San Francisco Injury Lawyer Blog

Back to Basics: 2012 Accident Figures and a Reminder of the Importance of Injury Counsel

July 7, 2014 | Gregory J. Brod

Sometimes the most basic facts hold the most power. We often talk about pretty specific issues when it comes to car accidents, but we shouldn’t forget the big picture. In this post, our Bay Area car accident lawyer and his team look at some general car accident statistics, numbers that we always remember represent real people and real lives. We also remind readers why every victim injured or killed by another driver’s negligence deserves the help of an experienced accident attorney.

Lower DUI Numbers Mark Start of Holiday Weekend for San Mateo County

Before turning to these difficult statistics, we want to highlight a local “win.” The San Jose Mercury News reported that police in San Mateo County made only eight arrests on suspicion of drunk driving this past Thursday and Friday, the opening half of a holiday weekend campaign against drunk driving. In contrast, they made 17 arrests during the same time span last year. A Daly City Police Department representative indicated no alcohol-related crashes were reported in the county during the period this year.

Fireworks Safety on the Fourth of July

July 4, 2014 | Gregory J. Brod

The Fourth of July is a day to come together to celebrate our country and our freedoms. It is a day to appreciate those who’ve secured our many rights and the brave men and women who helped found our nation. Of course, it is also a day to have fun. It is a day for picnics, parades, and pool parties. For many, the day wouldn’t be complete without fireworks. While we appreciate the gorgeous displays put on by cities and small towns alike, our San Francisco fireworks injury law firm has seen the harm that fireworks can cause. This post is dedicated to safety and not becoming a fireworks injury statistic.

Fireworks Injury Statistics

According to a National Fire Protection Association (“NFPA”) Fireworks Fact Sheet, 8,700 people sought emergency room treatment nationwide in 2012 for a fireworks-related injury. As the NFPA notes, the risk of firework injuries extends beyond public and private displays to include anyplace they are made, transported, sold, or stored. While many people assume they are a safe alternative, sparklers were responsible for 16% of the firework injuries treated in emergency departments from June 22 to July 22, 2012, ranking second only to small firecrackers (18%).

Law Enforcement Agencies to Step Up DUI Crackdown During July 4 Weekend

July 3, 2014 | Gregory J. Brod

Bay Area law enforcement agencies are signaling to Independence Day weekend revelers that they will be out in force to crack down on those whose booze-fueled enjoyment of the long holiday weekend spills over into a motor vehicle excursion while driving under the influence of alcohol. The important safety advisory has San Francisco personal injury attorney Gregory J. Brod reflecting on the human costs of DUI drivers that are exacted every July 4 weekend.

Just as fireworks are on prominent display during the holiday, so too, unfortunately, do the number of traffic fatalities blamed on a drunken driving crash explode on July 4. Indeed, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while 10,322 people were killed in DUI-linked crashes in 2012, 179 died on Independence Day alone, which is six times the daily average. In addition, over the course of the last four years, an average of 40 percent of all crashes that occurred on the holiday was blamed on a drunken driver. While the risk for being involved in an accident rises on July 4, it increases even more during the evening hours as DUI-linked traffic fatalities are two and a half times higher at night than during the day. And, because there are motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians out on the streets as well as motorists who may be imbibing too much, the risk for injury for those groups of people is also higher during the holiday weekend.

The California Highway Patrol has made it clear that it will marshal a stepped-up presence during the holiday weekend in an effort to reduce roadway deaths and prevent injuries. The CHP’s so-called Independence Day Maximum Enforcement Period starts at 6 p.m. Thursday and continues through Sunday, July 6 at 11:59 p.m. All available CHP officers will be on patrol in the state to enforce occupant restraints, speeding violations and DUI for alcohol or drug violations.

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According to the CHP, the numbers in California paint a grim picture when it comes to traffic fatalities during the Independence Day weekend, as 56 people were killed in collisions throughout the state during the July 4 weekend in 2013 alone. Of those who died within the CHP’s jurisdiction, nearly 70 percent were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The CHP made more than DUI 1,500 arrests during the holiday weekend last year.

