Dartmouth, MA Car Accident Lawyer

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Motor vehicle collisions happen every day in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, these accidents frequently leave those involved seriously injured. Victims of car crashes often need intensive medical care right after the accident, and in the long term, such care can become incredibly expensive, even with costs offset by insurance policies. The difficulty of recovering from serious injuries, combined with the cost of doing so, can be incredibly frustrating for victims of car crashes, especially if they suspect that the crash was the result of an avoidable mistake.

If you want justice for your situation after a car accident, we can help you out. Our attorneys have handled tons of these kinds of cases, so we understand how to effectively build a strong case for you to take to court. Do not hesitate to start down the path of getting the financial compensation and justice you deserve.

If you need assistance, get a free case review from The Law Office of John J. Sheehan’s car accident lawyers by calling (617) 925-6407.

Why Do Car Accidents Happen in Dartmouth, MA?

Car crashes happen for all sorts of reasons. At first blush, the specific reason for your accident may not seem important. After all, what matters is that you got injured and need compensation, right?

While that is correct, you can only get that compensation from a party that actually caused your injuries, so it is crucial to the success of your claim that our lawyers determine the cause of your car crash so that you can sue the right people.

Driver Negligence

Many car accidents are caused by drivers who are negligent – or careless. When a driver does something careless in a way that hurts someone else, they can be held accountable in court. There are many different ways that a driver can be negligent, including speeding, driving drunk, running red lights, and more. These traffic infractions are negligent because they break the law.

Drivers can also be negligent in ways that do not necessarily break the law. In those cases, what determines negligence is whether the driver acted “reasonably” under the circumstances. That is a question for the jury, so our attorneys will work to make them understand who exactly caused your injuries and why.

Vehicle Issues

Some car accidents are caused not by the driver but by their vehicle. When something wrong with a vehicle causes a car crash, that accident is said to have happened because of a defect. A vehicle can be defective either by design or because something went wrong somewhere along the way. For example, if a car has a gas tank that is prone to combustion, then it has a design defect, whereas if the brakes were installed improperly or the electrical wiring got messed up, it has a manufacturing defect.

Subpar Road Conditions

Road hazards like uncleared debris strewn about, potholes, and broken guardrails can all lead to car accidents in Massachusetts. When that happens, you can file a claim against whoever is responsible for maintaining that road. Usually, this is a government entity, and there are specific considerations for suing the government that you should discuss with our lawyers. That being said, there are also likely other parties you can use, such as contractors who worked on the stretch of road relevant to your car accident.

What Damages Can I Get in a Dartmouth, MA Car Accident Lawsuit?

If you are successful in your lawsuit, the court will award you damages based on your injuries. Your objective in a personal injury lawsuit is to have the court restore you to how you were before the defendant injured you. Your injuries may be such that it may not literally be possible to “turn back the clock” on things, so financial payouts are used instead.

When you enumerate the damages in your lawsuit, categorizing them helps your case. The three main types of damages you can seek are economic and non-economic damages. While Massachusetts does allow for punitive damages in some circumstances, the criteria to get them are stringent. You have to show that someone’s reckless or malicious conduct caused another person’s death. So, unless your particular car accident claimed someone’s life, that option will not be on the table. However, you can still get a substantial award of economic and non-economic damages, so you should not worry that punitive damages are not an option for our car accident lawyers a lot of the time.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are based on items that have intrinsic economic value. Items such as hospital bills, other medical expenses, and damage to your vehicle fall under this category.

You can also request economic damages for lost potential income. For example, if you needed to stop working temporarily to focus on recovering, you can be awarded damages based on that missed pay. Second, if you had to a worse paying job because of your injuries, that can factor into your damage. Finally, if the injuries you received prevent you from working altogether, damages based on what you were expected to earn in the future can be awarded to you.

Non-Economic Damages

Economic damages are relatively straightforward. Non-economic damages can be harder to pin down. These damages are not based on concrete things that have receipts or bills. Instead, they are derived from things like mental anguish, physical pain, and emotional distress. Since there is no set price tag for those things, you must work with our lawyers to come up with their value and sway the court to that way of thinking.