Seeking Damages From Friends and Family Following Traffic Collision

Not all crashes are caused by strangers. In fact, there is a pretty good chance that you will be involved in a traffic collision, as a passenger, caused by a driver that you know fairly well. But when passengers get injured by the driver of the car they were in, be it a single or multiple vehicle collision, does the passenger have the right to sue the driver? The answer to that is yes, and the same goes in wrongful death cases. Just recently, a St. Paul man pled guilty to vehicular homicide after his egregious actions led to his girlfriend’s death. He crashed his motorcycle, with her on the back, while riding under the influence of alcohol, then moved her dead body off to the side of the road and dumped his motorcycle in a pond to cover up his tracks. He and his girlfriend, whom he left for dead, both had methamphetamine in their blood, as well as three times the legal blood alcohol content, as reported by Twin Cities Pioneer Press.

Worries About Damaging the Relationship

Unfortunately, there is a chance that the relationship between a family member, friend, or colleague may be harmed, altered, or irreparably damaged if you seek compensation from their insurer or file a lawsuit against them directly. However, it should not be up to you to pay for expensive medical bills and other damages when you had no hand in the carnage. Moreover, more often than not, injured parties go after the insured’s insurance carrier, not the driver themselves. This means that you and your attorney will be working to maximize the payment out of an insurance policy, not the bank account of your loved one.

Typical Damages in Traffic Collisions

The following is a partial list of the most common types of damages that an injured party suffers in a traffic collision:

• Medical costs;
• Pain and suffering;
• Loss of joy of life;
• Permanent scarring or disfigurement;
• Lost wages; and
• Property damage.

If you lost a loved one, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim for compensation for the following:

• Medical bills;
• Pain and suffering of your loved one;
• Loss of consortium;
• Loss of a financial provider; and
• Much more.

Call Us Today

Traffic fatalities may be at a 74-year low, which is in complete opposite trend from the rest of the nation according to the Pioneer Press, but that does not make the fatalities and injuries that are still occurring any less tragic. For legal representation, call the Woodbury personal injury lawyers of Novitzke, Gust, Sempf, Whitley & Bergmanis today. We are eager to assist you throughout your case.