In San Francisco, the Police Department also will unleash a heightened DUI enforcement campaign during the July 4 weekend. According to the San Francisco Examiner, the SFPD’s Avoid DUI Task Force will step up patrols during the period from 8 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday. Motorists can also expect random checkpoints from 8 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday.
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The Dangerous Trend of Medical Professionals Fueling the Epidemic of Prescription Abuse

July 2, 2014 | Gregory J. Brod

Upon finishing medical school, newly minted doctors take an oath, promising to make patient well-being their top priority. Most doctors remain committed to this goal throughout their career. Sadly, however, a small number go astray and misuse their powers, usually for financial gain. Attorney Greg Brod, an Oakland prescription drug injury lawyer, works with families left grieving because a doctor fueled a dangerous fire and contributed to the epidemic of prescription drug abuse.

Podiatrist Accused of Writing Prescriptions for Profit

According to sources cited by the Contra Costa Times, a San Leandro podiatrist is facing charges involving the illegal sale of prescriptions, the same offense he was convicted of in 2008. District Attorney Nancy O’Malley of Alameda County said that Dr. Tan Nguyen wrote more than 5,000 prescriptions in the last year, mainly for highly addictive narcotic painkiller as well as tightly controlled muscle relaxers and anti-anxiety medications.

Understanding & Combatting Financial Elder Abuse

June 27, 2014 | Gregory J. Brod

We’ve been talking a lot recently about the problem of Medicare fraud, schemes that essentially steal money from the government and everyone who has any interaction with our nation’s healthcare system (i.e. everyone). In addition to working on these cases, Attorney Brod helps individual victims of fraud and targeted groups, including serving as a Northern California financial elder abuse lawyer. These cases are serious and becoming ever more common. Combatting financial elder abuse requires both the criminal and civil law systems and, much like health care fraud, begins with people coming forward to report misdeeds.

Sentence Handed Down in Financial Abuse Case

This week, California’s Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and the District Attorney from Sonoma County, Jill Ravitch, announced the sentencing of Aldo Joseph Baccala on elder abuse, securities fraud, and grand theft charges. As detailed in the press release carried by Yuba.net, Baccala used his Petaluma-based realty company to solicit money from investors in a number of ventures in both California and elsewhere, promising monthly returns at a rate of 12% annually. Despite soliciting investments over a four year period and issuing notes allegedly secured with real property, Baccala did not actually own any of the facilities and was unable to provide any returns to the investors. Instead, he used the “investor’s” money for his own unsuccessful stock market investments. Many of those who invested with Baccala were elderly individuals who had known both Baccala and his family for a long period. Over time, Baccala’s company lost more than $7 million and had nearly $17 million in outstanding promissory notes.

Serving Victims of Rollover Crashes Throughout Northern California

June 25, 2014 | Gregory J. Brod

Car accidents are often frightening, but rollovers are downright terrifying. Disrupting one’s sense of equilibrium can be exhilarating and fun (for the right people!) when on a roller coaster, but the same feeling is petrifying on the highway. Rollovers epitomize the lack of control driver’s experience in almost any accident. They are among the most dangerous and most deadly vehicle accidents and our Bay Area accident attorney is committed to helping the victims and ensuring their rights are protected.

Two Recent Accidents in Vallejo Show the Threat of Rollover Accidents

The Times Herald reports that an accident on Sonoma Boulevard in North Vallejo sent three people to the hospital on Monday morning. Witnesses say a Nissan pick-up truck was heading north on Broadway when it ran a traffic light, struck a curb, and passed through a Chevron station and the McDonald’s parking lot. Before rolling over and coming to a stop driver’s side down in the drive-thru lane, the truck hit two cars, one of which struck a third vehicle. Two of the other drivers reported pain and were taken to the hospital. The truck driver was hospitalized for possible seizures, which may have sparked the chain of events. An investigation is underway.

