Accidents

Accidents are usually anything but that. As defined in Webster’s Dictionary an accident is “Anything that happens by chance without an apparent cause.” What most of us commonly refer to as “accidents” are often events or situations that arise out of another person’s or company’s carelessness, negligence, or willful intent to not follow rules of safety. But whether deliberate or negligent, accidents that bring about physical or economic injury to another person or person’s property entitles that person to just compensation.

An example of carelessness or negligence might be a driver, distracted by a cell phone conversation, rear-ending another driver.

An example of willful intent might be where a company rents sporting vehicles but fails to perform required safety checks in an effort to cut down on costs.

Whether deliberate or not, victims suffering economic hardship are entitled to, and should, seek compensation for their damages – whether those damages are based on personal injury, or property related, as in damage to one’s personal property.

If you have been involved in any type of accident, you need an experienced Personal Injury attorney to best protect your interests. Call us at 800 595 7210.

In cases where lives have been lost or people are seriously injured, it is extremely important that clients align themselves not only with a qualified professional, but one that can litigate the case if need be. With over 20 years in Personal Injury Law, we are litigators who have helped thousands of clients get the money they deserve.

Below are a number of examples of various types of accidents:

Automobile Accidents - - 42,642 annual deaths / 1,475,000 injured (figures include 17,602 dead and 262,800 injured where alcohol was involved)
Rollover Accidents - - 10,800 annual deaths / 16,000 injured
Motorcycle Accidents - - 4810 annual deaths / 88,000 injured
Truck Accidents - - 4995 annual deaths / 880,000 injured
Commercial and School Bus Accidents - - 177 annual deaths / 27,021 injured
Bicycle Accidents - - 773 annual deaths / 44,000 injured
Pedestrian Accidents - - 4784 annual deaths / 61,000
Boating Accidents - - 710 annual deaths / 3474 injured
ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) Accidents - - 555 annual deaths / 39,300 injured
Train Accidents - - 78 annual deaths / 419 injured
Figures from 2006. Most recent year reported.

Automobile Accidents
116 people die each day in automobile accidents. Every 3 minutes someone in America is injured in a car crash. About half of all fatalities and about 20% injuries from these “accidents” involved alcohol. Generally, people who operate motor vehicles must exercise reasonable care. A failure to use reasonable care is considered to be negligence. A person who negligently operates a vehicle can be compelled to pay for any harm he/she causes to another person or person’s property. When alcohol or drugs are involved, the impaired or responsible driver may also be subject to exemplary or punitive damages in addition to damages for medical bills, loss of income and pain and suffering. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Rollover Accidents
Rollover Accidents occur where a vehicle (usually a sport utility vehicle - SUV) actually rolls over as opposed to your standard impact experienced in collisions involving cars. The most notable of these cases came to light over the past few years when it was learned that the Bridgestone Tires supplied to Ford SUVs, were experiencing the side-walls of the tire pealing away from the tread. At highway speeds this situation lead to many rollovers and associated injuries and deaths. Over 350 passengers have died in these “accidents.” Rollovers, even with supplemental restraint systems, usually result in serious injury to all occupants of a vehicle and account for almost 25% of all motor vehicle related deaths. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Motorcycle Accidents
Annually, motorcycle accidents produce almost 90,000 injuries with 4800 of the accidents resulting in death of the rider or passenger. Motorcycle accidents often result in severe injury or death.

The majority of motorcycle accidents are caused by operators of motor vehicles who fail to see a motorcycle until “it is too late.” At speeds as low as 5 or 10 miles an hour, a motor vehicle can cause severe damage or injury to the rider of a motorcycle. This “damage” can include extensive medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering and actual physical damage to the motorcycle. In some cases, cities, counties, or even the state, may also be liable if roads, signals, etc., have not been properly designed or maintained. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Truck Accidents
When we refer to trucks, we normally refer to 18-wheel tractor trailers; commonly referred to as semi(s). Due to their limited visibility, trucks may hit pedestrians, bicycle riders, or other cars. Again, due to the extreme weight differential, these accidents oftentimes result in serious injury and should be handled by an experienced attorney. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Commercial Bus and School Bus Accidents
Commercial Bus Accidents occur far more frequently than most people realize. They cause over 27,000 deaths or injuries to Americans each year. There are two primary causes of death or injury in bus accidents. 1) Buses oftentimes hit pedestrians that have just exited or are attempting to enter a bus. 2) Most states, including California, do not have laws which require buses to provide seatbelts; so in many impact situations, passengers are ejected from their seats, resulting in injury. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Bicycle Accidents
As with Motorcycle Accidents, bicycle accidents frequently take place due to motor vehicle operators’ failure to see the bike rider or failing to yield to a rider’s right to share the road.

