Category Archives: Uncategorized

Road Trip Danger Zones: What Drivers Need to Know

Leave a reply

Personal Injury

Who doesn’t love going on road trips? It is the most fun and exciting part of beginning any trip. With the excitement, you always have to keep the danger zones and safety tips in mind. Defensive driving can lead to the safety of everyone traveling with you and others on the road. So to have a safe journey, here are some road trip danger zones that you need to be aware of according to a truck accident lawyer from SL Chapman Trial Lawyers.

  • Lane changing: 

The first thing you need to take care of while driving on the highway is the rule of lane changing. Switching lanes defensively is the most crucial driving rule because it helps avoid serious consequences and reach safely.

Many people make the mistake of driving in the wrong lane, which can lead to accidents and unexpected situations. You have to stick to a certain speed and keep your car in the right lane. If you want to overtake someone, then take the right-most lane and move only when you are sure about the gap.

  • The speed: 

A lot of drivers overlook the speed while they are driving on the highway. Maintaining a reasonable speed while driving on the highway is essential to be safe. There are no traffic lights on the highway to speed you down, but keep in mind sticking to a decent speed. The best thing about sticking to a certain speed is avoiding any misfortunes that might happen if the road is steep, wet, or tightly packed.

  • Safe distance between vehicles: 

While on a road trip, you must keep a safe distance from other vehicles. It will help you avoid unpredictable situations, and you will have time to press the brake to avoid a collision. Also, keeping a safe distance enables you to drive comfortably during heavy rains and fog.

  • Signals: 

You need to be aware of the movements of other cars while driving on the highway. Make sure to use the right signals to notify them about your movements on the road too. You need to indicate while changing lanes or turning to avoid mishaps. Right signals are the most important thing to remember regarding safe driving.

  • Rains and wet roads: 

It is a significant risk to drive during heavy rains or on wet roads, but if you have to reach a destination on time, you must ensure that you follow all the rules to have a safe journey. You need to restrict your speed to avoid puddles or wet patches because the car is likely to lose control on a wet road. So if you keep a safe speed, you will not face any issues.

Conclusion 

Road trips are fun, but it is necessary to be aware of all the danger zones while driving and take the required precautions. If you restrict your speed or have good control of your car, you can avoid these danger zones without dealing with them. So make sure to follow the traffic and road rules while driving on a highway.

Common Claims In A Car Accident

Leave a reply

The insurance company will take all of these into account when determining what settlement, if any, to offer. It is important to understand however, that insurance companies aim to protect their bottom line. Even if you are presented with a seemingly generous settlement offer from the responsible party’s insurance company, don’t take that offer until you’ve consulted with an experienced Salt Lake City, UT car accident lawyer from Rasmussen &Miner. Our team will be able to advise you if you should expect more, and possibly much more, compensation from the responsible party’s insurance company. 

Medical Expenses

The calculation of medical expenses is based on your past, present, and estimated future healthcare needs related to your accident. Past and present expenses are straightforward. You should be able to produce medical bills, records, explanations of benefits from your health insurance carrier, and other paperwork to show the actual costs. Estimating future expenses is more complicated. You may need to employ healthcare experts to testify as to what your future needs are likely to cost. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to avoid accepting a settlement offer before speaking with a Salt Lake City, Utah car accident lawyer. You may not yet be able to calculate just how much compensation your medical care will require into the future. 

Lost Wages

Like medical expenses, lost wages may include past, present, and future calculations. You can demonstrate with tax and payroll records what you were earning before the accident, and then show how your income has been affected by it. However, if the injuries are likely to impair your ability to make a future living, your Salt Lake City, Utah car accident lawyer may need to call experts to establish what your earning potential would have been had you never been harmed in an accident.

Pain and Suffering

The calculation of pain and suffering is not as easily established as medical expenses or lost wages. Pain and suffering is a legal term that attempts to quantify your negative experience. It includes the physical pain you endure, but it also includes emotional distress and mental damages like grief, fear, and worry. Pain and suffering may also include the loss of your ability to enjoy things in which you once took pleasure. Pain and suffering damage awards may be very small or very large, depending on the circumstances of the case.

