Imagine for a moment that you’re driving on the freeway, doing the speed limit in the left lane when you realize that you’re quickly approaching the vehicle in front of you. You reduce your speed to avoid a collision and wait for the other driver to change lanes so that you may pass, as is common courtesy here in South Carolina. But the driver never does change lanes, causing a line of vehicles to form behind you.
If you’ve been involved in a situation such as this, you’ve probably also been angered by it. But the actions that you choose next could mean the difference between what is right and what could be considered reckless. This is an important distinction we’d like our Spartanburg readers to consider, especially because reckless driving could leave you liable in a crash.
As you can imagine, in a scenario such as this, you have a number of options. You could stay behind the person or you could change lanes instead. But the worst decisions you could make are to tailgate the other driver or worse still, weave in and out of traffic so that you can get ahead of the driver only to slam on your brakes. These types of behaviors are not only considered reckless but they can lead to a serious or even fatal accident. And in the end, you could be the one at fault, not the other driver.
As some of our more regular readers know, any motor vehicle accident, whether it’s caused by reckless driving or not, can have a serious impact on a victim. Depending on the speed and vehicles involved, a victim may suffer anything from minor cuts and bruises to more catastrophic injuries such as serious organ damage or a severed limb. In the worst of scenarios, a victim may die because of someone else’s negligence.
Car accident victims or their surviving family members can file a personal injury lawsuit and seek compensation though. The fact that the other driver was negligent or reckless behind the wheel is likely to factor into a judge’s decision on the case as well as the economic and noneconomic costs of the accident. In the end, choosing to be a reckless driver may leave you liable for compensation and in need of a knowledgeable accident attorney as well.