Every day Hauer and Company legal professionals are trained to answer general negligence questions, while remaining focused on the key facts of a given case.
We have extensive experience investigating and proving negligence and recovering compensation for damages from negligent parties in British Columbia.
It is easy to understand the general meaning of “negligence” – carelessly or thoughtlessly failing to anticipate the consequences of poor planning or reckless actions. Negligence in the legal sense can, however, be complex. Uncovering all the facts of an accident and resulting damages and understanding the relationships between the parties involved can be both difficult and time consuming. Small errors or failure to identify key parts early in the process can mean the difference between success and failure in litigation involving negligence.
If you or a family member are injured through the thoughtlessness or recklessness of someone else, contact Hauer and Company for a free consultation. We will seek to understand the facts of your case and present to you your legal options. We will also consider and take into account all of the legal and evidentiary problems that may remain unseen beneath the surface of your claim for negligence.
Two Types of Negligence in Car Accident Cases: Direct and Indirect Negligence
Both direct and indirect negligence may factor in accident cases involving motor vehicles. As an example, compensation arising from injuries suffered by a drunk driver might exceed that available under ICBC coverage. The legal experts at Hauer and Co. will investigate and analyze whether additional negligent acts or omissions by other parties may have played a role in the accident, including whether those acts or omissions increased the severity of your injuries or otherwise made your losses worse. This applies even if those acts or omissions were not the principal cause of your injuries, and may mean additional compensation is available to you. Considering again drunk driver cases, the lawyers at Hauer and Co. our trained to investigate whether the intoxicated driver was over-served at an establishment selling alcohol including a bar or restaurant at some time before the accident, which could give cause for a negligent action against that establishment.
Another source of compensation our lawyers at Hauer and Company may look into is the design and maintenance of the highway, intersection or crossing where the accident occurred. Poor or inadequate road design or negligent repair might have contributed as much in causing the crash as the other driver’s recklessness, and we have experience in how to establish and present claims against local or provincial government agencies for negligence.
Whether your accident was caused or aggravated by poor judgment in beverage service or a bad decision made by a pursuing officer following another party in a high-speed chase, Hauer and Co. lawyers take a comprehensive view encompassing the full range of cumulative effects of negligent actions and omissions by anyone directly or indirectly involved in causing your injuries.
The primary goal in legal analysis is to show that a reasonable person under the circumstances would have acted differently from the defendant whose actions or omissions are under consideration. Also critically important is to show a causal link connecting the negligent acts or omissions and the injuries or losses actually suffered.
Note that the duty of care owed by one person to another can vary in different situations. Someone walking down the street may well have a different reasonable level of care than for example a dentist performing a root canal in the operating room.
Consult Hauer and Co. to learn more about the ways our extensive knowledge of B.C. negligence law can benefit you.