You may have recently heard of catastrophic injuries for the first time, especially with regard to brain damage. Recent discussions within the NFL surrounding traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy—TBI and CTE, respectively have brought catastrophic injuries into daily discourse and increased awareness of such injuries, many of which are suffered in car accidents. As you may have guessed, catastrophic injuries are among the most severe a person can suffer, including—but not limited to—“… those causing permanent severe functional disability, and those causing severe head or neck trauma with no permanent disability.” While emphasizing head, spine, neck, and brain trauma, many debilitating injuries are included within this category, up to and including death. For victims seeking compensation, an experienced personal injury attorney can help determine if a catastrophic injury was caused by another party’s negligence.

Coping Strategies for Serious Injuries

Beyond the physical trauma, a catastrophic injury-induced loss of function or disability can cause serious, lasting mental anguish, and victims may find themselves experiencing the famous five stages of grief. Although not every victim of a catastrophic injury will necessarily experience all five stages, here is what the average victim may experience along with strategies for coping with the effects of their injury:

Colorado’s relatively new Made Whole Doctrine serves to protect you from losing all or a significant amount of your liability claim benefits to an insurance company. It is important to understand how this law works so that you know you are getting the compensation that you deserve if you have suffered a personal injury due to another party’s negligence. Even though this law is designed to protect you, you still must work with a qualified personal injury attorney to pursue compensation in court and ensure that insurance companies are not violating any part of the Made Whole Doctrine.

Compensation Before the Made Whole Doctrine

Before the Colorado legislature amended state insurance laws to include the Made Whole Doctrine, health insurance companies or medical providers were allowed to subrogate (substitute themselves as the primary recipient of your personal injury claim) to guarantee that their costs were covered in full before you, the insured, received any compensation. As you could imagine, this caused a lot of problems. For example, if you were involved in a car accident and accrued medical bills that totaled $150,000, but you only received $100,000 in compensation from an at-fault driver's insurance policy or a personal injury lawsuit, the health insurance company could take the entire amount of compensation you received, and you would still be at a loss. Since the goal of compensating an injured party for his or her losses should not harm him or her financially, the Made Whole Doctrine needed to be implemented. 

Even for people who have been involved in a car accident before, there can be many unknowns depending on the circumstances of the crash. A fender-bender may not cause too much trouble, but when your car is severely damaged or you need intensive medical treatment, you may not know where to turn for help. If you are hurt in a vehicle collision, a personal injury attorney can assist you in seeking the financial compensation you need and deserve. 

What Are Examples of Negligence on the Road?

Since 2011, fatal car crashes in Colorado have steadily increased. Distracted driving is a leading cause of car accidents. There are no restrictions on talking on a cell phone for drivers 18 years and older. However, texting or any other kind of data entry is prohibited for all drivers. When motorists break these laws, they put others in danger, just as they would when drunk driving or speeding. If a driver's negligence was the cause of an accident, he or she can be held responsible for the injuries and damages suffered by other drivers or passengers. In these cases, an experienced attorney can help you determine your best options for pursuing compensation. 

From a minor fender-bender to a rollover accident, car accidents can cause emotional and physical damage to a motorist. It may be nerve-wracking to get behind the wheel again, or an injury can completely change a person’s quality of life. Knowing the main causes of a vehicle accident can help a person become a more defensive driver, and it may also help determine if an accident victim is eligible for a personal injury settlement. 

Determining Fault in an Auto Accident 

How much a person contributes to the cause of a motor vehicle accident will determine who is liable and who is eligible for compensation. An important part of proving fault is whether or not the other driver acted negligently when the accident occurred. These common causes of car accidents often have a negligent party involved, and are the result of human error: 

When a car rolls over, the driver and passengers can suffer serious injuries or fatalities. The roof of a passenger car is not built to withstand the weight of the lower half of the vehicle, and therefore, it is likely to collapse. Even a minor car accident can lead to painful injuries, but when extreme trauma is involved, a victim may be temporarily or permanently disabled. In some cases, another driver’s negligence may have caused the rollover crash, and a victim can file a personal injury lawsuit. 

Proving Negligence

Larger vehicles, such as SUVs and commercial trucks, are more likely to roll over than a compact car. This is because the center of gravity is higher on large automobiles. A quick turn or maneuver can easily cause a larger vehicle to flip over. A driver may try to act quickly in response to another driver’s actions, and that reaction may cause their car to turn over. A car may also roll over if forced off the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the most common cause of rollovers is the latter, where a vehicle’s wheels are affected by uneven terrain after colliding with another automobile. 

Rear-end collisions are often considered just fender benders, but any car accident can cause significant damage to a vehicle and the people inside. Rear-end crashes are the most common motor vehicle accident in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Knowing what factors lead to a rear-end collision is not only a way to avoid causing an accident, but it can also help you determine your best options for seeking compensation after such an incident. Not every car accident leads to permanent disability or wrongful death, but if you are faced with difficult circumstances following an accident, you may be able to collect damages. In the state of Colorado, fault in an accident contributes to how much damage can be recovered. 

