Most motor vehicle crashes involve two or more vehicles. A single-vehicle crash involves only one. Some common single-vehicle crash scenarios involve drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel, or drivers who are wide awake and lose control of their vehicle for a variety of reasons.
Recent Roxborough Single-Vehicle Tragedy
Philadelphia police are attempting to piece the evidence together in a single-vehicle crash in Roxborough that took the life of a 32-year-old off-duty Philadelphia police sergeant who was driving his truck at Hagys Mill Road at Port Royal Avenue in late 2020. He apparently lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree. Damage to his truck was extensive. A 24-year old man who appears to have been a passenger in the truck was seriously injured in the crash. He was taken to a local hospital.
Driver Liability to Passengers in a Single-Vehicle Accident
Every driver has a duty to use due care and caution for the safety of others on the roadway, including any passengers in that driver’s vehicle. If a driver causes an accident, and his or her passenger is injured, that driver can be held liable for the passenger’s damages. Pennsylvania allows passengers who were injured by their driver’s negligence to seek the following damages:
- Past and future medical bills.
- Past and future lost earnings.
- Any permanent disfigurement or disability.
- Pain and suffering.
- Diminished enjoyment of life.
- Other substantial damages in the event of a wrongful death.
Comparative Negligence
Whenever an insurance company must pay out on a liability claim, it will try to pay as little as possible. In efforts toward that, it might assert that the person claiming injuries and damages shared in fault for the accident. The general rule is that a passenger in a motor vehicle cannot be guilty of comparative fault, but there are some exceptions to this rule: Here are a few examples:
- Intentionally distracting the driver.
- Grabbing the steering wheel and turning it.
- Knowingly riding with an intoxicated driver.
Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer
After any accident involving a serious injury, contact a highly rated Philadelphia Auto Accident Lawyer such as Edith Pearce. Unlike the huge firms with dozens of attorneys and many different attorneys handling different aspects of your case, Edith Pearce is personally involved in every case that we handle. She genuinely cares about her clients and you will not be treated like just another case or file.