10 Inspirational Graphics About Motor Vehicle Legal
Motor Vehicle Litigation
A lawsuit is required when the liability is being contested. The defendant has the right to respond to the Complaint.
New York follows pure comparative fault rules which means that if the jury finds you to be at fault for causing an accident, your damages award will be reduced by your percentage of negligence. This rule is not applicable to owners of vehicles which are rented out or leased to minors.
Duty of Care
In a negligence suit the plaintiff must show that the defendant owed them a duty to act with reasonable care. This duty is owed to everyone, but people who drive a vehicle owe an even higher duty to other drivers in their field. This includes not causing accidents in motor vehicles.
In courtrooms the quality of care is determined by comparing the actions of an individual with what a normal person would do under similar circumstances. In the event of medical malpractice expert witnesses are typically required. People who have superior knowledge of a specific area may also be held to an even higher standard of care than other people in similar situations.
If a person violates their duty of care, it may cause harm to the victim and/or their property. The victim must prove that the defendant breached their duty and caused the harm or damages they suffered. Proving causation is a critical aspect of any negligence case and involves taking into consideration both the real reason for the injury or damages, as well as the causal cause of the damage or injury.
For example, if someone is stopped at a red light and is stopped, they'll be hit by a vehicle. If their vehicle is damaged, they'll be accountable for the repairs. The cause of a crash could be caused by a brick cut that causes an infection.
Breach of Duty
The second element of negligence is the breach of duty by an individual defendant. The breach of duty must be proved in order to receive compensation in a personal injury case. A breach of duty occurs when the actions of the person at fault are not in line with what a reasonable person would do in similar circumstances.
For instance, a doctor, has a number of professional obligations towards his patients that are derived from laws of the state and licensing bodies. Motorists owe a duty care to other drivers and pedestrians on the road to drive in a safe manner and adhere to traffic laws. A driver who breaches this obligation and causes an accident is accountable for the injuries suffered by the victim.
A lawyer can use the "reasonable person" standard to prove the existence of the duty of care and then demonstrate that the defendant failed to meet that standard in his actions. It is a question of fact that the jury has to decide if the defendant met the standard or not.
The plaintiff must also demonstrate that the defendant's negligence was the main cause of the plaintiff's injuries. It can be more difficult to prove this than a breach of duty. A defendant could have driven through a red light, however, that's not the reason for the accident on your bicycle. Causation is often contested in crash cases by defendants.
Causation
In motor vehicle cases the plaintiff must establish an causal link between breach of the defendant and the injuries. For instance, if the plaintiff sustained a neck injury from an accident that involved rear-ends and their lawyer could argue that the accident caused the injury. Other factors that are necessary to cause the collision, motor vehicle accident attorneys like being in a stationary car is not culpable and will not impact the jury's decision on the fault.
For psychological injuries, however, the link between an act of negligence and an victim's afflictions may be more difficult to establish. It could be that the plaintiff has had a difficult background, a strained relationship with their parents, or has used alcohol or drugs.
It is crucial to consult an experienced attorney in the event that you've been involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. The attorneys at Arnold & Clifford, LLP have years of experience representing clients in personal injury commercial and business litigation, and motor vehicle accident law firms vehicle accident cases. Our lawyers have formed working relationships with independent doctors in various specialties, as well as expert witnesses in computer simulations and reconstruction of accident.
Damages
In motor vehicle accident attorneys vehicle litigation, a plaintiff can recover both economic and noneconomic damages. The first type of damages covers any monetary costs that can easily be added to calculate a sum, such as medical treatment loss of wages, property repair and even future financial losses like a diminished earning capacity.
New York law recognizes that non-economic damages such as suffering and pain, and loss of enjoyment of life can't be reduced to money. However, these damages must be proven to exist through extensive evidence, including deposition testimony from plaintiff's close friends and family members medical records, other expert witness testimony.
In cases where there are multiple defendants, Courts will often use the rules of comparative negligence to determine the proportion of damages award should be allocated between them. The jury must determine the percentage of blame each defendant carries for the incident, and divide the total amount of damages awarded by that percentage. However, New York law 1602 does not exempt vehicle owners from the comparative negligence rule in the event of injuries sustained by the drivers of trucks or cars. The subsequent analysis of whether the presumption of permissive use is applicable is a bit nebulous, and typically only a convincing evidence that the owner explicitly was not granted permission to operate the vehicle will overcome it.