What car accident victims need to know about negligence

Car accidents are, unfortunately, quite common in Ohio. It is fairly likely that a resident of Akron will be involved in a collision with another vehicle at some point in their lifetime. If they are not the cause of their crash, then they may be a victim of another person’s negligence.Negligence is what results when a person fails to act in accordance with standards expected of someone in their situation. For example, the driver of a vehicle is expected to act reasonably and responsibly as would befit an average person of their experience and capacity. A reasonable driver would not speed or drive drunk in violation of state laws. They also would not allow distractions, such as text messages or music, take their attention away from their priority of safely driving. Many types of behavior may constitute negligence for a driver and may expose them to civil liability for the harm they cause.When a driver fails to meet their expected standard of care and, therefore, breaches the duty to others on the roads, then they may be found to have acted negligently. Negligence is a legal theory on which a multitude of personal injury claims may be based. Those claims may allow victims of vehicle accidents to collect their damages, which may be used to make them whole in the wake of their losses.This post provides its readers with a simplified discussion of negligence and its role in many car accident cases. It does not, however, provide any legal advice. For case-specific guidance on how negligence may apply to a particular legal matter, readers are asked to talk with their trusted personal injury attorneys about their legal needs.