Nineteen-Year Old Ejected from Car in San Antonio Single-Vehicle Accident
Recently, a crash on the I-10 access road near Ramsgate Road led to a 19-year-old driver being ejected from his car, sustaining significant injuries. Law enforcement was unable to explain why the young man crashed his vehicle into a tree, but upon impact, he was thrown from the vehicle. San Antonio police are treating the crash as a single-vehicle accident, and because of this, it may be difficult for the injured motorist to seek compensation for his injuries even if anyone else turns out to have been involved. Single-vehicle accident cases often require the services of an experienced attorney to navigate successfully.
What Causes Single-Vehicle Crashes?
Single-vehicle accidents are often painted as the sole responsibility of the injured driver, and sometimes this does turn out to be true. The driver in the Ramsgate Road accident may have been intoxicated and was almost certainly speeding – these are both common causes of single-vehicle accidents, as they can cause a driver to lose control of their car or truck much more easily. Other causes can include distracted driving (most commonly, texting and driving or otherwise being engaged with your phone) and poor weather conditions.
Many single-vehicle accidents are of the rollover variety, and these are disproportionately deadly. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimate that while rollover accidents make up only around 2 percent of crashes in any given year, almost 35 percent of the road fatalities can be attributed to rollovers. This is often simply because an enormous amount of metal and plastic is flying around in rollover crashes; so much weight will do more to a passenger or driver inside than a sideswipe or head-on crash.
Seeking Liability
Because single-vehicle crashes have, at least in theory, only one actor, it can be hard to establish that someone else may bear at least some liability for the harm you have suffered. However, it is not impossible to do so, especially if there is a case for negligence on the part of someone besides another driver. For example, sometimes it can be shown that a single-vehicle crash occurred because the road was poorly maintained or signage or guardrails are missing. This type of negligence would be the fault of whichever entity maintained the roads – in Texas, usually the Texas Dept. of Transportation (TxDOT).
In other cases, your accident may be attributable to an auto part or your vehicle malfunctioning. If this happens, you may be able to file a product liability action against the manufacturer. In Texas, you must be able to show two things in order to recover under a design defect theory: (1) that the defect in the part or in the automobile was a direct cause of the harm you suffered – in other words, that there was no other intervening cause; and (2) that there was a safer alternative design that could have been followed to reduce the risk.
Contact a New Braunfels Auto Accident Lawyer
While as of this writing there is no indication that any other person or entity caused the crash at Ramsgate Road, there may be extenuating circumstances in your own accident. If you have been in a single-vehicle crash that was not due to your own negligence, calling a New Braunfels attorney is a good idea. The New Braunfels auto accident lawyers at the Bettersworth Law Firm are happy to try and help you with your case. Call us today at 888-392-0039 to schedule a free consultation
Source:
https://www.ksat.com/traffic/19-year-old-ejected-from-vehicle-after-crashing-into-tree-police-say
