The Code of District of Columbia § 50-2201.04 defines any type of reckless driving as the “willful or wanton disregard for the rights and safety of others.” When drivers operate motor vehicles, they do so with the duty and responsibility to drive in a safe manner. No motorist has the legal right to drive recklessly and endanger the lives of their passengers or others on the roadways.
If you suffered any injuries or losses as the result of an aggressive driver, learn how a Washington DC aggressive driving accident lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC at (844) 730-0233 can help you understand your legal rights.
Examples of Aggressive Driving
According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), 56% of crashes in four years were in part caused by aggressive drivers.
Every person has felt frustration at some point while driving. However, no amount of frustration or anger gives any person the right to drive aggressively behind the wheel of a car. When a driver becomes aggressive behind the wheel of a vehicle, they endanger the lives of themselves, their passengers, and other motorists on the roadways. Some of the examples of aggressive driving include the following behaviors:
- Tailgating closely to the vehicle in front of them
- Speeding or chasing another vehicle
- Passing vehicles improperly or recklessly
- Changing lanes improperly or recklessly
- Failure to yield to other vehicles appropriately
- Yelling threats to other drivers or vehicles
- Making offensive hand gestures to other drivers
- Failing to obey traffic laws, roadway signs or traffic signals
- Using the horn excessively
- Abrupt acceleration or braking
- Intentionally attempting to cut off other motorists
- Blocking traffic intentionally
- Showing weapons or objects in an attempt to threaten other drivers
- Intentionally hitting another vehicle, pedestrian, or object
- Attempting to run another vehicle off of the roadway
- Physically leaving the vehicle to confront another person
Any of these examples of aggressive driving could result in an accident. If you feel that the circumstances leading up to your accident involved any of these types of behaviors by another driver, you may have the legal right to pursue compensation for your injuries and losses. Consider consulting with a Washington DC aggressive driving accident lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC to help you understand your next steps.
For a free legal consultation with a aggressive driving accidents lawyer serving Washington DC, call (844) 730-0233
How to Prove Liability in an Aggressive Driving Accident
In order to obtain compensation for your injury and losses from an insurance company settlement, or through the courts, you must prove that the other driver’s negligent or reckless actions directly caused your accident. In order to prove a personal injury case, a victim must show the following:
- Drivers all have a legal duty to drive responsibly and safely on the roadways.
- The other driver in your car accident breached that legal duty by operating a motor vehicle in an aggressive or negligent way.
- The injuries and losses you suffered were the direct results of the other driver’s recklessness, negligence, and aggressive driving.
- You suffered actual injuries, losses, or damages as a result of that other driver’s aggressive actions.
You might be able to pursue a claim for compensation against an aggressive driver if you suffered a physical, emotional, or financial injury related to an accident.
Washington DC Aggressive Driving Accident Lawyer Near Me (844) 730-0233
How to File a Claim Following an Aggressive Driving Accident
You have the legal right to accept compensation from an insurance company through a settlement offer or take your claim to court to receive compensation for your injuries and losses.
Insurance Company Settlement Offer
If you suffered injuries and losses as a result of an aggressive driving accident, you have to first file an official police report and then file a claim with the insurance company of the negligent party. The insurance company might attempt to avoid paying a settlement of any substantial amount by using manipulative tactics. Never agree to provide a full medical history or consent to have your conversations recorded. Anything you provide or say outside the scope of what is absolutely necessary can be ultimately used against you to reduce your settlement offer.
Additionally, it is important to note that in some serious cases of aggressive driving, the other driver may actually have criminal charges regarding the accident. However, these charges will always remain separate from any civil charges regarding the aggressive driving accident.
File a Lawsuit in Court
You have the legal right to reject any settlement offer proposed by an insurance company if you feel that it does not appropriately cover your injuries or losses suffered as a result of the accident. If you make the decision to reject a settlement offer, you have the legal right to file a lawsuit in Washington, D.C. to receive compensation for your injuries.
However, there is a deadline, called a statute of limitations, by which a victim must file a claim in court or lose their legal right to bring a lawsuit against a negligent party. According to the Code of the District of Columbia § 12-301, a victim of a car accident has three years from the date of the accident to bring a lawsuit to attempt to receive compensation for their injuries and losses. If a victim fails to bring a lawsuit by that time, they will lose their legal right to file a lawsuit regarding the aggressive driving accident.
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Learn How a Washington DC Aggressive Driving Accident Lawyer Can Help
Insurance companies know that victims have a limited amount of time to file a claim in court regarding their injuries and losses related to an aggressive driving accident. In some cases, an insurance company may attempt to stall and delay their response regarding a settlement offer in an attempt to have the victim miss their court deadline to file a claim.
Learn how Ben Crump Law, PLLC at (844) 730-0233 can help you negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf and ensure that you do not miss your statute of limitations deadline.
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