Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it has opened a formal investigation into possible safety issues with the 2013, 2014, and 2015 models of Honda’s top-selling “Accord” series. This investigation was inspired by more than 100 complaints logged with the NHTSA, alleging that the models suffer from a loss of steering control.
This is a troubling story for many reasons. Not least of which is that loss of steering control can lead to a car wreck in an instant. Not only is the potential for damage and injury great under such circumstances, there is also great potential that victims affected by defect-related crashes may not have sensed the loss of control – and therefore assumed that one or more of the motorists involved were at fault for any harm caused. All too often, “invisible” auto defects play a role in crashes without anyone involved in those crashes being alerted to this reality.
The Role That Defective Auto Parts Play in Crashes
A staggering number of auto accidents occur each year as a result of defective and/or otherwise dangerous parts. While the majority of these defects affect tires, defects can plague the electrical systems of motor vehicles, as well as their remaining physical parts. Because it isn’t always easy to identify such defects “at a glance,” accident victims don’t always think to speak with an attorney about potentially holding a manufacturer legally responsible for the crash-related injuries that they have suffered.
Legal Assistance Is Available
It is critically important to avoid making assumptions about the cause of a car accident until it has been thoroughly investigated by an experienced lawyer. Jumping to conclusions about what caused an accident and who is at fault is both understandable and human. However, if you dismiss the idea that you might have grounds for legal action because, for example, you believe that the accident was totally your fault – when, in reality, a product defect was to blame for a significant fraction of the accident’s causation – you could miss out on the opportunity to pursue substantial compensation from others at fault.
When you speak with an experienced personal injury attorney, they will be able to advise you of your legal options in an objective way and without subjecting you to any pressure to take a specific course of action. If you speak with an attorney who offers free consultations, you will truly have nothing to lose (but potentially much to gain) by meeting with a lawyer instead of assuming that you “certainly” don’t have grounds to file legal action.