Motor Vehicle Injury Attorneys

Motor vehicle accidents can happen to anyone at any time.  The physical and financial toll of an injury that is not your fault can quickly turn your life upside down.  The emotional toll of watching your life fall apart around you can be just as severe.  Most car accidents aren’t accidents at all.  They are the product of another driver’s bad decisions, which lead to negligent or reckless driving.

Maine car accident law requires you to prove two major things in order to receive money damages to compensate you for injuries caused by negligent driving.  First, you have to prove that the negligence of the other driver was more responsible for the crash than was anything you did or failed to do to avoid the crash.  Second, you have to prove that all of your injuries are real and were caused by the crash.

These requirements apply no matter what type of crash you have.  The skilled car accident lawyers at Briggs & Wholey are experienced in handling all types of car accident cases, including:

• Rear-end collisions. Rear-end collisions are among the most common types of car crashes.  They are almost always caused by inattention, speed, or distracted driving.  Rear-end car accident injuries vary widely and can include whiplash, back pain, and concussion, even at relatively low speeds.  More serious injuries can range from spinal injuries, such disc herniation or vertebrae fractures, to catastrophic injuries.
• Drunk driving. Drunk drivers pose a danger not only to themselves, but to all other drivers on the road, as well as passengers in their own vehicles.  Drunk driving can lead a person to cross the center line, resulting in a head-on collision.  Drunk driving often causes the driver to go off the road at a high speed, putting everyone in the car at risk if there are trees, telephone poles, or other fixed objects near the roadway.  The car accident injury attorneys at Briggs & Wholey have successfully represented passengers of drunk drivers who have been injured.  The injuries caused by drunk drivers can be devastating.
• Distracted Driving. Many kinds of driver distraction can cause serious accidents: texting while driving, applying makeup, eating or drinking, looking for or adjusting music on a device or vehicle touch screen, looking for something in the vehicle, etc. 
• Pedestrian accidents. When a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle, even at a low speed, the injuries can be severe.   Insurance companies will often try to blame the pedestrian, but our Maine personal injury lawyers are experienced in demonstrating that the true blame most often lies with the driver.
• Motorcycle accidents. Many motorcycle accidents are caused by a driver’s failure to properly observe his or her surroundings.  Our experienced Maine motorcycle accident lawyers are skilled in proving the seriousness of motorcycle accident injuries and the extent to which they can result in permanent impairment.
• Commercial vehicle accidents. Drivers of commercial vehicles are trained professionals.  Therefore, they are held to a higher standard than most everyday drivers.  They have an extra responsibility to exercise caution in ensuring the safety of drivers around them.
• Truck accidents. Like any commercial driver, truck drivers accept a great responsibility when they get behind the wheel.  As trained professionals, they know that large trucks and 18-wheelers are far more dangerous than any other vehicle on the road.  The trucking accident lawyers at Briggs & Wholey have the knowledge and expertise to maximize compensation for those who have been injured due to negligent truck drivers’ poor decisions.
• Dangerous road conditions. Insurance companies and bad drivers will often point to weather-related road conditions, like rain or snow, to show that a crash was really just an accident that couldn’t be avoided.  The truth is that any driver who decides to drive in bad weather still has a responsibility to drive in a safe manner.  Driving too fast for the road conditions is all too common, especially in Maine, and results in many needless injuries.  Other dangerous road conditions may be caused by third parties, such as construction companies who fail to conduct their work safely.  
• Hit-and-run accidents. If you’ve been the victim of a hit-and-run, you may feel like there is nothing you can do.  Don’t give up.  Our experienced car accident lawyers may be able to help you find insurance coverage for your injuries that you didn’t even know was available.

Insurance Companies

Medical Payments (“Med Pay”)

If you’ve been injured in a car crash, you probably have at least one major unexpected medical bill.  Ambulance rides and emergency department bills can be staggeringly expensive.  Fortunately, if you have insurance, you may be able to get some of your initial bills paid right away.  Medical Payments Coverage, or “med pay,” is standard with most auto insurance policies.  The amount of coverage you may have typically ranges from $2,000.00 to $10,000.00.  This is money that your own insurance company has available to pay medical bills related to the crash – regardless of fault.

Liability Insurance

Insurance companies will often take advantage of those who have just suffered car accident injuries by suggesting that both drivers were at fault.  They will also take advantage of the fact that someone still recovering from injuries probably is facing medical bills right away.  They will also bank on the fact that you may not yet fully appreciate the seriousness of your injuries.  They will try to pressure you into accepting a small settlement now.  They won’t explain that by doing this you are giving up all of your rights.  Do not let the insurance company for the at-fault driver lull you into a false sense of security – that’s what they are counting on.  The car accident attorneys at Briggs & Wholey know the insurance companies’ tricks and will determine the best way to combat them in every case.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage (“UM/UIM Coverage”)

In cases where the driver who caused the accident doesn’t have insurance, or doesn’t have enough insurance to cover your damages, you may be entitled to recover compensation from your own insurance company.  Every standard auto policy in Maine is required to provide UM/UIM coverage in at least the same amount as the liability policy limits.  If an at-fault driver does not have enough insurance money available to cover your total damages, you can turn to your own insurance company to cover the excess.  If the at-fault driver has no insurance, or if the driver cannot be identified due to a hit-and-run scenario, then you can turn to your own insurance company for full compensation.  But don’t assume that you will be treated fairly simply because it is your own insurance company.  They will use the same tactics to avoid paying you full and fair compensation for your injuries that any other insurance company would use – even if you have been a loyal customer for years.

The attorneys at Briggs & Wholey specialize in Maine car crash cases.  If you’ve been injured as the result of another driver’s negligence or reckless driving, you need experienced car accident lawyers on your side.  Contact Briggs & Wholey to evaluate your case today.