Limousines represent celebration and good times. You even feel a sense of excitement just upon seeing a limo.
Stretch limos provide safe transportation for a large group of people who are out drinking for the night, making it a worry-free way to celebrate with your friends and family. While it’s smart to plan ahead and prevent drinking and driving, a tragic accident last month in New York called into question the safety of limousines.
Unfortunately, the 17 people riding in that limo died in the accident while celebrating a birthday. Investigators found this limousine was actually only built to seat nine people and had just failed a safety inspection a month prior to the accident.
Sadly, a wrongful death lawyer in Los Angeles can say this easily becomes the case with many limousine accidents. Here’s what you should know to prevent this tragedy from happening to you:
What is a Stretch Limo?
Before you and your friends book a stretch limo to take you around town for an evening of fun together, ask yourself if you know what a stretch limo is.
Stretch limos are not built by the car manufacturer. They are regular vehicles that are cut in half. The top, bottom, and sides of the limo then have extra space added and welded together to extend the vehicle. The space added in between the front and the back carries extra seats to transport extra people.
Is a Limousine Safe?
It depends. Was the shop that cut the limo in half and put it back together a reputable business? Do they understand what support is required to make an extra-long vehicle safe? Unfortunately, the modifications to create a stretch limo may remove standard safety features, like airbags or rollover pillars. Generally, limousines do not meet federal safety requirements.
As a rider in a stretch limo, you may not know about the vehicle’s history, but you do know how you and your friends act while you’re in the limo.
While it’s common to be up and around having fun, wearing a seatbelt and sitting in an actual seat and not on the floor can save your life.
If you are not wearing a seatbelt and the limo gets into an accident, not only are you risking injury to yourself, you’re risking injury to other passengers. If a limo comes to an abrupt stop and you’re not belted in, you could become a flying projectile, causing severe injury or death.
The Driver Can Impact Safety
Just like when you’re driving your own car, the driver of the stretch limo you’ve rented can greatly impact the safety of you and your friends. When you are looking for a company to rent a limo, make sure you do your due diligence and review not only the company’s safety record but also the driver’s safety record.
You want to know:
- Does the driver have speeding tickets?
- Does the driver have accidents on his or her record?
- How long has the driver been behind the wheel of a stretch limo?
Any reputable company will provide you answers to these questions. If they don’t provide you these answers or they walk around the answer, find another company.
Call your Wrongful Death Lawyer Los Angeles
Despite all of your preventative actions to ensure the safety of you and your friends, accidents happen. When these accidents occur in limousines with less safety regulations, deaths happen.
You deserve a skilled and trusted wrongful death attorney to fight for you and your family. Steinberg Injury Lawyers has the wrongful death experience you need to help you get the compensation you deserve to help you deal with this terrible loss.
Money won’t help bring your loved one back, but it will help you pay for the costs associated with this loss. A wrongful death suit may be necessary to hold individuals and companies responsible for extreme negligence to prevent further tragedy.
Contact us today at 1-800-350-8888 for a free, no obligation evaluation of your case to see how we can help you move forward.
