Road Rage Accidents in Seattle
Posted Friday, March 25, 2022 by Chris Thayer
“Road rage” is a term that is thrown around a lot these days, but it is quickly becoming an epidemic. In fact, statistics reflect that road rage is a factor in as many as one in three vehicle accidents. This means that every time you are on the road you are at risk of encountering a rageful or aggressive driver, and these encounters are not likely to end well. Road rage is not only unhealthy, but it also generally involves illegal behaviors that put everyone on the road at risk. If you have been in a car accident that was caused by road rage or aggressive driving, you may have grounds to bring a personal injury lawsuit to recover for the harm you have suffered as a result.
*Bringing a Lawsuit for a Road Rage Accident * While you cannot sue for road rage alone, you can sue if the road rage resulted in physical harm. Personal injury lawsuits exist to restore a victim of someone else’s reckless or negligent conduct to the position they would have been in had the accident never occurred. This means that there must be a financial injury or deficit that can be repaired. If you did not suffer any financial harm as a result of the road rage, a personal injury lawsuit will not be able to provide a remedy. Financial harm should back up your physical harm in the form of medical bills, lost wages, and any other expenses incurred as a direct result of the accident.
A personal injury lawsuit also allows you to recover for pain and suffering caused by the physical and emotional trauma of the accident. Road rage accidents are a good candidate for punitive damages as well. Punitive damages are not available in every case because they are different from other forms of damages. Whereas other forms of damages (economic and pain and suffering) are intended to compensate the victim and make them whole, punitive damages are intended to punish the offender and to discourage others from acting similarly by imposing high price-tag penalties. Punitive damages may be awarded where the other driver’s conduct was particularly reckless, egregious, or intentionally malicious, which is often the case in road rage accidents.
*Establishing Negligence in a Road Rage Accident * Damages are not the only thing that you must establish in order to bring a successful personal injury lawsuit. You must also show that the other driver was negligent. Road rage and related behaviors are generally strong indicators that the other driver was negligent. Negligence is presumed in cases where a driver was breaking laws, such as by speeding or driving while intoxicated, at the time of the accident, and road rage often involves illegal and intimidating behavior.
*Contact the Pivotal Law Group in Seattle, Washington * If you have been a victim of road rage in Seattle, Washington, the experienced personal injury attorneys at the Pivotal Law Group are ready to help. We will fight to get you the compensation that you deserve, and to hold the other driver accountable for their reckless and harmful conduct. Contact the Pivotal Law Group today to schedule a consultation.