What Makes Some Car Accident Lawsuits Complex? 3 Reasons to Consider 

Despite the proliferation of urbanization and modern infrastructures, many areas across the US lack sidewalks, biking lanes, and crosswalks. This has led to a rise in traffic deaths. Moreover, the increase in car ownership has made auto accidents frequent. 

In 2022, over 278 million personal and commercial vehicles were registered in the US alone. This provides us some insight into the number of automobiles crowding the streets on a daily basis. It becomes less surprising that at least 43,000 fatal road crashes occur every year. 

Such accidents often involve a tedious process of recovery and a complex legal battle. In this article, we will focus primarily on the latter part. Keep reading to understand the three main factors that complicate a car accident lawsuit. 

Multiple Liable Parties 

The number one factor that makes a car accident lawsuit complicated is shared liability. This also drags the timeline of the litigation to frustrating lengths. In many cases, the liability may not even be clear since different parties’ burden of responsibility appears to be more or less the same. 

Let’s understand this with the help of an example. We will consider the otherwise vibrant city of St. Louis, Missouri. Why? Because this city was ranked the least safe in the US with one of the major reasons being frequent road accidents. This could be because St. Louis is a major logistics hub. 

As a result, heavy 18-wheeler commercial trucks move back and forth on its interstates and lanes throughout the day. A single misstep from the truck driver or those in the vicinity can wreak havoc. Some common types of truck-related accidents across St. Louis include jackknifing, underrides, and rollovers. 

Given the sheer size of these vehicles, what often happens is that multiple others get involved in a crash, especially cars. In such cases, it may take time and rigorous efforts to understand the true cause of a crash. A car accident lawyer in St. Louis will be needed to get to the heart of the matter. 

According to TorHoerman Law, the liable party may be the truck driver, car driver, cargo loading company, and trucking company, among others. In the case of shared liability, the court will only be able to provide a fair verdict when the extent of each party’s involvement is determined. 

Types of Injuries 

The second reason why car accident lawsuits often become complicated is the types of injuries the victim(s) sustain. In some cases, the injuries are pretty apparent and accompany a straightforward diagnosis. An example would be broken bones or deep lacerations. 

In other cases, the injuries are not easily identifiable. The symptoms also may take weeks before they appear. This means such injuries will not come to light during an immediate doctor’s examination. 

A case in point would be head injuries that often go misdiagnosed, at least initially. They can go untreated for an extended period. Even if brain scans show signs of injury, it may be challenging to analyze the full extent of the damage caused. The victim could report discomfort or symptoms even months after the accident occurred. 

The possibility of developing more severe complications, in the long run, makes car accident lawsuits complex. It is recommended that victims seek medical help immediately even if they do not feel any major pain or discomfort. However, the jury may want to wait out to understand the severity of the injuries with accuracy. 

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Damages Involved 

A car accident, whether it involves a commercial truck or not, seldom causes a singular line of damage. Firstly, there may be obvious physical injuries the victims suffer. Besides those, other kinds of potential damages include property damage, loss of wages, emotional trauma, loss of companionship for a spouse, and more. 

Physical injuries can still be compensated fairly on the basis of medical bills. As for lost income, the court can discern an accurate amount based on the victim’s job profile, monthly earnings, etc. What becomes difficult to quantify is emotional trauma and loss of consortium. 

Since these are unquantifiable aspects of a car accident’s aftermath, the jury must put a value carefully. This may make the case complex enough to drag it for months. 

The world has made much progress in terms of transportation and digitization. Still, the World Health Organization (WHO) exclaims that road safety is an urgent issue worldwide. Millions of people die or are injured in road crashes each year. 

This testifies to the fact that road safety measures are lacking or ineffective. Unless city officials and citizens work together to make roads safer, the sad saga of deaths, hospitalizations, and legal battles will continue.