If You ve Just Purchased Motor Vehicle Legal ... Now What
Motor Vehicle Litigation
A lawsuit is necessary when liability is contested. The Defendant has the right to respond to the Complaint.
New York follows pure comparative fault rules and, when a jury finds you responsible for the crash the amount of damages awarded will be reduced by the percentage of negligence. This rule is not applicable to owners of vehicles that are rented or leased out to minors.
Duty of Care
In a case of negligence the plaintiff has to prove that the defendant was bound by the duty of care towards them. Almost everybody owes this duty to everyone else, but those who take the driving wheel of a motorized vehicle have a greater obligation to other people in their field of operation. This includes not causing motor vehicle accidents.
In courtrooms, the quality of care is determined by comparing an individual's actions with what a normal person would do in similar situations. This is why expert witnesses are frequently required when cases involve medical malpractice. Experts with a higher level of expertise in a particular field may be held to the highest standards of care than other individuals in similar situations.
A person's breach of their duty of care can cause injury to a victim or their property. The victim has to show that the defendant violated their duty of care and caused the injury or damage that they suffered. Causation proof is a crucial aspect of any negligence claim, and it involves investigating both the primary reason for the injury or damages, as well as the causal cause of the damage or injury.
If a driver is caught running the stop sign, they are likely to be hit by a car. If their car is damaged, they'll be required to pay for repairs. The reason for the crash could be a cut or bricks that later develop into a dangerous infection.
Breach of Duty
The second aspect of negligence is the breach of duty committed by an individual defendant. This must be proven in order to receive compensation for personal injury claims. A breach of duty happens when the at-fault party's actions fall short of what an average person would do in similar circumstances.
For example, a doctor has several professional duties to his patients stemming from state law and licensing boards. Motorists have a duty of care to other motorists and pedestrians on the road to drive safely and observe traffic laws. Any driver who fails to adhere to this obligation and creates an accident is accountable for the victim's injuries.
Lawyers can use the "reasonable people" standard to demonstrate that there is a duty of prudence and then prove that the defendant failed to meet this standard in his actions. The jury will determine if the defendant met or did not meet the standards.
The plaintiff must also prove that the breach of duty by the defendant was the sole cause of the plaintiff's injuries. This can be more difficult to prove than the existence of a duty or breach. For instance it is possible that a defendant crossed a red light, however, the act was not the primary reason for your bicycle crash. This is why causation is often contested by defendants in crash cases.
Causation
In cudahy motor Vehicle accident attorney vehicle cases, the plaintiff must establish a causal link between breach of the defendant and their injuries. If the plaintiff sustained neck injuries as a result of a rear-end collision and his or her attorney will argue that the crash caused the injury. Other factors that contributed to the collision, like being in a stationary car, are not culpable, and will not impact the jury's determination of the cause of the accident.
It may be harder to establish a causal relationship between a negligent action and the psychological issues of the plaintiff. It could be that the plaintiff has a rocky past, a poor relationship with their parents, or is a user of drugs or alcohol.
It is imperative to consult an experienced lawyer when you've been involved in a serious sweetwater motor vehicle accident lawyer accident. The lawyers at Arnold & Clifford, LLP, have extensive experience in representing clients in personal injury cases, business and commercial litigation, and smithfield motor vehicle accident attorney vehicle crash cases. Our lawyers have formed working relationships with independent doctors across a variety of specialties as well as expert witnesses in accidents reconstruction and computer simulations, and with private investigators.
Damages
The damages that a plaintiff can recover in motor vehicle litigation include both economic and non-economic damages. The first type of damages includes any monetary costs that can be easily added to calculate an amount, like medical expenses and lost wages, property repair, and even future financial losses, like a decrease in earning capacity.
New York law recognizes that non-economic damages like suffering and pain, and loss of enjoyment of life can't be reduced to monetary value. However these damages must be proved to exist using extensive evidence, such as deposition testimony from the plaintiff's close friends and family members medical records, other expert witness testimony.
In cases where there are multiple defendants, Courts will often use rules of comparative negligence to determine the proportion of damages awarded should be divided between them. The jury has to determine the proportion of fault each defendant carries for the incident and then divide the total amount of damages awarded by the same percentage. New York law however, does not allow for this. 1602 specifically excludes owners of vehicles from the comparative fault rule with respect to injuries sustained by the driver of these trucks and cars. The resulting analysis of whether the presumption of permissive usage is applicable is a bit nebulous and typically only a convincing evidence that the owner specifically denied permission to operate the car will be sufficient to overcome it.