Most of us have loose items in our car. A purse, laptop, backpack or cell phone can sit in our car for a day or more while we drive from place-to-place. It seems innocuous enough, but the fact of the matter is that these loose items can pose a significant threat to your well-being should you wind up in a car accident. In fact, there are approximately 13,000 injuries caused by loose items each year. Let’s look at why that is.
Remember, when your car is in motion, so is your body and everything else that’s in your vehicle. Therefore, if your car is suddenly brought to a stop by a wreck, your body and those items will continue to move until they’re stopped by something. Your seat belt helps restrain your body, preventing you from continual motion that could cause you to fly through the windshield, but the loose items in your vehicle don’t have this same level of protection. Therefore, they can bounce around the cabin during a collision, potentially striking you with significant force and causing serious injuries.
In fact, a 20-pound object moving at 55 miles per hour can strike with up to 1,000 pounds of force. This is enough of a hit to cause significant bodily harm, including loss of limb. Therefore, even a seemingly small object can become deadly in a car accident, which is why it’s important that you take preventative measures to keep yourself safe.
The best way is to simply ensure that there aren’t any loose objects in the cabin of your vehicle. Try stowing loose items away in the glovebox, center compartment or the trunk. If you truly don’t need to take an item with you, then leave it at home. Also, be sure to regularly clean out your vehicle so that you can remove potentially dangerous items.
How loose items could affect a personal injury case
Loose items could have an impact on your ability to successfully bring forth a personal injury claim, too. For example, even if your accident was caused by a negligent driver, the defendant may significantly reduce the damages they have to pay you if they can demonstrate that your injuries wouldn’t have been caused had your vehicle been free of loose items. In other words, the defendant may try to argue that your own negligence in allowing loose items in your vehicle should diminish their liability and the amount of compensation that they have to pay. You don’t want to risk your legal claim, should you end up in a wreck and need to file one, so do your best to keep your car clean and free of any loose items that could pose a threat to your well-being.
Have you been injured in a car accident?
If so, then now is the time to start building your personal injury case. While your case might seem straightforward, the truth of the matter is that many of these cases are complicated by more nuanced issues, such as loose items in the cabin of a victim’s vehicle. That’s why you have to approach your case with care. By doing so, you’ll hopefully be able to beat back the defense’s arguments, impose liability, obtain accountability, recover compensation and get yourself on track to reclaiming your normal life.
