San Mateo Injury Lawyers Blog — Published by San Mateo, California Injury Attorneys — Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

A Crash Along the Center Median of Interstate 80 Kills Person in California

September 15, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

When you’re hurt in an auto accident, there are many things you’ll need. For one thing, you’ll need time to heal, emotionally and physically. After that, though, it’s quite likely you’ll need to file an action in civil court to get compensation for the harm you suffered. To get everything you should from that lawsuit, you’ll need representation from the right San Mateo injury attorney. The right attorney can offer you and your case the right knowledge, the right experience and the right resources to ensure your case will achieve what it should.

One of the big things that the right attorney can provide is the right resources to do all the necessary investigatory work. Don’t overlook how important this is winning your case and getting the full recovery you deserve.

Some cases may be clear-cut in all the essential areas (such as an obviously distracted driver who admittedly ran a stop sign and T-boned your car.) Many though, are not. They are complex and require careful investigation to know what the true nature of the case really is. A tragically fatal accident from outside Vacaville, which was reported by KRON, is an example.

A California Crash Caused by a Suspected Drunk Driver Kills a 25-Year-Old Man

September 9, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

There are many ways to be harmed by the misconduct of a driver who gets behind the wheel despite being drunk or high on drugs. Whether you were the drunk driver’s passenger or were in a separate vehicle driven by a completely sober driver, your circumstance potentially may present an opportunity to sue and collect significant compensation. To make sure you’re presenting the strongest possible case to get the fullest possible recovery, it is best to have a skilled San Mateo injury attorney on your side.

Many times, the harm caused by these accidents is catastrophic. For example, a terrible accident in Stanislaus County, reported by the East Bay Times, brought a young life to a needlessly premature end. In the pre-dawn hours of Sept. 2, a woman from Ceres was traveling eastbound on Highway 120, a 2-lane road “with dips and curves.” The California Highway Patrol indicated that, despite a double-yellow line prohibiting any passing, the woman crossed the center line and attempted to pass the semi-truck in front of her.

The woman sideswiped a westbound Honda Civic then slammed head-on into a utility truck. The impact threw the woman’s 25-year-old male passenger from the vehicle. That man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the report.

Getting to the Bottom of Your California Chain-Reaction Accident to Get You the Compensation You Deserve

August 27, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

A country music singer named Joe Diffie died earlier this year as a result of COVID-19. He was arguably best known for a 1990s song about poor judgments that unleashed a massive chain reaction of problematic outcomes, including a vehicle accident. In the song, “Third Rock From the Sun,” what unfolded was mostly hilarity and some unintentional property damage. In real life, though, errors in judgment can do life-changing harm to real people when those making the errors are drivers behind the wheel and their errors result in chain-reaction crashes. Getting the compensation you need for the harm you suffered in a chain-reaction crash is often no simple matter, as unraveling the details of the accident to determine who did what to whom — and who is legally liable to you — often requires in-depth investigation and considerable knowledge of the law. When it comes time to seek compensation for your chain-reaction accident injuries, make sure you have retained the services of a skilled San Mateo injury attorney to handle your case.

To give you an idea how complex these accidents can be, consider this recent one from Los Angeles County, which was reported by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. A CHP officer pulled over a BMW on the 10 freeway. At around the same time, a Scion cut off a Toyota RAV4. The driver of the Toyota swerved to avoid the Scion and, in doing so, moved onto the shoulder… and into the rear end of the CHP vehicle. The CHP SUV crashed into the BMW and one of those two vehicles slammed into the officer, who was walking toward the BMW at the time. The officer suffered serious injuries as a result.

Now, let’s take a look at all the different ways that different people could be liable. Certainly, the driver of the Scion, if the proof showed that he/she engaged in an unsafe lane change or other reckless driving, would be a prime candidate for being held liable. In this case, the Scion did not stop. While a hit-and-run driver who owes you damages is a significant complication, it is not something that necessarily will stop you from recovering compensation and is definitely not something you should let deter you from pursuing your case in court. There are several legal maneuvers your attorney can make to protect you if you were hurt by a hit-and-run driver.

