How Car Accident Lawyers Help Protect Parents Distracted By Children While Driving
Being a parent is a tough duty and can become even more challenging when driving. Children misbehaving in a car is nothing new but can become a major issue if it causes a car accident. In this situation, it is important to know how the law looks at this scenario and ways a lawyer can help.
Distracted Driving Can Extend to Children
Parents driving in a car with children have a legal need to make sure that they aren't distracted. This fact can be hard to accomplish if children are eating, listening to movies on a DVD player, or acting up. However, an accident caused by a parent dealing with misbehaving children still falls on the parent's shoulders and is often a very difficult and costly case.
That's because the laws consider the parents responsible for their child's behavior. And in this type of situation, the law would prefer that the parents pull over to handle children instead of continuing to drive. However, those involved with this type of case may find that the parents who caused the crash may attempt to throw blame away from themselves to avoid having to pay any cash.
Complications in This Type of Case
Though distracted parents may be at least partially responsible for a crash, there is a good chance that they may attempt to spread blame. For example, they may claim that the other drive — or other drivers — involved in the crash also contributed to it. They may claim that these drivers were going too fast or that they were behaving in ways that were questionable, such as changing lanes without signaling.
This defense is known as "comparative negligence" and tries to mitigate much of the blame. For example, the parent who crashed may claim that, while their children were being loud and they were distracted, the main cause of the crash was another driver pulling out in front of them illegally. In this way, they can avoid having to pay more money than they think they can afford.
Thankfully, high-quality car accident attorneys can help in this situation by providing people with the defense that they need to win. By fully understanding the nature of these crashes, these lawyers can also collect evidence, gather testimony, and take other steps that ensure drivers don't get a crash that they don't deserve pinned on them and suffer a financial loss. If you've been involved in such an accident, contact The Kaiser Law Group today.
Share