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

Safety Research — and Recent California Accidents — Clearly Show: Speed Kills

May 28, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

Federal statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show just how dangerous – and deadly – speeding is. NHTSA’s information showed that speeding killed more than 9,300 people in 2018 and was a factor in more than one-quarter of all traffic deaths in 2017. If you’ve been hurt by a driver who was speeding, whether you were in another vehicle or you were that driver’s passenger, you may be entitled to significant compensation. You should promptly act to retain a skilled San Mateo car accident attorney, as you only have a limited time to file a lawsuit and pursue the recovery you need.

Two recent accidents in Northern California highlight just how deadly speeding can be. Earlier in May, a terrible accident in San Jose left four young people in their 20s dead, according to CBS SF Bay Area. The report indicated that the driver of a 2005 Dodge SUV was traveling southbound on Highway 85 when he lost control, causing the SUV to overturn several times. The crash threw two people from the vehicle. Three died at the scene and a fourth died at a nearby hospital. All were either age 25 or 26.

Another driver on Highway 85, whom the Dodge passed shortly before the crash, told CBS that the driver was driving erratically and the CHP told CBS that “we believe this vehicle was at excessive speeds and was weaving,” The police also believed that the driver of the SUV was under the influence, which is why he is facing multiple criminal charges for murder.

A California Jury Awards $21M to a Farm Worker Permanently Paralyzed in Two-Vehicle Crash

May 13, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

Sometimes, after reading a news headline about an accident injury victim who recovers a damages award in the tens of millions of dollars, you may wonder if awards like that are really legitimate or just an instance of an out-of-control jury. The reality is that, very often, these massive awards are entirely justifiable and appropriate! There are many ways that a vehicle accident can inflict a huge amount of damage on those hurt. One scenario where that is definitely a realistic possibility occurs when the injury victim is a young income earner whose injuries have left him permanently and totally disabled and requiring a lifetime of 24/7/365 care. If that happens to you or your loved one, it is essential to your family’s short-term and long-term well-being and financial security that your civil lawsuit gets you the full recovery you deserve. To aid in that goal, be sure you have an experienced San Mateo car accident attorney on your side.

J.M. was one of those people who suffered a catastrophic injury through no fault of his own. J.M., a farm worker in the Fresno area, was headed home from work one day when the van in which he was riding stopped at a railroad crossing. The driver of a Dodge pickup truck, C.B., slammed into the back of the stopped van going roughly 55 mph, according to a Fresno Bee report.

The massive injuries he suffered left J.M. paralyzed, according to the report. The only offer of settlement the injured man received was a sum of $25,000, which represented the policy limit of C.B.’s auto insurance coverage.

How to Pursue and Win an Auto Accident Case Against a Texting Driver in California

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

When you’re injured in an auto accident, you may worry that this crash will cause you to miss a lot of time at work. You may worry that your injuries will impair your ability to care for your children or meet your financial obligations. Any accident caused by someone else is frustrating, but it may be especially irritating if the driver who hit you was texting while driving. While exceptionally frustrating, clear evidence that the driver who hit you was texting at the time of the crash may be a huge help to you when it comes time to go to court and seek much-needed compensation for the harm you’ve suffered. Be sure you have an experienced San Mateo car accident attorney on your side to help you discover all the facts and then use them to your maximum benefit in court.

In Los Angeles, despite efforts by the city government, “the number of people killed in car crashes stayed stubbornly high,” according to the Los Angeles Times. One of the key contributors to that is drivers texting while driving. Drivers traveling “30, 40, 50 mph … put their head down to pick up a text or handle a call, and they move 100 yards, and they drive over someone,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in the Times report.

Regrettably, distracted driving isn’t just a problem in Los Angeles. In mid-March, a 20-year-old woman who was “driving northbound… and using her cellular phone” in Redding collided with another driver. According to actionnewsnow.com, the 20-year-old woman did not notice that her traffic light was red, she ran the red light and crashed into another car. The driver of that second vehicle was injured and was transported to a local hospital, according to the report.

I Was Hurt in an Accident Caused by a Drunk Driver. What Legal Options Do I Have in California?