While there is no firm calculation for pain and suffering, most attorneys use one of two formulas.

  • Multiply the plaintiff’s actual damages (medical expenses and lost wages) by some number between 1 and 5, representing the severity of the injuries. The product of that equation is the amount of pain and suffering.
  • Use a per diem approach to establish an amount per day for each day since the accident.

Insurance companies are not required by any law to honor either of these calculations and to seek damages of any kind can be a complicated process. Contact a knowledgeable and experienced Salt Lake City, Utah car accident lawyer can help to ensure that you receive access to the most comprehensive compensation possible under the circumstances.

How to Take Photos of a Car Accident Scene

Leave a reply
If you plan to pursue a car accident claim, photos of the accident scene are one of the most important pieces of evidence you can have. Here are some tips for taking photos of the accident scene.
  • Take photos of all vehicles involved. Whether there was one or multiple other vehicles involved in the car accident, it’s important to capture shots of all of them. Make sure that the photos include clear shots of the other vehicles’ license plates.
  • Take pictures of damage to your vehicle’s interior. Car accidents don’t just damage the outside of vehicles. They can also damage the interior. If there is any damage to the inside of your vehicle, such as deployed airbags or blood stains on the seats, don’t forget to capture shots of it. If your personal property, like a cellphone, was damaged, take photos of it too.
  • Capture shots of anything that contributed to the accident. If you believe that any other factors contributed to the accident, a car accident lawyer in Salt Lake City, UT will advise you to capture shots of them too. For example, a pot hole on the road may have caused you to swerve all of the road. Or perhaps there were broken traffic lights or construction signs.
  • Photograph your injuries. Sometimes car accidents result in visible injuries, such as bruises and lacerations. If you have visible injuries, you’ll want to take photos of them as soon as possible to strengthen your case.

Consulting a Car Accident Lawyer

If you’ve suffered injuries in a car accident caused by another driver, it’s in your best interest to speak to a car accident lawyer in Salt Lake City, UT. A lawyer can determine the actual value of your case and help you pursue compensation. He or she can also help you gather evidence, speak to witnesses and negotiate with the insurance company. If you work with a skilled lawyer, you will have a better chance of getting fair compensation. Schedule a meeting with a car accident lawyer in Salt Lake City, UT today.

Understanding Car Insurance Laws For Utah

Leave a reply
Each state has its own rules regarding car insurance and personal injury claim. Utah, for instance, is considered a no-fault car insurance state. Thus, in a car accident that caused minor injuries or minimal car damage, you would call your own car insurance first to get compensation for things like medical bills or property damage. So, is there any point at which you can file a claim with the other driver’s car insurance? A car accident lawyer in Salt Lake City, UT knows that if your claim meets certain standards, there is a point when you would want to file a claim with the other party’s car insurance. Evidence shows that both drivers are at fault. Can I still get compensation?  In circumstances where insurance (or a court) decides that both drivers are partially responsible for the accident, you are still able to recover partial damages for your injuries. This is known as modified comparative negligence. This means two things:
  1. The amount you are awarded will be reduced by the amount you are responsible for the accident.
  2. If you are responsible for 50% or more of the accident, you will not be able to recover damages.
When you have been the victim of a car accident, things can seem more difficult in a no-fault state, like Utah. However, with the help of the team at Rasmussen & Miner, you can know that we are available to gather evidence and negotiate with insurance agents on your behalf. If you would like to learn more about filing a car accident claim in a no-fault state, give our Salt Lake City, Utah car accident lawyer a call today.

What if Your Car Accident May Have Been Partially Your Fault?

Leave a reply
Utah is a so-called comparative negligence state. It recognizes a 50 percent fault “bar.” Practically speaking, this means that you may be entitled to considerable compensation from other negligent, reckless, or intentionally harmful parties that contributed to the cause of your accident, even if you were partially to blame for your crash. As long as you were less than 50 percent responsible for the harm you have suffered, you remain entitled to seek compensation from others that were partially responsible for the collision. Your compensation award will simply be minimized by the percentage of fault attributed to you.

