Driveway accidents can often be a difficult area with any insurance. As many people consider their driveway to be part of a safe zone or even part of their homes, it’s difficult to consider traffic or the fact that they could be involved in an automobile accident even in that relative safety.
Driveway accidents are unfortunately too common in the United States; around 2400 children in the U.S. are injured each year in their own driveways.
How These Accidents Occur
Driveway accidents can happen for many reasons including the chance that a person could drive over a child by accident or a child could get into a vehicle and shift it into reverse down the driveway. With the multitude of back over and driveway crashes that occur each year, it can be difficult to understand how these cases can be covered under insurance.
Several entities may be found liable for a driveway crash. These types of crashes range far outside of a typical negligence case for an auto accident. With any accident involving an automobile, an insurance company will want to know that all other motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists or passengers took reasonable care in operating a vehicle or being around that vehicle. If a child’s actions played a role in the crash it’s not likely that they will be held liable, but parents and caregivers may be held responsible for inadequate supervision, however.
The driver of the vehicle in an accident is often the one that’s considered liable in a driveway accident. Homeowners can also be held responsible if there’s evidence that they failed to address dangerous conditions outside or provide adequate supervision. If there’s some type of malfunction involved in a crash that can be related to the technology system then the manufacturer involved can often be held responsible.
This post was written by Kelly-Ann Jenkins of Jenkins Law P.L. Kelly-Ann is an St Petersburg Personal Injury Attorney She focuses on personal injury, car accidents, and bicyclist injury. The information on this site is not intended to and does not offer legal advice, legal recommendations or legal representation on any matter. Hiring an attorney is an important decision, which should not be based on advertising. You need to consult an attorney for legal advice regarding your individual situation.
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