The most common cause of personal injuries in the United States is car accidents. Almost more than two million people suffer injuries in car accidents every year in the U.S. Victims of car accidents incur millions of dollars in meeting medical costs, car repair bills, lost wages, and lost earning capacity. If you suffer injuries in a car accident due to the negligence of another road user, you are entitled to compensation for the injuries suffered. Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney can help you file a personal injury lawsuit to seek the compensation you deserve.
The most common types of car accidents in California include the following.
Head-on Collision
If a head-on collision occurs, the liability will depend on the level of negligence of both drivers involved at the time of the accident. There are several causes of a head-on collision, and the most common causes include failure to yield, distracted driving, and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. If one driver is at fault in a head-on collision, the driver is responsible for compensating the damages suffered by the victims. The victims may include the other car driver, passengers, and pedestrians.
In a head-on collision, the fault lies in the negligence of one or both drivers. It may be hard to establish negligence and fault in a car accident, as this will depend on a number of factors. When establishing fault, the court considers whether any of the car drivers were committing a traffic violation, including over-speeding. Were any of the drivers distracted at the time of the accident? Were any of the drivers guilty of driving and texting at the time of the collision? Other factors that the court may consider are whether any of the drivers were operating a faulty vehicle or failing to use reasonable care while driving.
The most common cause of head-on collisions in California is making dangerous U-turns and left turns. For instance, many drivers cause head-on collisions by making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic. Drivers also make turns at controlled intersections. According to California law, drivers are supposed to yield right of way to all approaching vehicles when making a turn. Head-on collisions are the most dangerous types of car accidents in California. Of all fatal accidents that take place, especially in the rural areas, head-on collisions account for 13% of the accidents. Of all the fatal accidents that take place in the urban areas, head-on collisions account for 7% of the accidents.
Rear-end Collisions
When a rear-end collision occurs, the rear driver is mainly at fault. However, it is possible for the lead driver to face negligence charges. For instance, the lead driver may be at fault if he/she pulls into the lane ahead of the rear vehicle in an unsafe manner. The lead driver may also be at fault if he/she cuts off the rear driver changes lanes in an unsafe manner. The lead driver may also be at fault if he/she brakes abruptly in front of the rear vehicle for no apparent reason. Other ways in which the lead driver may be at fault is if he/she reverses his/her car into the rear vehicle. The lead driver may be at fault for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, driving with dysfunctional tail lights, or intentionally trying to get hit. In a rear-end collision, the driver at fault is responsible for compensating the injuries suffered by the victims.
Sudden braking is the leading cause of rear-end collisions. The driver ahead may break suddenly and make the driver behind to bump into his/her vehicle. In this scenario, the rear driver may pass all the blame to the front driver. However, even in the case of emergency braking, the rear driver may still be at fault. According to California traffic laws, the vehicle behind should leave enough space for the vehicle ahead to be able to break whenever necessary. According to California Vehicle Code 21703, it is illegal for a driver to follow another vehicle so closely. The safe following distance is not well defined and is dependent on a number of factors. The driver behind may calculate the safe distance depending on the road conditions, nighttime driving, loose gravel on the road, and soft brakes.
Multiple cars rear-end accidents are prevalent. For instance, the vehicle behind may hit the car ahead, and the car ahead hits the car in front of it, and the cycle continues. When a multiple-vehicle accident occurs, the car that initiated the accident is often to blame. However, in some instances, multiple drivers may be to blame for a vehicle accident.
Side Impact Collisions/T-Bone Smashes
A T-bone accident also goes by the name side-impact collision or broadside collision. In most cases, T-bone accidents occur at road intersections. The accidents may also happen when a driver loses control of his/her vehicle. A T-bone accident may also occur at a multi-lane highway. Injuries suffered by victims of side-impact collisions are often more serious than injuries sustained by victims of a head-on collision and rear-end collision accidents. On the side of a vehicle, there is only a thin separation between the passengers and the outside of the vehicle. Therefore, if one vehicle hits the side of another vehicle, vehicle occupants suffer severe injuries. It is also common for passengers to be trapped inside the vehicle in a side-impact collision. In most cases, emergency responders rescue victims trapped in the vehicle.
