Taxi Accident Lawyer in Louisiana

In areas like Louisiana, taxis are a popular transportation source for tourists and residents alike. While taxis provide much-needed transportation and play a role in alleviating traffic congestion in cities across the U.S., this particular vehicle type is not immune to traffic-related accidents.

If a Louisiana taxi accident injured you, read on for more information about how an experienced taxi accident lawyer from Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys can help you pursue compensation for the expenses and quality-of-life impacts endured from your injury.

The Louisiana personal injury attorneys have protected the rights of the injured in Louisiana and the surrounding region for many years, handling thousands of cases of all sizes and obtaining more than $3 Billion in compensation for our clients. Call us today at 888.501.7888 to see if our Louisiana taxi accident lawyers can help you.

How Do Taxi Accidents Occur in Baton Rouge?

Accidents involving a taxi are generally caused by human error, just as the vast majority of all traffic-related accidents. An accident involving a taxi can result in injuries to the taxi driver or passenger and drivers and occupants of other vehicles on the roadway and bicyclists as well as pedestrians.

Let’s look at some of the common causes of these accidents:

• Fatigued driving. Taxi drivers often work long shifts and late-night hours when the body is instinctively wired to sleep. Because of this, fatigue is a common factor in taxi accidents. In a way that is very similar to alcohol impairment, drowsiness can impact the skills a driver needs to maneuver a vehicle safely, including reaction times, awareness of hazards, and the ability to pay attention to road conditions.
• Alcohol/drug impairment. As common carriers, taxicab drivers are subject to drug and alcohol screening as part of their employment. However, some drivers use alcohol or drugs and don’t always know about the impacts that over-the-counter medications can have on driving a motor vehicle safely. Additionally, taxicab drivers and their passengers are often on the roadway during hours in which other drivers are likely to be impaired by drugs or alcohol.
• Distraction. Distracted driving is a major problem for all drivers, as things inside or outside of the vehicle can draw the driver’s eyes from the road, hands from the wheel, or attention from the task of safe driving. This is particularly true with taxi drivers, whose meters, GPS, and dispatch communication devices can distract them, as can the passenger. Many other common driving distractions include eating or drinking, texting or other cell phone use, and other cars, pedestrians, or work zones. Nationwide, more than 2,800 people die each year from distracted driving, and many more are injured.
• Defective auto parts or lack of regular maintenance.
• Speeding or driving too fast for the conditions. Taxi drivers often drive aggressively to navigate congestion and to deliver their passengers to their destinations promptly. However, aggressive driving like speeding, tailgating, or unsafe lane changes regularly leads to accidents in the United States. Speeding—which involves driving faster than the posted limit and driving too fast for safety in areas of congestion, poor visibility, and other hazards—is one of the most frequent causes of collision for all vehicle types.

Liability in Louisiana Taxi Accidents

To obtain compensation for your expenses and impacts from your injury, you will need to file a taxi accident injury lawsuit. This is a legal claim filed in civil court within one year after the date on which the accident occurred. A lawsuit shows liability for the accident and the expenses and impacts you have incurred.

One of the important services that your experienced taxi accident attorney will provide for you is a determination of all sources of liability in the accident that caused your injury and all insurance resources you can access to compensate you. Liability is the legal responsibility for the physical harm the accident caused. In an accident involving a taxi, there can be several potentially liable parties, and in many cases, there is more than one liable party.

Individuals who are commonly found liable in taxi accident cases include

• The taxi driver, if his or her actions led to the accident.
• The company that the taxi driver works for if he or she is not independently employed. According to Louisiana law, employers can bear liability for their drivers’ actions. Taxi companies must properly vet potential employees to ensure that their criminal background and driving histories are appropriate for a job working with the public. Additionally, regular drug screenings are required, and—in cases where the company owns the driver’s cab—the taxi company must provide routine maintenance on the vehicle. If an accident resulted from a failure to comply with any of these regulations, the cab company could be liable.
• Other drivers. Not all taxi accidents are the fault of the cab driver. As mentioned, other drivers on the roadway can be impaired, fatigued, distracted, or otherwise out of compliance with the duty to operate one’s motor vehicle safely and legally.
• Corporations or government agencies. If the accident resulted from a vehicle defect, the manufacturer or distributor of the defective product could bear liability. If the accident resulted from a road defect, the agency tasked with maintaining that roadway could have legal responsibility.

Louisiana Taxi Injury Attorney

Let the experienced Louisiana taxi accident lawyers Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys help you understand the process of obtaining compensation for your injuries. Contact us online or call us at 888.501.7888.

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