NTSB Findings Fault Asiana Crew for ‘Mismanagement’ in SFO Crash

June 24, 2014 | Gregory J. Brod

The National Transportation Safety Board’s much-anticipated report on the ill-fated Asiana Airlines plane that crashed at San Francisco International Airport last year was released on Tuesday, and the NTSB focused its attention on what it considered the crew’s excessive reliance on automated flight controls they did not understand as well as the crew’s mismanagement of the plane’s landing. And San Francisco airplane accident attorney Gregory J. Brod would point out that the NTSB panel findings were fairly specific in determining what went wrong, why and who was largely to blame.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the NTSB found that the three-member crew of the Asiana Airlines ultra-modern Boeing 777 that crashed upon landing, broke apart and caught fire at SFO on July 6 did not adequately understand the plane’s systems and “over-relied on automated systems that they did not full understand.” As a result of the crash, the worse ever at SFO, three passengers died and nearly 200 were injured when the plane hit a seawall short of the runway.

Motorcycle Accidents: Statistics & A Reminder of the Real-World Rule of Comparative Negligence

June 20, 2014 | Gregory J. Brod

As a San Francisco injured motorcycle rider’s law firm, our past experience representing riders hurt in accidents caused by negligent motorists helps us represent today’s injured victims. Providing the best possible legal services also involves staying informed in the present and we are committed to staying up-to-date on the law and statistical trends. Together, past experience and present knowledge allows us to help the victims of motorcycle accidents caused by someone else’s negligence, ensuring they receive the monetary compensation they need and deserve.

Fatal Hayward Motorcycle Crash

On Tuesday night, according to the Contra Costa Times, a motorcycle crash claimed the life of 28 year old David Bronaugh of Fremont. Around 8:35 P.M., a big rig exited off of I-880 South in Hayward and made a left turn onto Industrial Parkway East. Police report that Bronaugh’s motorcycle, which had been travelling west in Industrial Parkway, crashed into the truck. Bronaugh was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead. Police are investigating the crash. The truck’s driver had been cited as of the time of the report.

Hazards of Meth Labs, From Retirement Villages to Family-Focused Hotels

June 18, 2014 | Gregory J. Brod

Methamphetamine face horrific long-term consequences including brain damage (i.e. memory gaps, inability to grasp abstract ideas), psychosis, cardiovascular damage, and premature death. Methamphetamine also poses risks to bystanders. Some of these bystander risks are akin to risks from other drugs such drugged driving, injuries caused by a user who is not in his/her right mind, and the danger/violence of the drug trade. Unique bystander methamphetamine risks include the particular dangers of production, both in the moment and after-the-fact. While we’ve talked before about methamphetamine production in cars, in this post our Oakland meth injury law firm looks at other production sites from a recent bust in a retirement community to a rising trend of manufacturing methamphetamine in hotels.

Meth Lab Found in Fresno Retirement Community

Retirement in 2014 is an ever-changing concept, with many people finding they need to look for at least a part-time job to make ends meet. According to the Associated Press (via the Oakland Tribune), one 64 year-old man appears to have turned to a second career straight out of prime time television, manufacturing methamphetamine (“meth”) out of his apartment in a Fresno, California retirement community. Robert Short was pulled over in a routine traffic stop and officers found meth in his vehicle along with scales and baggies, believed to have been used in the sale of the drug. Officers put the street value of the drugs in his car at around $1,700.

California Vehicle Fire Lawyer Examines the Threat of Car Fires

June 13, 2014 | Gregory J. Brod

Our work representing the injured involves a wide array of circumstances and varied incidents. The common link — they all stem from a defendant’s negligent, reckless, or otherwise wrongful act. Having experience in a range of injury arenas is particularly helpful when, as is often the case, a single incident involves overlapping issues. Vehicle fires are a good example and our experience in both burn/fire cases and in auto accidents mean our team is well-equipped to serve as your Oakland car fire law firm.

Vehicle Being Towed Bursts Into Flames in Benica

Shortly before noon on Wednesday, according to the Contra Costa Times, a passenger car being towed from Point Reyes to Pittsburg burst into flames on Eastbound Interstate 780 near Southampton Road in Benica. Firefighters arrived to find the car engulfed in flames. The tow truck and a patch of grass were also on fire. The truck driver reported that a loud pop from the car caused him to pull to the shoulder as smoke began to appear. His effort to control the flames with a portable fire extinguisher failed due to the rapidly growing blaze. Luckily, no injuries were reported. An investigation is underway.