Legal Assistance Is Available

If you have recently been injured in a car accident, you may be navigating a torrent of emotions. You may be angry about the suffering you have endured, grateful to be alive, and confused about whether you should speak with an attorney. These are just a few of the emotions that you may be grappling with right now, which is very understandable and wholly normal. However, it is important that you find a way to focus your energy into exploring your legal options while they remain viable. The law only grants car accident injury victims so long to file civil actions before they are barred from seeking compensation. Additionally, speaking with insurance representatives without the assistance of an experienced Salt Lake City, UT car accident lawyer could compromise the valuation of your case. Take time to schedule a risk-free consultation with the dedicated team at Rasmussen & Miner to better ensure the protection of your rights and the preservation of your legal options during this trying time. Even if you believe that your accident may have been entirely your fault, there is really no way to know whether some “invisible” contributor to the causes of your accident was also a direct cause of the harm that you have suffered. Whether another motorist involved was half asleep at the wheel, a faulty auto part contributed to inadequate braking power, or a feature of the road you were driving on at the time of the crash played a part in what happened to you, you may be entitled to significant compensation at this time. Schedule a risk-free consultation with the experienced Utah legal team at Rasmussen & Miner to learn more about your rights and options as a car accident injury victim; we look forward to speaking with you.

How Are Causation and Fault Determined in Car Accident Cases?

Leave a reply
Numerous forces can contribute to the potential causes of an accident. When investigating a crash, it is important not to jump to conclusions or to rest one’s assumptions upon that which is obvious. For example, if the driver that hit you was intoxicated at the time of the crash, it could be tempting to assume that the crash was 100 percent the fault of the drunk driver. However, upon closer inspection, it is revealed that the drunk driver was operating a vehicle that had faulty brakes. Upon this revelation, you’re now in a position to sue both the other driver and the manufacturer of the defective brakes. After a detailed investigation into the cause(s) of the crash, it becomes time to determine fault. It is important to note that Utah recognizes a modified approach to comparative negligence. This means that as long as you were not more than 50 percent at fault for your crash that you may be entitled to recover compensation even if you were partially to blame for the circumstances that led to your harm. Fault is a complex legal concept—our team will walk you through our approach to evaluating fault as it applies to your case specifically.

Legal Assistance Is Available

If you’ve been involved in a car accident and you are unsure of whether you have grounds upon which to file a legal case, you’re certainly not alone. It is not always easy to determine the cause(s) of a car accident, let alone who or what was at fault for that crash. Thankfully, when you work with an experienced Salt Lake City, UT car accident lawyer, you place yourself in the best possible position to both “get answers” and to protect your rights and options under the law. The knowledgeable and trusted legal team at Rasmussen & Miner have the experience necessary to clarify your legal situation and to provide you with any legal guidance and support that you may require as you move forward. If you haven’t yet scheduled a risk-free case evaluation with our team, please do so now. Taking this meeting will neither obligate you to work with our firm moving forward, nor will it obligate you to take legal action. Meeting with our team will simply help to ensure that all of your decisions concerning your legal situation are as informed as they can be. The reputable legal team at Rasmussen & Miner looks forward to speaking with you about your rights and options. We view our position as advocates for our clients as a great privilege. When you work with our team, both you and your case will be treated with the respect they deserve.

What Are Common Causes Of Car Accidents?

Leave a reply
There are many possible causes of car accidents. Most car accidents occur from daily activities drivers do that they typically know they shouldn’t do, but, unfortunately, they get caught up in the notion of “I know what I’m doing” or the “It won’t happen to me” mentality. Other causes are more rare and usually not the fault of the driver, but rather the car’s manufacturing company. Common causes of car accidents are:
  • Poor weather conditions
  • Bad brakes
  • Texting and driving
  • Distracted driving
  • Lack of alignment
  • Fatigue driving
  • Drunk driving
  • Speeding

How Do I Prove Fault?

