Brampton personal injury lawyers are aware that most motor-vehicle mishaps that are termed “accidents” are rarely accidental. Instead, they can be traced down to someone’s fault or negligence, deliberate flouting of safety norms, behavior, habits, etc.

Unfortunately, these events result in tragic physical, financial and emotional consequences for the injured victims and their families. The impact of the accident can change the entire course of someone’s life. Death and disability impose a permanent and irrevocable burden on all those close to the victim.

Studies are regularly conducted on the causes of such accidents and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) release data that pinpoint some of the causes of accidents.

The Top 4 or Big 4 causes of motor-vehicle accidents are:

• Distractions
• Speeding
• Not Wearing Seat-belt
• Impaired driving

These factors play an important part in causing crashes and they also affect the kind of injuries suffered by drivers and passengers when a collision happens.

The behavior of drivers and passengers is another equally important criterion. Common mistakes that cause serious collisions have been analyzed by traffic and accident experts. These include:

• Negligence while turning
• Wrong use of seat-belt
• Unrestrained pets
• Not maintaining lane discipline
• Improper maintenance of vehicle
• Driving when drowsy, fatigued or under the influence of alcohol/prescription drugs etc

and many more simple acts of carelessness or deliberate flouting of safety rules.

There are many organizations across Ontario that help to create awareness  about driving and road safety.

Often, the causes of car crashes is put down to speeding. However, speeding is not the only factor. Many pedestrians are killed even in low speed limit zones. This could be because of other aspects like poor visibility, non-functioning crosswalk signals, careless and reckless driving in school-zones, taking sudden U-turns where they’re not permitted etc.

Another reason could be the huge rise in the population of cities like Toronto. The population has doubled in the GTA over the last thirty years, causing an enormous burden on the city’s infrastructure and transportation systems. Mixed traffic on city streets includes pedestrians, cyclists, public and private transportation. Lower speed limits may not solve the problem unless all those who share the road behave with due responsibility and diligence.

Senior citizens and children are among the most vulnerable of pedestrians and they’re also the ones who suffer serious injuries in motor-vehicle collisions. Pedestrians, walkers, runners and joggers are also at risk if they don’t wear reflective clothing and stay alert when they’re out on the street.

A ten year long study conducted by OPP shows that most of the fatalities that took place over the last decade on Ontario roads could have been prevented. However, as many observers and traffic experts have pointed out, studies like this fail to show that there are an equal or higher number of accidents that cause serious and life-altering injuries which put an even larger burden on the state and on the families of the victims.

If you or a dear one has suffered injuries in a motor-vehicle collision, contact an experienced car accident lawyer. We can evaluate the circumstances of your case and apprise you on its merits. You could be entitled to compensation.

Brampton personal injury lawyers know from experience that although “rollover” accidents account for only 3% of crashes, they’re responsible for the worst kind of injuries and fatalities. Studies show that 30% of fatalities in motor-vehicle collisions are those that are caused due to rollover accidents. Apart from death, these accidents can cause catastrophic injuries, permanent disability and disfigurement, amputation and many other life-altering conditions.

Tragically, most of these accidents are preventable. They’re caused by someone’s fault or negligence.

If you or a dear one has been injured in a rollover accident, contact a car accident lawyer with specific experience in dealing with such accidents. You may be entitled to compensation.

What Is A Rollover Accident?

These accidents are caused when a vehicle falls over on its side or roof. They are complex collisions and there may be several factors responsible for their occurrence.

Taller and heavier vehicles like SUVs and trucks are more likely to roll over or turn turtle in a collision because of their higher center of gravity. This makes the vehicle less stable. When the vehicle rolls over, passengers and driver are at high risk for head injuries, because the roof collapses inwards. Additionally, since people are belted into their seats, they are unable to move. The doors and windows may jam or get blocked making it impossible for people to exit. Though there are new roof rules for passenger vehicles and SUVs, they still may not be enough to contain the potential damage caused by rollover accidents.

