While crashes and collisions can result from all types of unsafe driving behaviors, drivers who change lanes in a manner that is improper or dangerous can cause severe and even fatal accidents. In many situations, drivers are in a hurry and fail to properly signal their intentions and check for blind spots before switching lanes.
These behaviors are dangerous and put everyone on the road at an increased risk of being involved in a serious collision.
If you have been injured in a crash in Boca Raton or a roadway in another part of South Florida that occurred when a driver made an improper or unsafe lane change, you should seek advice from an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible.
At Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers, we know just how disastrous these accidents can be for victims and their families. Our Boca Raton motor vehicle accident lawyers will take quick action to investigate your case so that we can help you recover the compensation you deserve for your losses and injuries. Contact our Boca Raton office at (561) 347-7770
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Types of Dangerous Maneuvers That can Cause Lane Change Accidents
There are many different careless and unsafe behaviors that can lead to an accident when a driver is changing lanes. Some of the most dangerous maneuvers include:
- Failing to check blind spots before changing lanes
- Failing to check side and rear-view mirrors before changing lanes
- Texting or talking on a cell phone while driving
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Failing to signal before changing lanes
- Making an abrupt or last-minute lane change
- Changing more than one lane at a time
- Changing lanes when lanes are separated by solid lines
- Changing lanes in an intersection
Victims of unsafe lane change accidents tend to suffer painful injuries that often require hospitalization and ongoing medical care. The injuries associated with the accident may be so severe that the victim may be unable to work or engage in normal activities of daily living for an extended period.
Under Florida law, a car accident victim has the right to pursue financial recovery for losses and damages suffered from the party who is at fault for the accident.
When a driver performs an improper or unsafe lane change and a crash occurs, the driver should be held accountable for causing the accident.
Sideswipe and Clipping Accidents Caused by Unsafe Lane Changes
In most cases, accidents resulting from unsafe lane changes involve one vehicle sideswiping another or one vehicle clipping another vehicle’s fender. Both types of accidents present various risks, and both have the potential to lead to serious injuries.
In a sideswipe accident, the vehicle making an unsafe lane change crosses the line and collides side-to-side with another vehicle. This can cause both vehicles to lose control; and, at highway speeds, these collisions can often lead to serious multi-vehicle accidents.
When this is the case, the driver who made the unsafe lane change can be held fully liable—even if your vehicle collided with another car, truck or SUV after being hit, this does not make you liable for the injuries sustained by occupants of the other vehicle.
Clipping accidents can have similarly-devastating results. When a careless or reckless driver changes lanes too soon and clips either the front or rear fender of another vehicle, this often causes the vehicle that was hit to spin out of control.
Once again, serious injuries can occur, and when multiple vehicles are involved, all drivers and passengers who are seriously or permanently injured can seek just compensation from the at-fault driver.
Steps to Take After an Unsafe Lane Change Accident in South Florida
In order to protect your legal rights after an accident resulting from an unsafe lane change, there are some steps you should try to take as soon as possible. These steps include:
- Collect Your Notes and Write Down Anything Else You Can Remember – If you were able to collect other drivers’ and passengers’ contact information at the scene of the accident, be sure to keep this information in a safe place. All of these individuals could be important witnesses in your claim for financial compensation. Write down any other details you can remember as well. At this point, anything you can recall could help your legal team with pursuing your claim.
- Seek Professional Medical Care and Follow Your Doctor’s Advice – In order to file a fault-based claim for damages against the driver who made an unsafe lane change, you must be able to demonstrate that you suffered a “significant” or “permanent” injury. Of course, seeking medical attention is important to your health as well. So, see a doctor promptly, explain your symptoms in detail, and make sure you know exactly what you are supposed to do to facilitate your recovery.
- Call our Boca Raton Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyers – Finally, in order to recover just compensation, you will need to work with a motor vehicle accident lawyer who has specific experience handling unsafe lane change cases. You will need a lawyer in order to prove both (i) the other driver’s negligence, and (ii) the amount you are entitled to recover for your financial and non-financial losses. While many people choose to try to handle their insurance claims on their own, this is a mistake. The stakes are too high, and you cannot afford to settle for less than you deserve.
Call Our Boca Raton Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyers if You Have Been Hurt in an Improper Lane Change Accident
If you are dealing with the aftermath of an accident caused by a driver who made an unsafe or improper lane change, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your injuries.
At Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers, we offer free case evaluations to people who have been injured in all types of car accidents throughout South Florida including car accidents in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach.
Call us today at 561-347-7770 to schedule your appointment with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers in Boca Raton, FL. We are a highly skilled and committed team of legal professionals who will do everything we can to help you get fair and full compensation for your losses and damages.