Pedestrian Accidents Are on the Rise in California: Here’s What You Can Do if You’re Hurt in One

August 20, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

Statistics from the state’s Office of Traffic Safety show that pedestrian injuries – and deaths – are a serious problem that is getting worse. Almost 7,500 pedestrians died on California streets and highways in period 2009-2018, with nearly 900 of those happening in 2018 alone. That 2018 figure represented a 26% surge from just four years earlier. Pedestrian accidents occur for many reasons, and several of those involve negligent action or inaction by the driver(s) or others. If you’ve been hurt in a pedestrian accident, you may be entitled to substantial compensation, so contact a knowledgeable San Mateo pedestrian accident attorney right away.

In addition to the 893 dead, pedestrian accidents also injured 14,000 more in California in 2018. Many pedestrian accidents happen due to errors made by drivers. One of the more common errors is the driver’s decision to drink and drive. Federal statistics show that, in pedestrian accidents nationwide, roughly 15% involved a driver who had a blood-alcohol content at or above .08.

That was suspected to be the case in Anaheim recently. A suspected drunk driver jumped the curb an hit a 35-weeks-pregnant woman as she walked along the sidewalk, according to the Los Angeles Times. The accident killed the woman at the scene and left her baby, whom medical caregivers delivered, in critical condition.

How One East Bay Park Visitor Overcame an ‘Assumption of the Risk’ Defense in Her California Negligence Case

August 14, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

When you are injured due to someone’s else negligence, you may find yourself facing an argument that, despite that negligence, the other person isn’t liable – and not entitled to compensation – because you “assumed the risk” of the kind of danger that ultimately hurt you. There are many circumstances, though, where you can successfully overcome an “assumption of the risk” defense and win your case. To get the help you need to do that, be sure you’re represented by a skilled San Mateo injury attorney.

A Bay Area woman’s injury was an example of an “assumption of the risk” case. D.W. was walking her dog at the Tilden Regional Park in the East Bay Regional Park District when she was hurt. Another park visitor’s dog, which was a very large breed, wandered over to where D.W. was and, although the dog’s owner told his dog to sit, the dog did not sit. Eventually, the dog returned to his owner but, as he did so, he collided with D.W., causing her to fall, break her leg and dislocate her ankle.

D.W., having been seriously hurt, sued the owner, A.W., for the harm she suffered. The injured woman accused the large dog’s owner of negligence that caused her accident. The injured woman also shrewdly added an additional assertion: that A.W. was negligent per se because he violated an East Bay Regional Park District Ordinance that said that allowed dogs at the park to be off-leash, but required that owners maintain control over their off-leash animals at all times.

How a Successful Outcome in Your California Arbitration Against an Insurance Company May Get You More Than Just an Award of Damages

August 6, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

Getting hurt in an auto accident is a very stressful experience for a variety of different reasons. Unfortunately, for lots of folks, one of those reasons is dealing with insurance companies and struggling to get them to do what they should. Insurance companies, of course, often fight aggressively to avoid paying you, and are very experienced at doing so. That’s why, if you’ve been hurt in a vehicle accident, you shouldn’t go it alone. Give yourself the advantage of a diligent, professional advocate by retaining the services of an experienced San Mateo car accident attorney.

H.S. was a Southern California woman who faced this kind of challenge in her case. She was injured in an accident where the other driver hit her and was at fault. The other driver’s auto insurer made a payment equal to the policy limit.

Most all of us have seen those “state minimum coverage” auto insurance ads on the internet or TV, right? Those may be great for a driver who has no insurance, but they’re not so great if you’re hurt by someone with minimal or low-amount coverage. Fortunately, there is something called “uninsured or underinsured motorist” coverage you can add to your insurance. If the at-fault driver’s insurance pays the policy limit but that amount is less than your total damages, you can file a claim with your insurer and get a payment from them in addition to the payment from the other driver’s insurance company.