Once you have been injured in a car accident, it is critical that you understand how a court will expect you and your attorney to prove your case. In order for you to be adequately compensated for your damages, you must prove that the other driver is at fault. Most personal injury lawsuits are proven under the theory of negligence. Drivers are negligent when they 1) owe you a duty, 2) breach that duty 3) that duty is the proximate cause of your injuries and 4) you suffered damages as a result of this breach. As soon as someone gets behind the wheel, she or he owes every other driver and pedestrian a duty to follow traffic laws and be a responsible, sober driver. This duty is breached whenever a traffic law is violated. In other words, something as seemingly innocent or common as running a red light or speeding up at a yellow light is a breach of duty when it causes the very type of accident that the traffic law(s) was meant to prevent–a car crash. As straightforward and simple as this may sound, car crash cases can be tedious and difficult. Witnesses don’t always want to come forward, and it may be a matter of she say, he say. Also, it’s not uncommon for a car accident to be the fault of multiple people, including yourself. In Utah, if you played a role in the fault of your injuries, to the degree of 50% or more, the court bars you from seeking recovery. This is because Utah adheres to the law of comparative negligence, which states that if you are half to blame, you cannot request compensation. Thus, if you put your head down for one second, and this one second prevented you from swerving out of the way, or you were texting and driving as the at-fault driver ran a red light, you can’t recover, no matter how severe and egregious your damages.

Why Hire A Car Accident Lawyer?

Now that you’re aware of what you stand to lose, we hope you realize how crucial it is that you hire one of the best, expert car accident lawyers Salt Lake City UT has to its name, the lawyers at Rasmussen and Miner. Our skilled, qualified lawyers have years of experience and proven results. We investigate the scene of the accident, analyze your case, subpoena credible and favorable witnesses, request any traffic-cam videos if any were present, and gather all of the necessary documentation regarding the cost of your economic and non-economic injuries. So, don’t wait. Call Rasmussen and Miner today. We look forward to hearing from yo

What Are Some Common Car Accident Injuries?

Leave a reply
Because no two car accidents are the same, it’s hard to narrow down a few types of injuries and call them car crash specific. Serious accidents can lead to permanent disabilities and lifelong pain. Less severe (but still serious) accidents can result in broken bones or concussions. And even a minor accident can cause a lasting injury through whiplash. Whiplash is one of the most common injuries reported after a car accident. The human neck just wasn’t designed to support a rapid back-and-forth jerk that you get from a rear-end impact. Whiplash can be mild or severe, and in some cases you won’t even realize you have whiplash until you get home and notice you’re having difficulties turning or tilting your neck. Why Should I Contact a Lawyer? If you suffered an injury because of a car accident, you need to understand the full cost of the accident in the first place. You’ll have medical bills and repair costs to pay, and before you can say “full coverage” you’ll realize that your insurance isn’t as quick or generous as you’d expect. A car accident is a disruption of your usual routine, and you need to have as much help as possible paying those bills. There are some car accidents that are caused by factors outside of anyone’s control. There could be bad weather or a manufacturer’s defect. There could be a poorly laid out intersection. There are accidents that aren’t caused by anyone, but they’re rare. For the most part, a car accident is caused by negligence. Texting and driving, drinking and driving, and being just plain distracted and driving means danger on the road – and danger to others. No matter how serious your car accident, it will always cause a headache – in more ways than one. Some car accidents can leave you with severe injuries, and some are so minor you might not even realize you’re hurt until the next day. But whatever the case, you should always have a car accident lawyer in Salt Lake City, UT in mind so you can focus on your recovery, not your bills. Every car accident is different, and (almost) every time someone gets involved in an accident, they have to deal with insurance, repair costs, and medical bills. It can be overwhelming and frustrating, especially if the accident was caused by someone else’s negligence. Fortunately, the right car accident lawyer from Rasmussen & Miner can help you get the compensation you deserve so you can move past your accidents as soon as possible. But what kind of injury can a car accident cause, and how can your lawyer really help? Read this FAQ to understand more about the challenges of a car accident case, and see how your lawyer can prove to be a valuable ally in your fight for justice and compensation. If your car accident was caused by someone else’s negligence, you deserve help, and you deserve justice. Get in touch with a car accident lawyer in Salt Lake City, UT today, and see how Rasmussen & Miner can help you get the compensation you need to move on with your life.

