Fargo Intersection Car Accident Lawyers

Intersections are a common site for serious North Dakota car accidents. After a Fargo intersection car accident, many injured drivers and their passengers are left to deal with the fallout from serious injuries. The best way to protect your right to pursue compensation for costs like medical bills, lost wages, and emotional distress is to speak with an experienced North Dakota intersection car accident attorney as soon as possible.

If you have been injured or lost a loved one due to the negligence of another Fargo driver, contact the Fargo intersection car accident lawyers of Sand Law. Call us at 701-609-1510 or contact us online. We have represented injured clients in a variety of intersection auto accidents, so we are equipped to champion your case until we recover maximum compensation. Our team offers free consultations so that we can provide a personalized perspective to our injured Fargo clients.

Types of Car Accidents that Occur at Fargo Intersections

According to Valley News, the most dangerous intersection in North Dakota is Fargo’s 13th Ave S and 45th Street. They report that this intersection was the site of 76 car accidents between 2018 and 2020. The investigation of North Dakota Department of Transportation data also showed that Fargo had the most high-crash intersection locations out of any other city in North Dakota. Fargo intersections see a variety of car accident types. Intersection car accidents can be classified by several metrics, from the cause of the auto accident to the presence of injuries to how the vehicles collided.

T-Bone Auto Accidents Can Result in Extensive Injuries

In a T-bone car accident, the full force of a vehicle is applied directly to a concentrated area of another vehicle. This can cause more severe damage and injuries. For example, let’s say a speeding driver runs a red light at 45th Street and 13th Ave S instead of slamming on the brakes. A car with the right of way has already entered the intersection because they have the green light. The speeding driver slams into the driver’s side of the other car. The driver who had the green light suffered extensive head trauma and multiple broken bones as a result. This is just one illustration of how damaging a T-bone intersection auto accident can be.

Negligent Fargo Drivers May Cause Side Swipe Car Accidents

This type of auto accident occurs when two vehicles crash, with the side of one car colliding with another. The force of this impact may result in property damage to both vehicles, and in some cases, significant injury to car occupants. Sideswipe car accidents usually happen when one car is changing lanes. The driver may fail to accurately judge the speed of the car next to them, grow impatient and cut the other driver off, or forget to check their blind spots.

Fargo Intersections See Many Rear-End Auto Accidents

Unsurprisingly, intersections present a prime opportunity for rear-end auto accidents. Drivers may be slowing down to make a turn, coming to a stop for a light, or pausing to allow pedestrians or bicyclists to use the crosswalk. Most rear-end auto accidents are caused by negligent drivers who are distracted at the time of the auto accident. In many cases, the driver in front is unprepared for the impact, further exacerbating their injuries.

Fargo Multi-Car Collisions Can Be Fatal

A multi-car collision, more colloquially known as a pile-up, is used to refer to an auto accident involving more than two cars. This can occur in a variety of ways, but it often begins when one vehicle tries unsuccessfully to swerve out of the way of a collision in their path. Multi-car crashes can be deadly, as the chaos of the accident scene can trap car occupants and delay medical care. Even in less catastrophic multi-car accidents, sorting out liability can become an issue.

Causes of North Dakota Intersection Accidents

The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that over 50% of fatal or injury-causing car accidents occur at or near intersections. This statistic underscores the importance of following traffic laws and minimizing distractions while driving on Fargo roads. However, despite the risks of negligent driving behavior, reckless or impaired drivers continue to be the leading cause of intersection auto accidents.

Distracted Driving Can Lead to Devastating Fargo Intersection Car Accidents

Distracted driving is one of the most common causes of intersection auto accidents. Distracted driving involves a manual, cognitive, or visual distraction, or a combination of distractions. It can also be one of the most dangerous driving behaviors. For example, a driver who was busy texting instead of paying attention to the car in front of them may run a red light, leading them to be T-boned by an on-coming car with the right of way.