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

If you have been injured (or a loved one has been killed) in a vehicle accident caused by a drunk (or high) driver, there are certain legal options that are available to you in California. You can file a lawsuit against the intoxicated driver who was at fault in the accident. A successful civil court action may entitle you to receive payment from the at-fault driver herself and/or from her auto insurer. Of course, if you’ve suffered serious injuries and the at-fault driver was someone with very limited assets and only minimal insurance coverage, then those sources may not be nearly enough to cover the entirety of the harm you have suffered. You may need to do more and, depending on the facts surrounding your accident, the law may permit you to do more. Be sure to reach out an experienced San Mateo injury attorney to learn more about the options available to you.

Redwood City was the site of a recent tragic accident involving an alleged drunk driver. An 18-year-old woman allegedly was driving at “freeway speeds” along southbound Highway 101 in Redwood City her vehicle allegedly veered off the road, then “went down an embankment, flew into the air and crashed into a light pole and two trees before coming to a stop on its roof.” The accident seriously injured the driver and killed her 18-year-old passenger, Patch.com reported.

According to prosecutors, the driver had “objective symptoms of intoxication.” Additionally, the driver told police that she drank “lots of shots” at a party in San Francisco, according to the Patch report.

A Fatal Hit-and-Run Accident on Highway 101 in San Mateo Kills a Man Who Was Aiding Another Driver

February 26, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

Hit-and-run accidents can be devastatingly harmful to those injured. In a regular accident, the victim has suffered harm, but also has the identity of the other driver and the name of that driver’s insurer when it comes time to seek compensation for losses he’s suffered. In a hit-and-run accident, the injured person has the same harm, but has no identifiable driver to pursue for his losses. So, if you’ve been injured in a hit and run accident, does that mean that you must wait for the police to catch the hit-and-run driver and, if they don’t, you are completely “out of luck” when it comes to filing a lawsuit for your damages? Not necessarily. There may still be options to get you the compensation you need. Talk to a knowledgeable San Mateo car accident attorney about your circumstances to discover what you can do.

J.G.A. was an example of the good in people. According to KPIX, the 31-year-old driver from South San Francisco came upon a single-vehicle accident on southbound 101 in San Mateo just before 2 a.m. one morning. J.G.A. stopped to help the driver who had crashed into the center median and suffered serious injuries.

A different driver was an example of the not-so-good in people. That driver, behind the wheel of a blue or green SUV, came upon J.G.A. and the first driver. According to the report, the SUV driver slammed into J.G.A. and kept going. J.G.A. died as a result of the injuries inflicted by the hit-and-run driver.

California County Pays $27M for a Deputy’s High-Speed Crash that Left a Child With a Permanent Brain Injury

January 28, 2020 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

When a child is catastrophically injured in a crash, there are many things that must be addressed. In order to get to a truly successful result, you will need evidence that the person or entity you sued was at fault and you will need proof of the damages your child suffered. To make sure you get all the proof you need to get the outcome your family deserves, be sure you have retained an experienced San Mateo car accident attorney to represent you from the very start.

A recent report from the Sacramento Bee is a reminder of the horrible injuries that can sometimes befall children in vehicle crashes. 10-year-old J.A. suffered a massive head injury after a speeding SUV slammed into her family’s Honda CRV. The driver of the SUV was a sheriff’s deputy on his way to back up other officers in a police emergency.

J.A.’s was what’s called in medical practice a “closed-head” injury. Closed-head injuries can be just as severe and life-changing as an open-head injury. According to the family’s attorney, J.A.’s was one of those catastrophic closed-head injuries. The injury caused permanent brain damage that meant J.A. would “likely require 24/7 living care for the rest of her life.” For more than a year after the crash, J.A. did not respond to hearing her name called or hearing her favorite songs being played on an iPad, according to the report.

A Woman in San Mateo Dies After Being Struck by a Driver Whom Police Suspect Was Under the Influence

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

Sometimes, you are completely devoid of any fault in your auto accident. You are sitting at a traffic signal, properly stopped, when someone slams into you from behind. The reality is, though, that many accidents are not that black-and-white. We’ve all made mistakes and misjudgments behind the wheel and sometimes some of those errors played a role in our auto accidents. Fortunately, you do not have to be 100% blameless in order to recover much-needed compensation for the injuries you suffered in your auto accident. If you’re hurt in a crash, be sure to reach out to an experienced San Mateo car accident attorney to learn more about the legal options available for you.

