WHICH DRIVER IS LIABLE FOR A MERGING ACCIDENT?
It can be challenging to safely merge lanes when you’re on a busy highway or freeway. It takes more than common sense, and you have to be sure to be paying complete attention at all times. Imagine yourself on the road Colorado, traveling at a standard rate of speed when suddenly another vehicle pulls out in front of you.
Not only is this a worrying and stressful experience that can cause personal injury or damage to your car, but you might also find yourself worrying as to whether or not you’ll be held responsible for the accident.
A failure to yield car accident, including when an accident occurs during merging, can be a complicated issue – and nowhere more so than in Denver, Colorado. If you have found yourself in the situation of having to deal with the aftermath of this kind of accident, you need an experienced Denver car accident lawyer who can provide you with accurate, clear information. Reach out to one of our skilled Colorado car accident lawyers at AGG Law.
DETERMINING DRIVER LIABILITY
While in some cases it can be clear to see who is at fault for an accident – either because of reckless behavior or driving into another vehicle, you might find that determining driver liability in a merging auto accident is less clear cut.
Typically, you’ll find the four major causes of this kind of accident are:
- A driver takes the on-ramp onto the freeway too slowly, causing danger for those already on the freeway
- A driver forgetting to use their signals or using their signals too late to inform other drivers of their intention to change lanes
- A driver intentionally or accidentally abruptly cutting off another vehicle without leaving enough time or space to avoid collision
- A driver who is trying to cross multiple lanes of traffic immediately, and refusing to wait to safely cross
Merging accidents can lead to serious and severe personal injuries, from bruising and facial injuries to broken bones, spinal cord injuries, or even organ damage.
Usually, it is the driver who is attempting to perform the merge who is to blame for these car accidents, although that might not always be the case.
Sometimes if a driver is going too fast on the freeway or highway, they make it impossible for a driver trying to merge from the on-ramp to safely enter traffic. In this case, it would not be the merging driver who is held liable.
You may also find if a vehicle is merging from the inside lane to the middle lane, and strikes a vehicle moving from the outside lane to the middle lane, then the merging driver may not be held responsible for the car accident.
WERE YOU IN A MERGING AUTO ACCIDENT?
If you’ve been involved in a merging accident in Denver or Aurora that wasn’t your fault, it’s important to prove that the other driver was negligent. For example, you may need to prove that the other vehicle didn’t properly follow Colorado traffic regulations and failed to properly yield.
You might be concerned you will be unfairly blamed for an accident, even if you’re confident that you weren’t to be blamed. Therefore, it’s so important to seek experienced advice from an attorney who can help you in this situation, and let you know what key information you need to provide to prove how the accident occurred.
AGG Law Firm has the experience and the ability to advocate for you, to make sure that you’re not unfairly punished for an accident that you weren’t to blame for. Our attorneys are experienced in Colorado state law and can help you with all the information that you need, so get in touch with us today.