Speeding and Impatience Contribute to Intersection Auto Accidents

Impatient driving behavior can look like a driver who fuses to yield the right of way, cuts other drivers off, or generally behaves in a reckless manner that jeopardizes the safety of other road users. Perhaps the most common form of impatient driving behavior is speeding, which plays a role in over a quarter of all fatal car accidents in the U.S. Impatient drivers also have a tendency to become aggressive drivers, which can spill over into road rage. These negligent behaviors can be particularly dangerous at intersections where pedestrians and other vulnerable road users tend to cross the road.

Driving Under the Influence Can Prove Fatal for Fargo Motorists

Drunk driving compromises the safety of all road users. Each year in North Dakota, alcohol plays a role in about 42% of fatal car accidents. Alcohol reduces a driver’s cognitive ability to make smart driving choices, impairs their vision, and diminishes their physical coordination. In an intersection, drunk drivers have more decisions to make: Do I speed up or slow down at this yellow light to make it through? Is that motorcycle going to turn out in front of me? What’s the speed limit? With more choices to make, there are more opportunities for impaired drivers to make the wrong one which results in a Fargo intersection car accident.

Mechanical Failure Can Leave Drivers or Car Parts Makers Liable

Fargo drivers are responsible for keeping their vehicles operational and free from hazards that could endanger other road users. This includes ensuring that the steering and brakes are in working order, the lights are functional, and the tires have the proper pressure and enough tread to grip the road. Drivers who fail to properly maintain their vehicles can potentially be held liable for negligence if their unmaintained car is responsible for the auto accident. However, if a defective car part is found to be the source of the intersection auto accident, that can leave the maker of the car part open to a car accident lawsuit.

Proving a Fargo Driver’s Negligence Caused the Intersection Car Accident

Establishing liability in an intersection auto accident is your personal injury lawyer’s responsibility. In order to show that you deserve compensation for your injuries and losses, your Fargo car accident attorney will need to show that the driver who hit you breached their duty of care to you, or the obligation to act cautiously and with reason towards another party.

If your personal injury lawyer is successful in demonstrating that the driver’s failure to fulfill this obligation caused the accident, which in turn caused your injuries and damages, you may be eligible to recover compensation for these losses. Once liability is established, your intersection car accident lawyer will then begin the work of negotiating how much your damages should be worth in a settlement with the negligent driver’s insurance company.

On your end, you can provide your car accident attorney with any evidence you collected from the accident scene. This includes the contact information of eyewitnesses, any pictures or video you have of the damage to your vehicle and the layout of the scene itself, and your medical records.

How to Drive Safely at Intersections in North Dakota

Although more than 75% of North Dakota car accidents happen on rural roads, that does not mean that Fargo drivers are off the hook when it comes to intersection car accidents. As previously mentioned, Fargo is home to some of the most dangerous intersections in the state. All it takes is one moment of distraction or one tailgating driver to cause a serious car accident.

When approaching a Fargo intersection, double-check your mirrors and physically turn your head if necessary to ensure that your path is clear of pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users. Fargo drivers should observe the speed limit, respect traffic signals, and exercise good judgment when navigating. Additionally, it is always advisable to take extra care under windy, rainy, or snowy conditions.

If the worst does happen, seek medical attention as soon as you can safely do so. This protects your health and any future personal injury claim you may make, as it shows that you attempted to mitigate your damages by seeking treatment for your injuries. It is also helpful for your car accident attorney to have an official medical record of your injuries when they are calculating damages.

Contact the Fargo Intersection Accident Lawyers of Sand Law to Schedule a Free Case Evaluation

As Fargo car accident lawyers, we have seen our fair share of serious intersection car accidents. One of the biggest mistakes you can make after being injured in a Fargo intersection auto accident is to try and handle your personal injury claim without the help of an experienced and trustworthy car accident lawyer.

Insurance claims adjusters and negotiators are less likely to take your claim seriously and more likely to offer you a lower settlement than a car accident attorney could have negotiated for you. At Sand Law, we won’t push you to agree to a settlement that is worth less than the real value of your damages just so we can say we settled another claim.

Our team will work tirelessly to get you the compensation you are entitled to, even if we need to take your Fargo intersection lawsuit to trial to accomplish this. If you were injured in a Fargo intersection car accident, we encourage you to give us a call at 701-609-1510 or contact us online to set up a free case evaluation.