Driving an SUV calls for superior driving skills but not all car drivers understand this. It also requires the driver to be more alert and sensitive to the vehicle’s turning and handling capacity at high speed. There are complex rules of Newtonian physics involved in such crashes. Most rollover accidents are lateral rollovers. Modern features like anti-lock brakes can aggravate the problem.

Typical causes for rollover accidents include speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, unfamiliar rural roads, distraction, taking turns recklessly, talking on the cellphone or texting etc. Studies show that nearly 85% of rollover accidents are single vehicle crashes and hence it’s possible to conclude that driver error plays a significant part. A typical example is the collision that occurred on May 17, 2017 on the Springfield Lexington highway.

If you or a dear one has been injured in a rollover accident, our experienced 24×7 injury lawyers can help collate a robust body of evidence with the help of car crash specialists. Accident reconstruction experts can conduct independent investigations into the true causes of the accident and fix the liability.

All injured victims in Ontario are entitled to statutory benefits regardless of fault, but they’re also entitled to file a personal injury suit against the at-fault driver. These accidents can cause huge physical, financial and emotional trauma to not just the victim but also to the entire family. Our Brampton car accident lawyers can ensure that your rights are safeguarded while we help you with getting the compensation you deserve.

Brampton personal injury lawyers often deal with cases where young children have been seriously injured in car accidents. There’s no kidding around child passenger safety – children and senior citizens are among the most vulnerable of passengers in vehicular collisions. They often suffer serious/fatal injuries that can permanently alter their lives and those of their family-members. 

Although motor-vehicles are thoroughly tested before they are sold, a majority of accidents occur because of driver-error. Distraction, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, reckless driving, road rage, weather conditions, inexperienced drivers, unfamiliar roads and the use of cellphones/texting are some of the leading causes of motor-vehicle collisions. They result in horrible tragedies like the one that occurred in Innisfil, Ontario. 

Studies show that motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of fatalities among children in Canada. Although all the ten Canadian provinces have stringent rules regarding child-safety seats, a large number of serious injuries/fatalities occur because of non-compliance with these rules. Misuse or non-use of child-safety seats, seatbelts etc are among the common causes of injuries. Ontario laws hold the driver of the vehicle responsible for making sure that a child-passenger below age 16 is properly secured according to their age, weight and size.

The Canadian Public Health Association clearly outlines the proper use of safety devices. The use of appropriate passenger restraints can reduce the risk of injuries in case of a collision. There are different types of restraints and safety devices for children based on their age, size and weight.

• Rear-facing seats: for children below age 1 and 22 lbs
• Forward-facing seats: for children ages 4-5, weighing up to 40 lbs
• Booster seats: for children up to age 9, weighing up to 80lbs and height up to 145 cm.
• Seat belts for all others.
• Children should ride in the back seat till they’re 14.
• Hard, loose toys should not be kept inside the vehicle.
• Child-seats have expiry-dates. Never use, buy or donate a seat past its expiry date, marked at the back of the seat.
• Ensure that you change the child-seat if your car has been in a collision, even if the child was not in the car at the time or the seat seems undamaged.

Moving children too early or too late to their age-appropriate category makes child-passenger-seats unsafe. If the child is too small for a seat-belt, but the parents strap him/her in without considering that a booster-seat may be more appropriate, this can result in serious injuries. Severe injuries to spinal cord and internal organs can result, causing what crash specialists call “seat belt syndrome .”

Never leave a child unattended in or around a car. Leaving a sleeping toddler inside a locked car even for a few minutes can be fatal. Drivers should never leave the keys in the ignition even for a second when there is an unattended child inside the car.

Organizations like the Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada 

conduct regular courses for all those interested in reducing and finally eliminating the causes of fatal collisions and risks to child-passenger safety.

Contact an experienced car accident lawyer if you have been involved in an accident that has caused injuries to your children. You may be entitled to compensation.