Left-Turn Accidents and Legal Liability in California

July 27, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

One of the very important things to know about auto accidents – and auto accident liability – is that there are actually relatively few absolutes. You may have heard that “in a rear-end accident, the rear driver is always at fault,” but that’s not true. The same goes for left-turn accidents in which one driver turns in front of an oncoming vehicle. While it’s true the turning driver is usually the at-fault driver, it is false that the turning driver is always the one to blame. If you’ve been hurt in a left-turn accident, don’t let others tell you there’s no way you can recover damages through a lawsuit. Instead, get the competent advice you need from a skilled San Mateo injury attorney.

A terrible accident that took place about 50 miles east of Stockton recently is a good example. According to the Union Democrat, D.T. turned his Ford Mustang left onto Highway 4 in front of an oncoming Chevrolet Camaro that was moving “at an unknown speed.” The Camaro slammed into the Mustang and D.T. died at the scene.

In many scenarios like this one, the turning driver would be the driver at fault. The law generally says that a driver traveling straight has the right of way against a driver turning into that lane, and that the turning driver has the legal obligation to yield the right of way.

Getting a Knowledgeable Assessment of the ‘Value’ of Your Car Accident Case in California: Why It Matter So Much

July 21, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

Knowing what your case is “worth” is just as essential a piece of knowledge as knowing what legal claims are viable and what factual evidence you need. A knowledgeable assessment of the value of a case is one of the very important pieces of advice you can get by working with a skilled San Mateo car accident attorney. Having that accurate information can help you avoid pitfalls like accepting a “lowball” settlement offer.

There’s also another benefit of having an accurate assessment of your case: it may entitle you to recover an award of costs and fees. That is no small matter because, sometimes, the value of those costs and fees may be more than the value of the total damages you suffered!

A court case from Southern California is a good example. A Bakersfield man, who was driving drunk, improperly failed to yield and turned in front of a vehicle containing a Bakersfield woman and her sister. The woman couldn’t stop in time and crashed into the man’s vehicle.

Rear-End Crashes in California: Three Things Everyone Needs to Know

July 14, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

A rear-end crash can be a surprisingly serious event. Many people associate rear-end accidents with the phrase “minor fender-bender,” but just because a crash does not cause major vehicle damage doesn’t mean that the occupants of the vehicles involved can’t suffer serious harm. The harsh reality is that rear-end accidents can be (and often are) quite serious, and sometimes even fatal. If you’ve been hurt in a rear-end crash, don’t go it alone. Instead, get the legal representation you need from an experienced San Mateo car accident attorney.

An accident near Monterey late last month was, tragically, an example of a rear-end crash with massive harm to human life. The crash occurred along northbound Highway 1 after a Volkswagen SUV slowed “for unknown reasons,” according to The Mercury News. The vehicle trailing the SUV, a Ford pickup truck, failed to stop in time and slammed into the Volkswagen.

The driver of the truck escaped without injury, but the driver of the SUV died at a nearby medical center. CHP told reporters that alcohol and drugs “do not appear to be factors in the crash,” The Mercury News reported.

A California Tow Truck Driver Dies Along a Freeway After a Collision with a Lumber Truck

July 7, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

There are many different ways that a tow truck can become involved in an accident while assisting a motorist. Sometimes, the errors causing the crash are those of the tow truck driver, while other times it is another driver who is negligent. Either way, if you have been injured in a tow truck accident that was the result of someone else’s negligence, then you may be able to receive compensation through the courts. Be sure to contact an experienced San Mateo car accident attorney without delay to discuss your circumstances.

Back in late June, a tow truck driver affiliated with the Freeway Service Patrol was involved in such an accident. The tow truck was responding to a vehicle in need of assistance on I-280 in Redwood City, according to a KPIX report.

As the truck driver assisted the motorist, a lumber truck slammed into the tow truck and the driver, killing him. The police indicated to KPIX that they did not believe that the 25-year-old driver of the lumber truck was drunk or on drugs at the time of the crash.