Sometimes, errors are simple misjudgments, like braking too late on a wet road. Other times, there fall more on the side of lapses of good judgment. An apparent momentary lapse in judgment turned tragic in San Mateo earlier in January. According to KPIX, the starting point of the fatal accident was a non-injury crash along Highway 101 where a Dodge Charger struck a Toyota Yaris. (The driver of the Dodge was later arrested for suspicion of DUI.) With both cars still in the travel lanes, a woman riding in the Yaris, I.T., got out of that car to confront the Dodge’s driver, and an argument ensued. While I.T. argued with the Charger’s driver, an oncoming Toyota Camry hit and killed her. The driver of the Camry, like the driver of the Charger, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

While it might seem easy to criticize the deceased woman for stepping onto a travel lane of a highway in order to maintain an argument with a driver in a fender-bender, we should all be slow to pass judgment. Nearly all of us have been in extremely highly stressful situations on the road – including accidents. And most all of us have had moments where anger, frustration or stress led us to do things we regretted later.

A Chain Reaction Accident in San Mateo County Leaves One Dead and Several Injured

December 16, 2019 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

A recent multi-vehicle accident in San Mateo County left several people injured and tragically left one man dead, according to a Mercury News report. Chain-reaction and multi-vehicle accidents can cause extensive harm to the drivers and passengers involved, including permanent or even fatal injuries. Determining who was legally responsible in an accident like this can be a very complicated task, so be sure to rely upon an experienced San Mateo car accident attorney if you’ve been injured in a chain reaction accident.

The initial trigger for that recent fatal crash was a Ford SUV that experienced a tire blowout while traveling along Highway 101 in Brisbane. The Toyota sedan behind the Ford managed to slow down before hitting the Ford, but the Volkswagen behind the Toyota didn’t, slamming into the rear of the sedan, according to the report.

That impact forced the Toyota into the Ford, pushing the SUV into an adjoining lane. Once the Ford was in that left lane, a bus came along moments later and slammed into it. Then a Lincoln SUV crashed into the bus. A fire burned the bus and two of the other vehicles. The driver of the Lincoln, a 51-year-old man from San Mateo, was killed in the crash, although the Mercury News report didn’t say if the impact or the fire caused his death.

Deciding Whether to Settle or to Go to Trial: Why That Decision Matters So Much in Your California Injury Case

October 16, 2019 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

Sometimes, in your auto accident injury case, the question isn’t if you have a case for holding the defendant liable, because the defense has already admitted liability. The question isn’t even whether or not you’ve incurred a substantial amount of damages, because the defense has admitted that, too. The question, then, for some injured people, is “exactly how extensive are my damages and how much compensation should I reasonably expect for them?” Being able to assess these things accurately matters a great deal if you’re in an injury lawsuit in California.

In California, there’s a law that says that, if you reject a statutory settlement offer and the jury awards you less 75% of what was offered, then you lose the ability to recover certain costs and fees and may be on the hook for paying some of the defense’s costs and fees. In other words, it is very, very important, when you receive a statutory settlement offer from the defense, that you have the ability to differentiate a fair offer from a low one. This is a key area where the right San Mateo car accident attorney can help. Your knowledgeable attorney can use his/her wealth of experiences in past cases to help you spot a fair offer… or an unfair one.

T.B. was a woman facing those kinds of questions in her case (Orange County Superior Court Case No. 30-2016-00861733-CU-PA-CJC.) She was a passenger in vehicle that was involved in a major accident. T.B.’s driver reportedly improperly turned left against a red arrow. The accident totaled both vehicles.

A California Man Rejects a $435K Settlement Offer and Instead Wins a $1.9M Judgment in His Distracted Driver Case

September 27, 2019 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

According to NHTSA statistics, distracted driving remains a major problem on U.S. roads, resulting in 3,166 deaths in 2017 alone. Distracted driving may lead to driving behaviors that can be particularly injurious, such as slamming into a stopped vehicle at full speed, veering into an oncoming lane of travel or barreling through a clearly red traffic light.

When you’re seriously hurt as a result of a distracted driver, you need to know where to turn find out how to go about getting back on your feet and getting fully compensated for the losses you’ve suffered (and will suffer.) Start by reaching out to an experienced San Mateo car accident attorney.

Anyone can file a personal injury lawsuit and potentially work out a settlement. One of the keys to a genuine success in a personal injury accident is not just “getting paid,” but knowing what your case is really worth and being sure that the payment you get is a fair one. That’s especially true in California, where there is an “offer of settlement” statute (Section 998). Make the mistake of rejecting a fair 998 settlement offer and you may find yourself paying some of the fees and costs of the defense. Make the mistake of accepting a lowball 998 offer and you may find yourself receiving too little money for your needs.