Highways are dangerous. Although crashes are fairly evenly distributed between highways and local roads, highways account for more fatalities. According to an analysis of government data conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 62% of traffic deaths occur on interstate freeways and arterial roads, the technical term for state and county highways.
Highway crashes in Lakewood, CO, happen for many reasons and in many ways. When they result from another driver’s negligence, car accident victims have the right to pursue compensation under Colorado law. Matos Personal Injury Lawyers helps them navigate the complex insurance and legal processes.
If you need legal assistance, contact our law office at (720) 912 7274 for a free initial consultation.
How Matos Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You After a Highway Accident in Lakewood, CO
Matos Personal Injury Lawyers has represented traumatically injured clients in Lakewood, Colorado, since 2016. In that time, we have successfully recovered millions of dollars in settlements and damage awards for accident victims like you.
Our Lakewood car accident lawyers can provide the following services after someone else injures you:
- Analyzing your case and discussing your legal options
- Collecting evidence, including medical records and crash reports
- Filing your insurance claim to try to resolve your case without a lawsuit
- Litigating against the insurer if settlement discussions fall apart
Highway collisions can cause painful and disabling injuries. Contact our Lakewood personal injury lawyers for a free case evaluation to learn about your legal rights and the compensation you can pursue.
How Dangerous Are Highways in Lakewood, Colorado?
Despite being the fifth-most populous city in Colorado, Lakewood does not have many traffic fatalities. A query on the state’s Fatal Crash Data dashboard reveals that this city of roughly 156,000 residents only averaged about 16 traffic deaths per year between 2015 and 2023.
When you filter these numbers by crash location, the dashboard reveals that over 11 deaths per year happened on Lakewood’s highways. Using these statistics, you can calculate that over 70% of Lakewood’s traffic deaths involved a highway crash.
This does not necessarily mean that US-6, CO-391, I-70 BUS, and other highways running through Lakewood are especially dangerous. However, it does mean that the area’s highways are deadlier than the city streets.
What Causes Most Lakewood Highway Crashes?
Highways are not inherently dangerous. However, these roadways amplify poor driving behaviors that lead to serious or fatal traffic accidents. Highway crashes share a few characteristics that make them more hazardous than crashes on city roads:
Heavy Traffic
Highways are often congested with traffic. One reason traffic experts refer to them as “arterial roads” is because they connect city streets to freeways. Thus, commuters frequently take their neighborhood roads to a highway and then take the highway to the freeway. At each step, traffic becomes more congested because the road serves more drivers.
Heavy traffic is unforgiving of driving errors. For example, a distracted driver on a deserted country road might have no other cars to hit if they were sending a text message or fiddling with the GPS. In contrast, a driver in heavy traffic could hit multiple vehicles when performing the same dangerous actions.
High Speeds
Highways usually have higher speed limits than city roads. Traveling at a high speed increases your crash risk in two ways. First, drivers are more likely to lose control of their vehicles when traveling at high speeds. Even speeds at or below the speed limit can be too fast in foggy or snowy conditions.
Second, high-speed crashes generate greater crash energy. This energy goes into smashing the vehicles and injuring their occupants. Speed explains why highway crashes cause more serious injuries than collisions on city streets and in parking lots.
Lack of Traffic Controls
Highways usually minimize the number of traffic signs and signals to keep traffic moving. This lack of traffic controls increases the crash risk for cars trying to merge into traffic or cross the highway. Crashes like these can be deadly because the vehicles on the highway strike the side of the other vehicle.
Side-impact collisions can crush the passenger compartment next to the vehicle’s occupants, resulting in crushing injuries to the head, chest, and abdomen. Worse yet, frontal airbags and seat belts are not designed to restrain occupants in side-impact collisions. Thus, motorists often feel the full impact of a crash when hit from the side.
Inadequate Pedestrian Facilities
Highways are good locations for businesses because of their heavy use. As a result, cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists use them to reach shops and restaurants.
However, due to the lack of traffic controls, highways typically have inadequate crosswalks and pedestrian bridges. Pedestrians may be forced to cross mid-block or at busy intersections where impatient or distracted drivers can hit them. The resulting high-speed pedestrian accidents can seriously injure or kill.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Lakewood Car Accident Attorneys After a Highway Crash
High-speed car accidents can injure your chest, spine, and brain. Contact Matos Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss how we can assist you in your quest for financial compensation to cover your losses.