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California law is quite clear about the responsibility that property owners have toward people legally on their property. The statutes here say that “Everyone is responsible, not only for the result of his or her willful acts, but also for an injury … to another by his or her want of ordinary care or skill in the management of his or her property.” When you are injured in a trip-and-fall accident, there are several key pieces to the “puzzle” of a successful legal action. One is proof of a legitimate hazard. Another is evidence that the person or entity responsible for the property failed to fix the problem, despite the fact that it knew or should have known the hazard existed.

There are many different ways to achieving this proof burden, but it comes down to obtaining the right evidence. To make sure you are getting all the evidence you need and that it is being put together into one coherent and persuasive case, be sure to rely on the skill and experience of a knowledgeable San Mateo injury attorney.

An example of how this process can work successfully was the recent case of A.N. (Yolo County Superior Court Case. No. CVPO-2017-916). Reportedly, A.N. suffered serious injuries in a trip-and-fall accident at her senior living apartment complex in West Sacramento. One day, while exiting the complex’s clubhouse, 80-year-old A.N. used a ramp to walk back to her apartment. A concrete parking block was situated at the base of the ramp. The resident tried to pass through this area, but she tripped. In the fall, she suffered a broken wrist, crushed patella and a “burst” fracture to one of her thoracic vertebrae.

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When you are injured on the property of someone else, that person or that person’s insurance company may be well-represented by attorneys, who stand ready to make clever arguments that creatively use the law to try to get the defendant out of paying you any compensation. To make sure you are equipped to succeed in your injury case, you need an experienced San Mateo premises liability attorney who knows the law well and knows how to advocate for you and get results.

What do we mean by “creative” uses of the law? Here’s an example. E.H. was a man working as a “site representative” giving tours of a notable architectural residence in Beverly Hills when he was hurt in the fall of 2014. During his fateful tour, the representative fell from a platform that was “suspended over a hillside.” The fall caused E.H. to suffer very serious injuries, including multiple spinal fractures, from which he allegedly suffered more than $2 million in damages.

E.H. sued. When you sue someone in civil court, you will present your evidence showing that the defendant was liable and that you suffered compensable harm. The defense will present its evidence, including bringing up any affirmative defenses, which are things that the defense affirmatively pleads and, if accepted by the jury, make the defendant not liable.

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We’ve all heard the amiable jingles or slogans, sometimes recited by popular actors, singers and athletes, telling us about how an insurer will be “on your side” or that you will be “in good hands.” The reality is, though, that insurers often work hard to avoid paying claims, even to their own customers. When that happens to you as a result of an auto accident, you may have various options and, depending on the exact facts of your situation, it may open the door to recovery of substantial compensation. To be ready when that happens to you be sure you have someone on your side… and that that someone is an experienced San Mateo auto accident attorney.

M.M. was one of those unfortunate people whose experience with his insurer was less than cheerful. M.M. was seriously injured in a high-speed head-on collision. The other driver was at-fault, having crossed a double-yellow line to pass slower vehicles.

M.M. survived, but suffered a severe injury that shattered his left heel bone. The injury caused a permanent deformity and was extremely painful. His doctors concluded that he’d face a lifetime of chronic pain and problems related to that heel.

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Your California auto accident may have inflicted massive harm upon you. You may have racked up huge medical bills, may have lost a lot of wages due to missed time at work and you probably experienced a great deal of pain and suffering. Getting true justice, then, means finding ways to ensure that you can actually recover the total amount of damages that the court awards you, and aren’t just stuck with a largely (or perhaps even completely) uncollectible judgment. This is just one of many essential considerations when it comes to getting an appropriate result in your injury case. To make sure you are positioned to get all of what you deserve, be sure you have a skilled San Mateo injury attorney fighting for you.

Getting that best possible result may, in many situations, require detailed legal knowledge. Again, a skilled legal advocate can help immensely. Here’s a real-life example from Placer County. A.M. was seriously hurt in an intersection accident where A.H. reportedly ran a red light.

In a case like that, you may, in addition to the at-fault driver, be able to pursue compensation from an auto insurer and, if the at-fault driver was engaged in activity furthering the interests of his employer when the crash happened, you may also be able to name the employer and obtain a judgment against that entity as well.

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In an intersection crash where one vehicle clearly improperly fails to yield the right of way, it may be understandable, and perhaps easy, to assume that the fault for the accident lies solely with that driver, where liability in this case may come down to issues like speeding and negligent failure to yield. Sometimes, though, the facts tell a different story. By doing truly thorough pre-trial discovery, you may unearth those unexpected facts and be better equipped to achieve success in your lawsuit. To make sure you have what you need, both before trial, during trial and after trial, be sure you have an experienced San Mateo injury attorney on your side.

A recent tragedy from Hollywood is an example. Patch.com reported on a mother was who driving three of her children in her minivan when a 74-year-old driver of an Infiniti SUV slammed into her. The impact pushed the van into a pole and killed the mother and the two younger children.

The older girl (who was injured but not killed in the crash,) along with the father of the children, sued in federal court in Los Angeles. One of the parties in the case alleged that the SUV driver caused the accident by confusing the accelerator and the brake pedal in his vehicle, meaning that he sped up when he meant to stop.

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For many people, exploring California’s abundant scenic drives, whether that’s going through the desert, along the coast, through the state’s deepest canyon or around the crystal-clear waters of Lake Tahoe, means getting aboard a motorcycle. Whether you’re commuting or you are out for a relaxing and scenic ride, getting aboard a motorcycle comes with a unique set of risks. According to federal research, one of the most dangerous settings for a motorcyclist is not on the open road bur when that biker approaches a vehicle whose driver desires to turn left. Some 42% of the worst motorcycle accidents happen in that scenario.