What are the main causes of side-impact collisions in California? The main cause of side-impact collisions in California includes careless driving, including speeding, which makes drivers lose control of vehicles. Side impact collisions may also result when drivers fail to yield the right of way. If a driver makes cross-traffic left turns when the road is not safe, side-impact collisions may occur. Other common causes of side-impact collisions include driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It is common for accidents to occur when driver text and driver, engage in distracted driving, and if a driver runs a red light.
According to the right-of-way rule, one driver is supposed to allow another driver or a pedestrian to proceed or to go first. If the law requires a driver to yield the right of way, but the driver fails to do so, a side-impact collision may result. In case of a side-impact crash, the driver who did not yield the right-of-way is negligent. The right-of-way rule in California is also applicable when a driver is making U-turns or left turns across traffic. Whenever a driver is attempting to make a complete U-turn or a left turn, he/she should yield the right-of-way to the vehicles approaching from the opposite direction. The driver should only make a left turn or U-turn when the road is safe.
Pedestrian Knockdown
A pedestrian knockdown accident occurs if a car knocks down a pedestrian. The main cause of pedestrian knockdown accidents includes vehicles failing to yield to pedestrians. An accident may also result if cars drive on the sidewalk in violation of the California Vehicle Code 21663. If you are involved in a car accident while on foot and you suffer injuries, you may seek personal injury compensation for the injuries suffered. You may be able to recover a wide range of damages, including medical bills, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering.
What should you do if a car hits you or injures you? If a vehicle hits you in a crosswalk, in the road, or parking lot, you can file a personal injury lawsuit through a personal injury attorney. Vehicle drivers owe other road users, including other drivers and pedestrians, a duty of care. Therefore, it will not be hard to prove that the car driver owed you a duty of care. You have to prove that the driver breached his/her duty of care. To get compensation, it must be evident that the negligence of the car driver led to your injury. At times, a pedestrian may die in a car accident. The loved one of the victims may seek compensation by filing a wrongful death claim.
The main cause of pedestrian knockdown accidents is the failure of vehicle drivers to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians. On any marked crosswalk or at an intersection, California law requires drivers to yield right of way to pedestrians pursuant of Vehicle Code 21960 VC. According to California law, it is illegal for a motorist to drive in a safety zone as outlined under California Vehicle Code 21709 VC. If a vehicle driver violates this law and hits a pedestrian, the driver is liable under the law.
Other causes of car accidents involving pedestrians include pedestrians who are distracted on their phones or pedestrians who crossroads while listening to music. Accidents also involve vehicles and passengers opening doors of parked vehicles. Accidents may also include groups of pedestrians who fail to move to allow vehicles to pass. In the case of pedestrian knockdown accidents, pedestrians may suffer a wide range of injuries, including brain injuries, concussion, broken bones, internal injuries, and facial trauma.
Guardrail Car Accidents
The main purpose of guardrails on the highway is to save lives. However, at times, if guardrails have a poor design or are defective, they may increase the risk of serious injury in case of a car accident. In a guardrail, accident liability may depend on negligence, product defects, and premises liability. The possible defendants in a guardrail accident may include government, guardrail manufacturing, design companies, and construction companies. If a guardrail accident is fatal, the surviving family members may file a wrongful death lawsuit to seek compensation.
Most people die in car accidents when their vehicles strike guardrail ends. Guardrail car accidents may be either head-on collisions or side-impact collisions. In case of a guardrail accident, the guardrail should telescope upon being hit by a car. However, due to poor guardrail design and installation, most guardrails fail to perform as expected in case of an accident.