Factors That Lead to Rear-End Crashes

A rear-end collision occurs when a car hits the back of another car. Sometimes, this just results in some scratches or minor damage to a vehicle, but hitting a car from behind can also cause serious injuries like whiplash or traumatic brain injuries. A rear-end crash can start a chain reaction of accidents by pushing one car into another vehicle or into the opposite lane of traffic. The following are some of the factors that can lead to rear-end collisions: 

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the number of accidents involving a large truck or bus increased by 40 percent from 2009 to 2017. An 18-wheeler truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds and can cause massive destruction in an instant. Driving on the road next to a semi-truck can give anyone anxiety. Knowing what circumstances can lead to a truck accident may make you a more mindful driver. Being knowledgeable about truck accidents may also help you determine if a truck driver or trucking company was liable for your accident.

Contributing Factors

There is more at stake during a truck accident due to the size and weight of trucks versus passenger cars. It takes an experienced truck driver to know how to properly handle safe road conditions, let alone poor weather. When a truck driver or company is at fault for a severe or fatal accident, passenger car occupants are the most vulnerable. Even with a seat belt, the force of a truck and its impact can change a person's life forever. To know your rights after a truck accident, it is important to consider the following factors that contribute to truck accidents:

Car accidents have the potential to cause physical and emotional trauma. Cars are large machines that can reach high speeds, and upon impact, create havoc for the people inside. Physical trauma to the body has the potential to change a person's life, but mental recovery is also critical. Surviving a car crash can lead to mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, or depression. 

Severe car accidents often cause an emotional response, but a person facing mental trauma after an accident may feel extreme feelings that do not go away quickly. In fact, they may worsen. In this case, a person may have developed PTSD or another mental illness. PTSD symptoms may include:

On April 8, a speeding driver hit a pedestrian on Colfax Avenue in Aurora, fatally injuring the pedestrian. Aurora Fire and Rescue rushed the individual to University Hospital, where he was ultimately pronounced dead. Police now believe the driver was intoxicated at the time of the accident. 

Drunk driving continues to be one of the largest traffic safety threats nationwide. Thousands of Americans are fatally injured each year due to the recklessness of inebriated drivers. If you or a loved one were injured in a collision involving a drunk driver, you are likely entitled to substantial injury compensation.  

On March 26, a 51-year-old woman was fatally injured near Lyons when she veered off the road and lost control of her vehicle. After swerving off the right side of the road, the driver over-corrected, which ultimately caused the vehicle to roll over. As the vehicle rolled, the woman, who was not wearing her seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle. She was pronounced dead when medical personnel arrived on the scene. 

Despite the fact that rollover accidents make up a small percentage of motor vehicle accidents, they are among the most dangerous. If you or a loved one were injured in a rollover crash due to another driver’s negligence, seek experienced legal guidance immediately. 

While temperatures are beginning to rise, and Coloradans are gearing up for spring, hazardous weather is not gone yet. On March 14, drivers throughout the state were reminded of that when a winter storm brought blizzard conditions. Unfortunately, the impact was disastrous, as what initially began as a collision involving six vehicles on I-25 resulted in a pileup of 100 automobiles. The accident, which occurred near Wellington, left hundreds of passengers stranded on the interstate for hours. 

As temperatures dropped, and gusts of wind became more severe, those stranded were fearful for their lives. If your family is involved in a car accident during winter months, the failure to prepare can be a life-threatening omission. 

According to a recent study conducted by the University of Chicago and Rice University, traffic fatalities are on the rise throughout the United States. The study states fatal collisions have risen consistently since 2011, and it cites an increase in rideshare use as the primary reason.

A rideshare program is a network arranged by a website or phone app in which passengers travel to a destination in a private automobile and compensate the driver of the vehicle. Uber and Lyft are the best-known rideshare apps in the U.S.

On February 14, a woman was fatally injured in a motor vehicle collision on Interstate 70. The crash occurred outside of Glenwood Springs, and when law enforcement arrived at the scene, the vehicle that caused the fatality had fled. The woman killed was a pedestrian and was found fatally injured on the roadway when emergency personnel arrived. 

According to a recent study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, approximately 65 percent of people killed in hit-and-run collisions are either pedestrians or bicyclists. In the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision, it is important to know how to react. If you or a loved one are involved in a motor vehicle collision, seek experienced legal help as soon as possible. 

In 2017, a 52-year-old man was struck by two cars as he rode his bicycle through an intersection in Sloan Lake. The cyclist was initially struck by a driver who failed to notice the bicyclist as they turned left in the intersection. The first collision knocked the rider off his bicycle, and a second vehicle ran over the victim as he laid on the ground, dragging him a number of feet on the road. The man suffered severe spinal injuries and now has paralysis in his arms and legs. 