As with events involving motorcycles, bicyclists have little protection against impacts with 3000 or more pounds of steel and often result in very serious injury or death. The retention of an experienced attorney is critical in every phase of such cases. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Pedestrian Accidents
65,000 pedestrians are injured or killed annually in the United States. While pedestrians can be at fault, these accidents are often due to driver’s failure to see a pedestrian. Again, injuries in these accidents are usually severe due primarily to the lack of protection afforded a pedestrian combined with the enormous weight differential that exists between the motor vehicle and a person. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Boating Accidents
Boating Accidents cause about 800 deaths and about 3500 deaths each year in America. Accidents surrounding boats normally involve alcohol or inattention. But no matter what the cause, boating accidents almost always result in serious bodily injury. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) Accidents
All Terrain Vehicle accidents seem to be growing at exponential rates. Many of the victims are children aged 15 and under. We see these youngsters, who have no experience behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, traveling at high rates of speed usually through unfamiliar terrain. The combination of the two can be disastrous. Injuries are normally severe due to the high probability of the rider being ejected from the vehicle. Head, neck and back injuries all-too-often are the result, bringing about huge medical bills and months or even years of rehabilitation. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Train Accidents
We normally only hear about the “big story” accidents involving train derailments. But every day, vehicles and pedestrians are hit by trains. Oftentimes these situations occur through equipment failure – whether by train barrier gate failing to lower as a train approaches an intersection or warning lights and bells failing in a gateless intersection. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Additional Cases that fall under the Personal Injury Arena are:

Wrongful Death (no figures are available for this category since it is made up of all deaths from any circumstance other then failed health)
Slip and Fall Accidents - - 20,246 annual deaths / 1.8 million injured
Burn Injuries - - 4500 annual deaths / 1.1 million injured
Elder Abuse - - 565,000* reported cases (*many states do not track elder abuse)
Product Liability - - 113,000 annual deaths / 2.4 million injured
Dog Bites - - 32 annual deaths / 800,000 injured
Figures from 2006. Most recent year reported.

Wrongful Death
The term “wrongful death” brings forth a picture of someone who dies in a liquor store hold-up or some similar event. And while an example such as this could be classified as a wrongful death, the term envelops a much broader range. Wrongful Death exists when a person’s life ends prematurely through the negligence of another person or company.

Wrongful Death claims can be made against a single party such as when a pedestrian dies as a result of injuries sustained from a driver’s negligence. An example of a multi-party claim would be where a vehicle cuts off another vehicle, causing the 2nd vehicle to swerve into a road barrier, which then results in the death of the driver of the 2nd car. In this situation, a lawsuit might be filed against the initial driver that cut in front of the 2nd vehicle, and possibly against the brake manufacturer of the 2nd car if the car’s brakes failed due to a defect, and possibly the state, city or county because the traffic barrier was designed in such a fashion that a solid barrier instead of an absorbing barrier contributed to the death of the driver.

The point here is that there may be more than one legal cause of damages and only an experienced attorney will recognize and evaluate all potential sources of litigation. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Slip and Fall Accidents (also known as Premises Liability)
Slip and Fall Accidents are just what they sound like. For example: a person is walking through a grocery store and slips on juice that had spilled an hour earlier but had never been cleaned up. It is common that these falls result in broken arms, wrenched backs or other soft-tissue injuries. Something as seemingly minor as slipping in a store can pull somebody from their job for months of recovery or rehabilitation.

Many people have a tendency to minimize the event at the initial time of injury, only to realize days later that they now require medical attention, but find themselves trying to convince a store manager or insurance company that the initial slip and fall caused the injury for which they are now seeking compensation. Any slip and fall event should be reported immediately.

Slip and Fall injuries fall under a broader category of Premises Liability. Basically, premises liability means that if you are injured while on property belonging to a person or company, where that injury was the result of the negligent maintenance or condition of the property, you my be entitled to compensation for injuries, loss of income from missed work, medical bills, etc. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Burn Injuries
One of the most painful injuries a person can suffer is a burn injury. Further, scarring resulting from serious burns lasts a lifetime and is often difficult to conceal. More than one million people annually receive burns serious enough for hospitalization. Of those people approximately 5000 die from their injuries. Burn injuries often involve significant life altering damages that require the expertise of an experienced personal injury litigator. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Elder Abuse
Elder Abuse can range from improper care right up to physical abuse. The most disheartening aspect of these cases is that the victims of elder abuse have “paid their dues.” They have spent their lives working and raising children to finally retire and often find themselves in a helpless and dependent position where they have no control over their care or those people administering “care” to them.

Elder Abuse can, and many times does, extend into financial abuse. A person will set themselves up as someone who the elderly party feels that he or she can trust but then this person unethically abuses their position of trust to essentially cheat the elder and/or the elder’s family out of a lifetime of accumulated monies or properties. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Product Liability
Product Liability is an area of Personal Injury Law that refers to injuries resulting from the use of products. These products can be something as simple as a small toy or something as complex as a multi-million dollar piece of industrial equipment. Motor vehicles, boats, printing equipment, toys, gadgets, food items and so on, all fall under this umbrella.

Products, from those that fail to function as one could reasonably expect to those with improper warnings to inadequate use instructions all fall under the realm of Product Liability. Injuries suffered by users of defective products run into the hundreds of thousands each year – many of which could have been prevented.

Product Liability cases often involve one of the following: 1) defective design or workmanship; 2) improper warnings on the use of a product or item (including pharmaceutical products; 3) improper or non-existent operator instructions for the use of a product.

Product Liability claims can be both complex and costly and require an experienced attorney with the resources to litigate these cases. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

Dog Bites
Dog and animal bites impact almost one million people each year. When most people think of animal bites, they are inclined to think that it is no big deal. This could not be further from the truth. Animal bites can be extremely serious. Animal bites often involve puncture wounds which may become infected. These bites may take months to heal and leave lifelong disfigurement. Do not make the mistake of minimizing any animal bites. Always receive medical attention as quickly as possible. Phone 800 595 7210 for additional information.

No matter what the situation, if you or someone you know has been injured, you need to seek the assistance of competent, experienced professionals.

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