Car Accidents Category Archives — Page 2 of 5 — San Mateo Injury Lawyers Blog Published by San Mateo, California Injury Attorneys — Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

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.

A California Driver Injured in a Ditch Crash Sues a City, a Developer and a Contractor… and Lands a $2.25M Settlement

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

When you are injured due to an auto accident in which road conditions were a factor, your situation can seem complicated and stressful. You were just driving down the road and then you crash, suffering substantial injuries through little or no fault of your own. Would you know what to do and whom to sue?

Identifying the right people and/or entities to sue is an extremely essential part of your case. Choosing the right defendants is just as important as choosing the right causes of action when it comes to giving yourself the best chance of success and a full and fair recovery. This is just one of the many areas where it pays to have the skill and knowledge of an experienced San Mateo injury attorney on your side.

As an example of this kind of accident, there’s the case of M.D., a driver in San Bernardino County. According to Redlands Daily Facts, M.D. was a traveling along an east-west road that had a set of orange cones stretched across part of the road. M.D. drove to the left of the cones and, when he passed the last cone, he shifted right, only to feel his vehicle “drop off” into a two-foot deep ditch. The drop caused the vehicle to overturn and allegedly caused the driver to suffer very serious damage to his neck and back.

What to Do if You’re Hurt in an Especially Unusual Type of California Vehicle Accident

September 8, 2019 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

Driving in California can be exhilarating, refreshing, relaxing or awe-inspiring. It can also be downright terrifying at times, with a wide array of circumstances that can lead to an injury accident. Many accidents will be common scenarios like rear-end crashes or left-turn collisions. Others, though, will be the result of very odd facts. Being injured in an unusual accident may pose some unique challenges but, other times, it may open up some unique opportunities. Either way, it pays to have an experienced San Mateo personal injury attorney representing you, who will know how to take your specific situation and guide you to the best opportunity available for success.

M. B.-S. was one of those unlucky drivers injured in a freak way. She was reportedly traveling along a freeway in Los Angeles County when she encountered a most unlikely road hazard – a flying mattress. The driver swerved to avoid the mattress but lost control and crashed into a barrier as a result. Eventually, with the help of information from witnesses, police located the truck whose trailer had allegedly pitched the item.

The injured woman sued both the driver and his employer for negligence. In her case, the woman’s legal team was able to advance a specific kind of negligence argument: negligence per se.

A Chain Reaction Accident in Solano County Involves Five Vehicles and Claims One Life

August 15, 2019 | Law Offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos

If you’ve driven around San Mateo or anywhere in the Bay Area, you know that traffic jams can be a headache. With traffic jams, in addition to stop signs and traffic signals, there are plenty of circumstances where you’ll be stopped in traffic, and situations where you’re at risk of being injured in a chain reaction or other rear-end accident. When you find yourself in that painful and stressful situation, be sure to reach out promptly to an experienced San Mateo car accident lawyer about your situation.

Recently, one Northern California chain reaction accident, which was reported by NBC Bay Area, occurred on Highway 12 in Fairfield and claimed the life of one traveler. Before the accident, four eastbound drivers stopped at a red light. The eastbound driver of a Mercedes van did not. The van rear-ended a Volkswagen, which rear-ended a Honda, which rear-ended a BMW, which rear-ended an Audi. The driver of the Volkswagen did not survive.

In any kind of chain reaction accident, there are several keys to determining fault and putting oneself in a position to succeed in court. When it comes to assessing blame, the central question generally is, “Which driver caused the first accident?” That driver, generally speaking, will be the one at fault. In the Fairfield crash, based on the news reports’ description of the crash, the drivers of Volkswagen, Honda, BMW and Audi all followed the rules of the road and operated their vehicles safely. The driver of the Mercedes did not, and that driver’s negligence potentially was the sole cause of all damages that occurred, if the evidence supported the description published in the news.