multi-car pileups. The most common causes of highway accidents include the following:
It often takes an investigation to determine the cause of a highway accident so injury victims can file claims against the liable party’s insurance. In fault-based insurance states like Connecticut, the injury victim (plaintiff) must prove the at-fault driver’s (defendant’s) liability to recover compensation for damages like medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering. Less commonly, the defendant in a highway accident claim is the manufacturer of a defective auto part or a negligent road maintenance department.
Because most highway accidents occur at high speeds, injuries are often severe or catastrophic. Common injuries in New Haven highway accident claims include the following:
In the worst cases, a car accident on a New Haven highway ends in a fatality. When a fatal car accident results in a death, close family members can recover compensation through a Connecticut wrongful death claim.
When a highway accident in New Haven causes serious injuries, the economic damages and other consequences can quickly become far-reaching, with impacts on the entire family. A successful compensation claim can recover compensation for damages like past and future medical expenses and income loss, and compensation for pain and suffering and other non-economic damages that might apply like limb loss, disfigurement, or loss of one of the senses.
Call the experienced car accident lawyers at Weber & Rubano for the skilled legal representation and swift action your case deserves.