Monthly Archives: March 2021
Breaking Down a Medical Condition Wreck Claim
When drivers suddenly and unexpectedly lose consciousness, the results are often tragic. About a tenth of California car wrecks are directly attributable to epilepsy. Other medical conditions which could cause loss of consciousness include diabetes and heart disease. The fact that these accidents are easily preventable is part of the tragedy. Normally, these drivers… Read More »
Fatal Wrong-Way Crash Near SF Airport
Investigators believe that a minivan driver mistook an exit ramp for an entrance ramp and collided head-on with a dump truck. The wreck happened on Highway 101 near the Broadway exit in Burlingame. A Mazda minivan travelled southbound on the northbound side for about one hundred yards before it smacked into a dump truck…. Read More »
Legal Options in Hit-and-Run Claims
In some California jurisdictions, the hit-and-run closing rate is less than 10 percent. In other words, almost all these accidents go unsolved. Many people think that if authorities do not locate, charge, and convict the tortfeasor (negligent driver), they cannot obtain fair compensation for their serious injuries. But in most cases, that’s not true,… Read More »
The Most Common Kinds of Motorcycle Wrecks
About 3 percent of the registered motor vehicles in California are motorcycles. Yet these vehicles are involved in about a sixth of the fatal wrecks in the Golden State. Furthermore, the fatality rate is significantly higher in motorcycle wrecks. The fatally-injured victim is almost always a motorcycle rider or passenger. These individuals have little… Read More »
Pile-Up Crash Kills Pedestrian
A man who was allegedly driving a stolen car triggered an eight-car wreck which killed a pedestrian on the street. Few details were available about the wreck, which happened on Lake Merced Boulevard near Higuera Avenue. The pedestrian, a 26-year-old man, was declared dead at the scene. Several other people were rushed to area… Read More »
Bicycle Helmets: Friend or Foe?
Like most other jurisdictions, the Golden State has a limited bicycle helmet law. Generally, riders under 17 must wear helmets in California. This requirement applies to anyone who uses an unpowered, wheeled vehicle in a public place. Unpowered, wheeled vehicles include inline skates and non-motorized scooters. Apartment complex and shopping mall parking lots, even… Read More »
Ridesharing Crashes and Device Distraction
The number of ridesharing trips, mostly because of Uber and Lyft, has exploded since 2015. The number of distracted driving accidents has increased significantly as well. These two developments are not coincidental. Many observers believe that increased ridesharing has fueled the rise in distracted driving crashes. As outlined below, device distraction is usually negligence… Read More »
Top Five Collision-Causing Traffic Tickets
Negligence, or a lack of care, causes most traffic accidents in Santa Clara County. Sometimes, the “reasonable person” standard sets the bar. In other words, if an operator did not drive defensively, that operator could be responsible for damages. Other times, the law establishes the standard of care. This doctrine is called negligence per… Read More »
What is Vicarious Liability and Why Does It Matter?
In a catastrophic injury claim, like a spine injury or wrongful death, the damages could run into the millions of dollars. California has one of the lowest auto insurance minimum requirements in the country. As a result, many tortfeasors (negligent drivers) do not have nearly enough coverage to provide fair compensation in these situations…. Read More »
What You Should Know About Pedestrian Accidents
The year-round nice weather in California usually means that there are many pedestrians outside almost all year long. So, one would think that drivers would keep a more careful lookout for pedestrians in California. Yet in 2018, pedestrian accidents in the Golden State hit their highest level since 1990. So, that’s apparently not the… Read More »
