Articles Posted in Car and Auto Accidents

In this blog, we have examined the relationship between age and accident rates, with a focus on teens and seniors. Our Santa Rosa car accident law firm has noticed another trend involving age: a disproportionate number of crashes caused by twenty-something drivers. While this group has had time to master driving basics, they remain prone to risk-taking which can cause accidents, injuries, and even deaths.

Santa Rosa 27 Year-Old Charged in Early Morning Crash

Police recently arrested a 27 year-old Santa Rosa man on felony DUI charges following an accident discussed in The Press Democrat. Officer Steven Fricke reported that Isaac Rush was driving a 2012 Mazda 6 north on Highway 101 near Todd Road at about 3:15 A.M. He was speeding and swerved into the middle lane, hitting a Volvo SUV and forcing it into the center divider. The SUV spun out before coming to a stop in the fast lane. Rush was unhurt, though his vehicle landed in a ditch. The Volvo’s driver was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with pain and possible minor injuries. Officer Fricke said alcohol is believed to have been a factor, adding that the Volvo driver’s alleged injuries elevated the charges to felony-level.

While driving safety is without question a multi-faceted affair, there is often one “trendy” topic capturing headlines. The importance of seatbelts and the danger of drinking and driving are two topics that led safety discussions for a period before becoming a given, accepted, almost assumed part of safe driving. Currently, the dangers of distracted driving, especially the danger of using mobile devices while driving, is the topic dominating headlines. While the danger of distracted driving is generally recognized, a lot of the details involving new technology are still being worked out. Our San Jose distracted driving injury lawyer is concerned about a recent decision in this arena and vows to hold distracted drivers accountable, regardless of whether the specific distraction is a violation of criminal law.

Court: Law Does Not Forbid Looking at a Map on a Smart Phone

In late February, a state appeals court in Fresno handed down an important ruling interpreting the state’s law on using mobile devices while behind the wheel. The case, discussed in the San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Chronicle, began when Steven Spriggs of Fresno was pulled over for using his iPhone during a traffic jam. Spriggs was looking at a map on his phone to try to find an alternative route around roadwork when the California Highway Patrol officer ticketed him, using a 2006 section of the vehicle code that bars drivers from using cellphones that are not hands-free to support the $165 fine.

From teachers in classrooms to parents in living rooms (and even law firms on injury blogs), teens are constantly warned about the dangers of irresponsible driving. Still, for every safety message, there’s another message sent through movies, video games, and peers that glorifies speeding and other hallmarks of reckless driving. It often seems like an uphill battle, but it is a fight we can’t abandon. We’ve seen too many injured people and too many families left grieving following a crash caused by a teen driver. While we are honored to help these victims through our work as a San Jose injury law firm, we know we cannot undo their loss or reverse their injury. We can, however, hope to prevent future tragedies by continuing to push for prevention.

Danville Teen Killed in Single-Car Crash

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a 17 year-old from Danville lost his life in a crash on Highway 24 in Lafayette. California Highway Patrol Sgt. Joseph Johnson reports that Anthony Grosso was speeding, weaving in and out of traffic lanes, and generally driving recklessly before he lost control of his vehicle near the central Lafayette exit at approximately 11 A.M. on Thursday. Grosso’s 2014 Subaru Impreza crashed into a traffic sign and slid down an embankment before coming to a stop. The teen who had been a student at San Ramon Valley High School prior to transferring to Walnut Creek’s Fusion Academy, died at the scene. Grosso was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the incident. Sgt. Johnson noted that the CHP is also looking into reports that Grosso and another driver had been racing just prior to the crash.

Our decades of work as a San Francisco car accident law firm have shown us the tragic consequences of dangerous driving behaviors. We have learned that accidents have a multitude of causes, but there are some that appear time and time again. As we’ve noted in prior blog posts, speeding is one of the most common culprits in car accidents. Excess speed causes crashes and also exacerbates collisions, making what could have been a fender-bender into a true tragedy. Given the clear link between speed and accidents, we wanted to look at a related question: What impact does increasing the speed limit have on the number of accidents on a given roadway?

Oakley Leaders Approve Increased Speed Limits on Several Roads

This issue is particularly relevant to residents (and those who drive through) Oakley, a city of 35,000 in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to the Oakland Tribune, the Oakley City Council approved changes recommended by the city engineer to speed zones on part of Main Street and other roadways. The engineer’s suggestion came after studying traffic speeds and the physical characteristics of the roads, information that California law dictates must be updated every seven years for roads with speed limits above 25mph if the community wants to enforce speed limits using radar. Most speed limits will stay the same, but limits on parts of Main Street will go up to 30, 35 and 40mph. Additionally, legal speeds on Brown, Brownstone, West Cypress, and O’Hara will increase by 5 to 10mph.

