This type of accident occurs when your vehicle is in motion but you are not controlling it with the steering wheel. Usually this occurs because you are not inside the car or the vehicle was left unoccupied before safely parking it.
Typically, rollaway accidents are the fault of the driver who occupied the vehicle before it rolled away. It is considered negligence a lot of the times because the driver should have inspected the brakes knowing that the vehicle be in motion if not properly attended to. You can imagine how much more damage a commercial vehicle can cause due to its size and the extent of injuries to innocent bystanders.
You have come to the right place if you or your family needs a rollaway accident lawyer in New Mexico. Commercial vehicles fill the road by contributing to everyday needs such as delivering food to the grocery and transporting cars that will be sold or repaired. While rollaway accidents are not the most common type of accident, they are always happening.
The simplest way to prevent a rollaway accident is to set the parking brake. Our attorneys will work for you to get you the compensation you need if property was damaged of if you or your family were victims of a rollaway crash in the State of New Mexico. Other causes of rollaway accidents include if your transmission is worm or if there are defects related to the operation of your transmission.
You may have been unaware that defects can cause rollaway accidents due to the parking brake not working as designed. Many times these situations can turn into a lawsuit, since the driver was unable to safely use the car as designed. Your mechanic is unlikely to be the party responsible because the manufacturer of the parts would be expected to made parts with enough quality to do their job. Depending on the make and model of the car, defects are regularly found in any year model that could impact the safe operation of the vehicle.
According to CNet.com, Ford Motor Company issued a recall for faulty transmission parts that impacted over 350,000 trucks and SUV’s sold in North America. The gear shift levers were defective causing the car to rollaway despite drivers thinking the vehicle was actually in park. There have already been dangerous accidents due to this defect.
Another large recall of Dodge Durango and Jeep Cherokee SUV’s happened in the middle of 2022 resulting in defective antilock brakes that allowed those vehicles to shift out of park without having applied the brake pedal.
Cars, trucks and SUV’s with keyless ignitions are even more prone to rollaway’s because you don’t need to have the key in the ignition to leave the car. Many car models have had recalls connected to the braking system and owners must act diligently by contacting your dealership if your car has been recalled, as it is unsafe to operate.
Call 505-277-4401 with your car accident claim today. Our attorneys will diligently review your case in a timely manner as long as it took place in New Mexico.