Just over a year later, the man was awarded $52 million in one of the largest civil victories in Colorado’s history. For bicyclists throughout the state, the jury’s decision was an encouraging step toward helping those injured in bicycle accidents due to driver negligence. Still, insurance companies try to fight against providing injured bicyclists the full compensation they deserve. If you or a loved one are injured in a bicycle accident, seek skilled legal assistance immediately. 

On February 3, an SUV driver was fatally injured near Colorado Springs when they lost control of their vehicle, crashed into an oncoming car, and ultimately collided with a concrete barrier. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision after being ejected from the vehicle. A female passenger was in stable condition after suffering injuries in the accident. 

For drivers throughout the state of Colorado, the accident served as a reminder of the importance of wearing a seat belt. Ejection from a vehicle significantly increases the chance of fatal injuries. If you or a loved one are involved in a motor vehicle collision, the use of a seat belt could save a life. 

On January 16, an elderly man was seriously injured when he crashed his vehicle into several homes in a small housing community south of Denver. According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the collision was ultimately caused by a medical condition that prompted the 86-year-old driver to lose control of his vehicle. 

While not all elderly drivers face an increased risk of motor vehicle collisions, many suffer from pre-existing medical conditions or face a decline in motor skills and vision. These issues can create danger whenever they operate a car, especially during bad weather.

On January 6, a car crash on Interstate 25 outside Colorado Springs sent three people to the hospital with severe injuries. The accident occurred when the car flipped on the roadway and ultimately crashed into a light pole. Of the passengers injured, one was a young child. For parents in Colorado, this accident serves as a reminder of the serious injuries young children can suffer in motor vehicle collisions. 

In 2016, 730 children under 13 were fatally injured in car crashes in the United States. That number is around half of the total number of children killed in car crashes in 1975, thanks largely to improved vehicle safety measures. Listed below are a few simple steps you can take to lower their risk of severe car accident injury. 

Over the past few years, law enforcement personnel and state agencies have noticed a dangerous trend: fatal car accidents are rising throughout the United States. While initiatives to increase safe driving practices are helpful, including mandatory seatbelt use, other factors seem to be offsetting the positive effects of these initiatives. Increases in cell-phone use and other forms of distracted driving have played a role in the increase of fatal collisions, but highway traffic agencies now think another primary reason for the jump in traffic deaths is increased speed limits. 

Traffic Fatalities Rising in the United States

According to statistics compiled by the National Safety Council (NSC), there were 40,100 motor vehicle deaths throughout the United States in 2017. While this number marked a 1 percent decrease when compared to 2016, the bigger concern is the steady climb in fatalities over recent years. In 2016, the number of traffic deaths rose by more than 5 percent. While the slight decrease in 2017 is encouraging, recent trends suggest much more work is needed to increase safety nationwide. 

Every year, thousands of Americans are hurt in motor vehicle collisions. The most common car accident is when one vehicle hits another from behind. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 28 percent of all car accidents in the United States are rear-end collisions. Studies conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found an average of 1.7 million rear-end accidents occur each year, with a staggering 500,000 serious injuries. 

Despite the fact only 6 percent of rear-end crashes result in fatalities, these collisions can result in severe injuries with long-lasting symptoms. If you or a loved one were injured in a motor vehicle accident, contact a legal team you can believe in and seek medical attention even if injury symptoms are not immediately present. 

Despite the fact that drunk driving charges can come with extensive jail time, substantial fines, and potential driver’s license suspension, hundreds of thousands of American drivers continue to drive drunk. In Colorado, drunk driving continues to pose a massive problem for law enforcement officials throughout the state. Although traffic officials throughout Colorado have implemented more DUI checkpoints and increased surveillance of the roadways, drunk driving continues to increase, and many people are seriously injured in accidents caused by drunk drivers. If you or a loved one are impacted by the reckless and negligent actions of a drunk driver, you should work with an experienced attorney to determine your options for pursuing financial compensation. 

Drunk Driving Rising in Colorado

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, DUI arrests rose by just under 30% from 2016 to 2017. In all, a staggering 10,359 drivers were arrested by Colorado state police in 2017 for driving under the influence of alcohol. This increase in drunk drivers has resulted in a tragically high number of fatalities. In 2017 alone, 226 people died due to alcohol-impaired driving in Colorado. While excessive speeding and distracted driving continue to be traffic issues that cause concern, drunk driving is a leading cause of motor vehicle collisions in Colorado. 

Alcohol-Impaired Driving Nationwide

Around the country, drunk driving is as big of an issue as it is here in Colorado. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 29 Americans die due to drunk driving every single day. Throughout 2016, more than 10,400 people died in motor vehicle collisions involving drunk drivers across the United States. Fortunately, law enforcement officials throughout the country are working diligently to lower the number of drunk drivers. Every year, state patrol officials and police officers arrest more than one million drivers for inebriated driving.