Many types of car accidents may include collision with a guardrail. For instance, a car may collide with a guardrail. A car may run into a guardrail end or be involved in a multiple-vehicle accident sending some vehicles on the guardrail.
What are the common types of injuries in a guardrail car accident? The victims are likely to suffer broken bones, back injuries, glass cuts, and internal bleeding. The accident victims may also suffer head injuries, paralysis, neck and spinal injuries, concussion, and loss of limb. Guardrails are supposed to absorb impact and slow a vehicle in case of an accident. However, instead of protecting victims, faulty guardrails increase the risk of death and injury to car occupants, including passengers and the driver.
If you are involved in a guardrail car accident, you may sue the guardrail manufacturing company for designing, selling, and distributing defective products. It must be evident that the guardrails were defective when they left the manufacturer's possession. The products must have been used in a reasonably foreseeable manner. It must be evident that you suffered injuries due to the defective products/guardrails.
Road Debris Car Accidents
The presence of debris on the road is a leading cause of car accidents. If a person leaves debris on the road, he/she is liable for any damage and any accidents that may occur due to the debris. If you suffer injuries in a road debris accident, you can seek compensation from the party responsible for leaving debris on the road. At times, the government may be liable for failing to clear the roadways and compromising the safety of motorists and other road users. Road debris comprises of all items and materials that are not supposed to be on the roadway. Most accidents involving road debris occur when a car driver swerves to avoid hitting an object on the road. An accident may also occur if a vehicle driver hits an object on the road and loses control.
In most cases, road debris results from debris falling off a truck. Items may fall off a work truck or a commercial truck and lie idly on the road. Some of the common types of road debris include construction materials falling off a site dumpster. Trucks carrying scrap metal for recycling may drop some pieces of scrap metal on the road. Other debris may include farm produce falling off trucks or bales of hay falling from farm trucks. Whatever the type of debris, it may pose a risk to road users and lead to car accidents.
At times, regular drivers may fail to secure items on their vehicles, making the items to fall when in transit. For instance, a family may load their vehicle with too many items when embarking on a road trip and end up dropping some items on the ground. Falling items from vehicles may pose a risk to other drivers and lead to car accidents.
Other than the party responsible for leaving debris on the road, liability may also fall on a negligent driver in case of a road debris accident. For instance, a car driver may be negligent and fail to pay attention to making him/her hit road debris. If you are injured due to the negligence of a car driver, you may file a lawsuit against the driver. It is the duty of every driver in California to use reasonable care while driving. For instance, a driver should always look out for pedestrians, obstacles, and other vehicles. It is the duty of a driver to control the movement and the speed of a vehicle. If the car driver is not careful, you may sue both the driver and the party responsible for leaving debris on the road.
Collision with a Bus
An accident may occur if a car collides with a bus. In most cases, accidents involving buses occur due to the negligence of a bus driver or negligence of a car driver. An accident involving buses may have many defendants. If you collide with a bus and you suffer injuries, you may claim compensation from several defendants. The possible defendants may include the bus driver, the bus operator, bus operator, bus owners, bus manufacturer, bus Maintenance Company, or the government if a public bus is involved. In case of a collision with a bus, the car occupants are likely to suffer more injuries due to the diverse difference in size between a car and a bus.
DUI Car Accidents
These accidents occur when a vehicle driver is under the influence. A driver may be under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or both. A driver is under the influence of alcohol if he/she has a blood alcohol content (BAC) that exceeds 0.08%. A driver may be under the influence of drugs like marijuana, heroin, cocaine, or prescription drugs. If you suffer injuries due to an intoxicated driver, you may sue the driver for negligence. A driver commits negligence by operating a vehicle while intoxicated because this impairs his/her ability to control the vehicle.
Contact a Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney Near Me
If you or a loved one has suffered injuries in a car accident, you can seek compensation for the injuries suffered. Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney can help you to file a lawsuit. Contact us at 424-231-2013 and speak to one of our attorneys today.
