Merging accidents are extremely common, but they don’t just happen ‘by accident!’ Every traffic accident is caused when someone, usually the driver of the merging vehicle makes a serious error of judgment and his / her negligence causes an accident, endangering the lives of anyone who is hit.
Most merging accidents happen when vehicles join a stream of traffic already on a highway or when lanes end and vehicles are forced to move into another lane. Typical reasons for merging accidents are distracted driving, fatigue, effects of alcohol or drugs and a failure to look in the mirror or yield the right of way.
If you have been hit by a driver employed by the city and your car is damaged and you have suffered injuries, you may be able to claim compensation from the city administration. It’s not an easy process and you are best to get help from a personal injury attorney before trying.
Injuries Caused by a City Vehicle Merging Accident
Merging accidents typically involve side swipe collisions. The vehicle that is merging collides with the left or right hand side of your vehicle, causing damage to the bodywork and possibly more serious damage if your vehicle is pushed out of the lane you are in and into the flow of traffic elsewhere on the highway. The possible list of injuries that could be caused depends on how fast the city vehicle driver was driving at when the accident happened and the relative sizes of the two vehicles. Typical injuries include cuts to the face, concussion, damage to the ribs and internal organs if anything penetrates the body, broken bones, whiplash and spinal damage.
The Process for Filing a Personal Injury Claim For an Accident with a City Vehicle
Filing a personal injury claim against any government employee is complicated by the fact that government entities have what is called ‘sovereign immunity.’ This is supposed to stop civil actions against government departments, but in fact it doesn’t prevent claims being made when negligence on the part of an employee is involved. You will probably need to file a ‘notice of claim,’ basically a preliminary notification that you intend to claim damages from the city department involved, before you can get around to filing a personal injury claim.
Because every state and city government has different rules about claims made against them, you will need to know what the process is and how long you have to complete it. Usually, claims made against a city tend to have shorter statute of limitation, the time limits in which a claim is valid, than claims made against a private individual.
Why you Need a PI Lawyer
You cannot directly file a claim against the actual employee, but this must be done against the city department or agency the employee works for. Because of the more complex process involved in claims against the government, you are advised to at least first seek advice from a personal injury lawyer. The lawyer will have a good idea of what you need to do and if he / she thinks you have a good case against the city, will help you with your claim.
Disclaimer
The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against any city entity, or another party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