Too many times, the driver simply does not maintain the high level of awareness needed and misses the motorcycle’s presence on the road. Often times, these and other motorcycle accidents end with the biker either dead or seriously injured. When that happens, you should look to a skilled San Mateo injury attorney to help you and your family get the recovery you deserve.

Local news is a reminder of this harsh reality related to motorcycles. Just before Easter, a motorcyclist traveling along Highway 101 here in San Mateo County was killed the wee hours of the morning. An SUV and the motorcycle crashed into one another between Menlo Park and East Palo Alto, with the motorcyclist pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Mercury News report. The man was the second motorcyclist to die in the South Bay area within a one-week period.

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Road rage is a problem everywhere, but it is particularly bad here in the Golden State. According to the website GasBuddy, three of 10 cities with the most aggressive drivers are California cities. (Sacramento was third, San Francisco fifth and San Diego sixth.) Stories in the news only reinforce the extent of the problem. In January, a Los Angeles area motorcyclist was killed by an enraged driver who followed him and ran over the motorcycle, NBC Los Angeles reported. In February, NBC Los Angeles reported on another Southern California crash that left one dead due to road rage. A suspected road rage driver took off from police and eventually slammed into a previously uninvolved vehicle, causing that vehicle to catch fire and kill the innocent driver inside.

Unlike many other auto accidents, aggressive driving accidents are some of the most preventable. We can’t always avoid making misjudgments behind the wheel, but we can avoid letting our base emotions take over and engaging in conduct that places everyone on the road at risk. If you’re injured by someone who has engaged in road rage-fueled unsafe driving, you may be entitled to substantial compensation, which is one reason why you should contact an experienced San Mateo injury attorney right away.

You have questions. We’re here to give you helpful answers

If you’ve suffered harm from this type of accident, there may three questions that leap to mind, which are: (1) Can I sue? (2) Who should I sue? and (3) What kind of compensation can I collect?

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Imagine you are a driver who is stopped at an intersection. Out of the blue, another vehicle slams into you from behind. You heard the crash… and now you feel the pain. You probably have a lot of things on your mind in those stressful moments after the crash. One of the first thoughts is probably… what do I do? What can I do? This post will hopefully provide some helpful answers to that and other related questions.

As an example, let’s look at the accident involving P.J., an elderly driver in Salinas. According to a report by The Californian, P.J. was approaching an intersection in Salinas and wanted to turn right. However, as she attempted to turn, she noticed a bicyclist. In order to avoid hitting the bicyclist, P.J. swerved. In so doing, she ended up rear-ending another car at the intersection the report stated.

If you’re injured in crash like that, there are several things you may want to do. First, if you’re pain-free, you may want to take a few moments to record the accident scene with your cell phone. You can take pictures or take video, but only do so after you’ve made sure it is safe to re-enter the crash scene.

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Being injured as a passenger in a single-vehicle accident can be a scary time. You may have suffered extensive, permanent or perhaps even life-altering injuries. You probably have medical bills and have lost time at work. In fact, you may never be able to return to your old job again. However, the driver of your vehicle may have little personal wealth and only minimal insurance coverage. Does that mean that your situation is hopeless? Not necessarily. Depending on the facts surrounding your accident, there may be others who owed you a duty of care and failed to meet it, leading to the injuries you suffered. Proving that may allow you to expand the range of defendants who owe you compensation. To get that full recovery you deserve, give yourself a leg up by retaining a skilled San Mateo injury attorney.

An example of this type of scenario took place in Southern California, and was reported by the Long Beach Post. F.V. was a passenger of a vehicle that was approaching an intersection in Long Beach. The intersection included a ramp and, as the driver navigated the tight turn on the ramp, he hopped the curb and eventually slammed into large landscaping boulders located in the median near the intersection. The accident caused F.V. to suffer serious spinal injuries causing quadriplegia, as well as massive brain damage, according to the report.

Giving these facts a quick glance, you might think that the injured man’s only path for compensation would be suing the driver and the driver’s auto insurance company. F.V.’s attorneys saw something more. F.V. brought an action against the City of Long Beach. That claim asserted that one cause of the accident was the unsafe road conditions that the city created by placing large boulders on the median near the on-ramp.

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Sometimes, the crux of your case will be focused primarily on establishing that the defendant was at fault and is liable for paying you compensation. The defense may contest liability aggressively, arguing that someone else (or no one) was to blame for the injuries. Other times, you may have evidence that makes contesting liability very difficult or nearly impossible and, in some of those cases, the defense may even admit liability.

Even when that happens, your work is not yet done, especially in a wrongful death case. Getting a truly proper judgment means putting on the evidence you need to show just how extensive the loss you suffered truly was. If you’ve lost a loved one due to a driver’s negligent conduct, you have, first and foremost, a hole in your heart and hole in your life that nothing can fill. You probably also have substantial damage to your family’s financial situation, however, especially if your deceased loved one was a primary earner. All of these damages are real and deserve to be compensated. Be sure you take on your case with the aid and representation of a skilled San Mateo wrongful death attorney to get the full award you deserve.

C.P.’s was an example of a case with a tragic loss and a very large jury verdict. As reported by the Ventura County Star, C.P. was jogging along a street in Ventura as part of his training for a marathon race. As C.P. jogged, a driver, S.C., struck him with her vehicle, killing him. The driver had consumed both Xanax and marijuana prior to getting behind the wheel, according to the report.

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