Lane Changing/Lane Merger Auto Accidents
Legal Assistance for People Seriously Injured in Washington Lane Changing Car Accidents
If you have been seriously injured or disabled due to a Washington unsafe lane change accident, you may be seeking answers to your legal questions. The Farber Law Group, a Bellevue car accident legal practice, may be able to help you.
Lane Changing Car Accidents
The freeway systems and highways in Washington State are becoming increasingly more crowded and sophisticated. With drivers traveling at high speeds on the highways and roads, lane changing accidents and lane merger accidents occur causing injuries to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that approximately 533,000, or 9% of all motor vehicle accidents, are lane changing and merging accidents. It also estimates that 200 of these accidents result in fatalities.
Causes of Lane Change Accidents
The most common causes include:
Improper lookout
Distracted driving including cell phone use, eating, and reading
Driver fatigue
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Driving drowsy
Low visibility due to weather including fog, rain, heavy rain, and snow
Finding Fault in a Lane Change/Merging Accident
In many cases, the driver of the vehicle changing lanes is at fault because a driver must not change lanes or merge into traffic until it is safe. In Washington State, vehicle code RCW 46.61.140 -- "Driving on roadways laned for traffic"-- states:
A vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane and shall not be moved from such lane until the driver has first ascertained that such movement can be made with safety.
However, sometimes apportioning fault is not always that easy. All drivers have a responsibility to avoid an accident by slowing down when they see another driver attempting to change lanes. If a driver fails to avoid the accident, then some of the faults may be apportioned to the "preferred" driver.
Motorcycles and Lane Changing Accidents
Motorcyclists are often seriously injured in lane-changing accidents because some motorists when changing lanes, fail to do a proper check, change lanes abruptly or fail to signal their intent before changing lanes. When this happens, the motorcyclist then has to do an avoidance maneuver and sometimes is involved in an accident with the vehicle that changed lanes or with another vehicle. All drivers must share the lanes with motorcyclists and perform a visual check for motorcyclists before changing lanes.
How a Lawyer Can Help
A lane changing or merger accident case is one of the most difficult cases for a personal injury lawyer to handle. That is because both drivers often have different versions of what happened. An accident re-constructionist may be called to make sense of the accident. Often, the credibility of the witnesses plays an important role.
The Farber Law Group has successfully represented clients who were seriously injured in lane changing and merger accident cases, but to do so, the witnesses must be credible and the facts must uphold the plaintiff's case.
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(425) 455-9087
Your Case is Important to Us - Free Consultation
Herb Farber and the attorneys in the network of The Farber Law Group provide a free case consultation to people seriously injured in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. If your injuries are serious and you cannot come to see us, we can arrange to visit you at Harborview Medical Center, Overlake Hospital Emergency & Trauma Center, Evergreen Hospital, or one of the other trauma centers throughout the state. We have represented injured victims for more than 45 years and we believe every injured person should have access to legal advice. For your Free and Confidential consultation, contact us today at (800) 244-9087.