Americans, particularly Californians, have had a love affair with the automobile. Countless movies from the 1950s and ’60s include scenes with young people gathered around as two drivers face off. In the movies, the victor gains honor and admiration (and, often, gets the girl), with the only injury coming in the form of a blow to the loser’s ego. Unfortunately, real life street racing in 2014 often ends in tragedy rather than victory. Street racing can cause serious accidents, leaving participants or bystanders facing catastrophic injuries or even death. Our San Francisco street racing crash lawyer is prepared to help people injured and/or families left mourning when this reckless pursuit has a tragic end.

Street Racing Kills Fairfield Bystander

According to a San Francisco Chronicle report, Fairfield police have determined that street racing was to blame for the death of a motorist on Sunday afternoon. Sergeant Matt Bloesch told reporters that the incident began with a race between an Infiniti coupe and a Toyota Tundra pickup at around 5:15 P.M. As the racing drivers sped south along Lopes Road in Fairfield, Ron Brackett began turning left off of Canyon Hills Drive and onto northbound Lopes Road. The Infiniti slammed into the driver’s side of Brackett’s Mazda sedan. Brackett, a 31 year-old from Fairfield who was not involved in the race, was left dead at the scene. Authorities say the Infiniti driver was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. His name has not been released. Police are seeking the driver of the Toyota who veered around the turning Mazda and then continued driving south on Lopes, speeding away from the crash. Sgt. Bloesch notes that alcohol was not a factor in the collision.

Teen drivers are the target of many an angry tirade, sometimes with good reason. Only in recent years has attention shifted to the particular dangers at the other end of the age spectrum. Our San Jose personal injury law firm believes it is important to examine the unique concerns raised by older drivers. This can lead to hard conversations, but it can also prevent accidents and keep everyone safer on the roads. When accidents do occur, we are prepared to help injured plaintiffs seek legal damages regardless of the age of the responsible party.

Article Focuses on Older Drivers, Accident Risks, and Hard Conversations

A columnist for the San Jose Mercury News recently focused on the issue of aging drivers. He noted that his own father had been involved in a fender bender shortly before he passed at age 81 and observed that, once a careful driver, his father had begun to drive faster and react slower in his last years. While the author’s father only bent a parking sign, an accident involving a 90 year-old Woodside man could have been much more tragic. Edward Nelson’s SUV jumped a curb in Menlo Park and hit twin 6 year-old boys leaving one with a broken arm and the other in need of extensive surgery. The twins’ family is pursuing a claim, asserting that Nelson should not have been driving, especially after a 2012 accident. According to police, he mistook the gas pedal for the brake.

As a Sacramento injury lawyer, Attorney Greg Brod knows that every car accident has its own unique story. Some stories are particularly upsetting, including those cases that include a hit-and-run driver. Often the police are able to identify the driver and each has his or her own “excuse” for leaving the scene (“I panicked,” “I didn’t realize I hit anyone,” “I planned to call for help when I reached my destination”). It is extraordinarily rare to hear an excuse that truly explains the behavior that not only violates the law but also violates the basic tenets of community and compassion.

Driver Caught After “Double” Hit-and-Run Claims Life

In an accident detailed in The San Francisco Chronicle, a driver appears to have tried to leave the scene of not one but two highway accidents within the span of only about five miles. According to the California Highway Patrol, 20 year-old Damarea D.W. Evans was speeding when he rear-ended a 2004 Mazda 3 in the course of a passing attempt on I-80 west in Solano County at around 6:20 A.M. on Friday. Evans drove away from the crash, which did not result in any injury.

As a San Francisco accident law firm, we know that there are many reasons for accidents. We find it particularly upsetting when the accident is caused by a known threat such as a brake problem a repair shop failed to address. This can be made even worse when the accident has tragic and catastrophic results, such as a major bridge collapse caused by known deficiencies. While the collapse is imagined, the possibility of a span with known problems appears to be all too real. It is the type of tragedy that should be prevented and that can give rise to municipal liability if the tragedy is allowed to occur.

Overview of Allegations

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that both an engineer with Caltrans and an outside expert have accused Caltrans of ignoring warnings about cracked welds on the Bay Bridge. Further, the engineer says officials told him to refrain from putting his concerns in writing to prevent the objections from being publically available. The current charges are separate from problems with steel fasteners discussed on this blog previously. Caltrans denies the charges and says the concerns were properly addressed and the welds approved by an outside panel.