Compensation You May Be Entitled To After Uber Accident

Leave a reply

There are a multitude of ways that an Uber accident may occur. You may find yourself the passenger of an Uber or the driver of another vehicle. Contending with Uber and a driver who is contracted for Uber can leave a victim wondering whether they will have the ability to pursue damages from the accident. While damages can never truly make up for what you may have lost, they can help victims get back on their feet following an accident. Damages victims may be entitled to in the wake of an Uber accident include:

  • Lost Wages
  • Medical Bills
  • Rehabilitation Expenses
  • Miscellaneous Expenses
  • +More

An experienced Salt Lake City, UT car accident injury law firm can help you to determine what kinds of compensation you may be entitled to at this time. Never make assumptions about your situation (for better or worse) until you’ve received knowledgeable legal guidance. 

Gathering Evidence

You will need to have strong evidence in support of your accident case, whether the collision you’ve been involved in was minor or significant. This is one of the reasons it’s important that you not leave the scene, that you ensure that law enforcement are contacted and that you seek medical attention as soon as possible. Our Salt Lake City, UT car accident injury law firm can help you to gather:

  • Police Reports
  • Medical Documentation
  • Photographs/Videos
  • Eyewitness Statements
  • Information of all parties involved
  • Documentation of Additional Expenses

Evidence plays a key role in proving the extent of your injuries, that someone other than you was at fault for the damages and tying your losses to the accident. Don’t wait to start the process of gathering evidence. 

Contacting Uber

Following an accident, you may be wondering who you should inform first. Not only will you want to contact Uber, but you will also need to speak with the insurance company to report the accident. However, it’s important to be aware that you don’t have to endure this process on your own. In fact, doing this without the assistance of a Salt Lake City, UT car accident injury law firm may not be in your best interest. This is especially true because you could put yourself at risk for saying something that could be damaging to your case. Our team can help you in reporting your accident to Uber and determine which insurance carrier you should pursue damages from. 

How Truck Accidents Differ from Car Accidents

Leave a reply
Some people still assume that truck accidents and car accidents are similar in nature. However, they could not be more different from each other. Here are some of the ways truck accidents differ from car accidents.
  • Injuries are more severe. Commercial trucks are much larger and heavier than passenger vehicles. Therefore, it stands to reason that truck accidents are more likely to cause traumatic brain injuries and other serious injuries. Severe injuries may require long-term medical care, so medical costs can get astronomical.
  • Different types of evidence. In car accident cases, there are limited types of evidence, including photos of the accident scene, police reports and witness statements. Truck accidents, on the other hand, often involve much more evidence, like maintenance reports, truck driver hours-of-service logs and truck company hiring records.
  • More liable parties. In car accident cases, the motorist is generally the only at-fault party. In truck accident cases, however, there are often multiple liable parties. Besides the truck driver, the trucking company, truck manufacturer and cargo loading teams may also be held liable.
  • Cargo is an additional hazard. As a truck accident lawyer in Salt Lake City, UT can confirm, the cargo commercial trucks carry can be hazardous on its own. If the cargo is not loaded properly, it can fall off and make an accident more severe.

Why It’s Important to Work with a Lawyer

If you suffered injuries in a truck accident, you may be entitled to greater compensation than what you would receive in an accident involving only passenger vehicles. That is why it is critical to hire a skilled truck accident lawyer in Salt Lake City, UT. These payouts are very expensive for insurance companies, so they may try to get out of paying you what you deserve. An experienced lawyer will handle all the negotiations with the insurance company and will not let them take advantage of you. Schedule a consultation with a truck accident lawyer in Salt Lake City, UT today to discuss your case in detail.