Improper Lane Changes A Common Cause of Serious Georgia Car Accidents
Drivers who make unsafe lane changes often cause serious Georgia accidents, including sideswipe car accidents where a car makes contact with a vehicle in an adjacent lane. Improper lane change accidents typically create a presumption that the driver making the lane change is the at-fault driver. Georgia law imposes a legal duty on drivers to ensure that it is safe to change lanes before doing so.
Unsafe lane change accidents can be challenging because the insurance company adjuster will typically suggest that any compensation should be minimal because the vehicles were moving in the same direction resulting in a low impact collision.
However, even when there is minimal damage to the vehicles involved in a sideswipe accident and an emergency room x-ray reveals no broken bones, this does not mean that there is no significant damage. An x-ray will not reveal injuries like a bulging disc or herniations to discs and other structures of the spine. A sideswipe accident often results in a hard jolt or jerking motion that can cause significant neck and low back injuries. It is not necessarily the amount of force that determines the extent of an injury, but rather the manner of application of the force.
If you are involved in a sideswipe accident or other improper lane change accident, do not be deceived into settling your claim for less than you deserve. The experienced improper lane change attorneys at Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, have been representing sideswipe accident victims throughout Georgia for over 39 years.
There are many types of driver conduct that make a lane change improper or unsafe. Some of these unsafe driving practices include the following:
• Failure to use turn signals to communicate the intention to change lanes
• Driver failing to check mirrors for other vehicles or to check blind spots
• Not allowing sufficient space when making a lane change
• Failure to check for vehicles next to you or coming toward you
• Straddling both lanes for an extended period
• Failure to account for adverse weather or traffic conditions when making a lane change
• Changing lanes on a hill or curve where one cannot see a sufficient distance
These unsafe lane change driving practices can cause auto collisions which occur when the other driver cannot move out of the way of the vehicle moving into the lane, or cannot brake fast enough when being cut off by the driver who is changing lanes. If you are involved in a serious Georgia car accident with a driver who makes an unsafe lane change, you may seek legal compensation for your injuries. The attorneys of Montlick and Associates can help you seek legal compensation including medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and other appropriate compensation.
Our experienced unsafe lane change Georgia auto accident lawyers are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dalton, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. Call us today for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or visit us on the web at www.montlick.com. No matter where you are located, we are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you.