A Drunk- Driving Accident Kills 4 Passengers Involved

On the night of April 6, 2013, a crash near Kingsburg involving two vehicles left four people dead – of the three were teenagers. A 24 year-old drunk driver drove his Mazda pickup truck through a stop sign and slammed into a Mercury sedan. The sedan did not have a stop.

Consequently, the crash caused two people to be thrown from the Mercury. Two 16 year-old girls, a 19-year old man and a 21 year –old woman were killed while three others were left injured. The driver was also in critical condition along with a 33 year-old passenger.  The 24 year-old driver of the Mercury sedan was the only survivor in the Mercury and suffered only minor injuries.

Drunk-Driving Statistics

Unfortunately, drunk-driving accidents like the one described above occur quite commonly and result in fatal injuries. According to the organization, Mothers against Drunk Driving, also known as MADD:

•          Every 53 minutes, a person is killed in a drunk-driving crash.
•          In total, that is 9,878 people for the year of 2011.
•          Every 90 seconds, a person is injured because of a drunk-driving accident.
•          About one-third of drunk-driving problems (arrest, deaths, crashes, injuries) occur due to a repeat offender.
•          On average, one in three people will be involved in a drunk-driving crash in their lifetime.
•          An average drunk-driver has drove impaired 80 times before their first arrest.

How to Prevent Drunk Driving

Hopefully, the above statistics will prevent many drivers from driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Several ways to prevent drunk driving is to designate a person to drive while sober or by taking a cab. If you must drive, you should wait an hour for every drink you consume before getting behind the wheel. Know your limit and educate yourself. Remember to eat before drinking and beware of mixing alcohol with medication.

Contact a Personal Injury Attorney

Unfortunately, thousands of people are severely or fatally injured due do a drunk-driver. If you or someone you know was recently harmed in a drunk-driving accident you should speak to a personal injury attorney today.

A skilled personal injury attorney will work to earn you monetary compensation for any physical pain or financial suffering resulting from a drunk-driver. Do not fall victim to a drunk-driver’s irresponsible actions. Take the necessary legal actions in acquiring the benefits you deserve after being injured from drunk-driver. 

Wrong Way Crash Kills Two People

On March 31, 2013, a wrong way crash took the lives of two men near Beaumont, California around 1:22 AM. A Highland man was fleeing a hit-and-run accident when he drove in the wrong direction on Interstate 10. The 23 year-old driver drove into oncoming traffic as he was driving west on the eastbound lanes. The driver collided head on into a pickup truck causing a fiery crash, where he was killed. Both vehicles burst into flames and the other driver was killed as well. The third person involved sustained major injuries.

Hit and Run Accidents

Unfortunately, the story described above occurs quite frequently. A driver involved in a hit-and-run accident causes another vehicle collision while endeavoring to quickly flee the scene. Hit-and-run accidents and the resulting aftermath can lead to tragic and fatal consequences for all parties involved.

Committing a hit-and-run is a very serious crime and can be considered a felony if anyone is seriously injured by your actions. If you have been involved in a car accident, do not flee the scene unless you are given confirmation by the State Highway Patrol. After an accident, you should check to make sure all involved parties are okay, exchange contact and insurance information, and contact the state highway patrol. You should always follow the effective steps after an accident to best resolve the situation rather than flee the scene.

Consequences of Hit-And-Run Accidents

 If you leave immediately without offering information you can be accused of committing a hit-and-run. There are severe legal consequences for this crime including, but not limited to:

•          Suspensions or cancellation of driver’s license
•          Depending on the situation, punishment by imprisonment
•          Void of insurance policy of the driver by an insurance company

Hit-And-Run Accident Injuries

It is estimated that more than 11 percent of all vehicle collisions in the United States each year are hit-and-run accidents. Many of these accidents result in severe injuries for the parties involved. Often times, victims of these accidents can be left with the financial and physical burden of their injuries.

If you were recently injured after a hit-and-run accident you should speak to a personal injury attorney. With vast resources and legal experience, a personal injury attorney may be able to earn you monetary compensation for your injuries. If your injuries required medical treatment or affected your ability to earn income, you should consider filing a personal injury lawsuit in order to recover any losses caused by the hit-and-run accident.  

What Are the Top Causes of Car Accidents?

Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death in America, but what are the top causes of automobile collisions?  Most accidents in cars can be attributed to the following:

•          Driving under the influence (DUI)
•          Distracted driving, due to eating or texting while driving
•          Speeding
•         Road rage
•          Poor weather conditions

The Injuries Aren’t Necessarily Visible

No matter how your car accident happened, it is important to go immediately to a hospital to get a check up after experiencing an auto collision because not all injuries sustained after an accident are visible to the naked eye.  While injuries such as lacerations, bruises, broken bones, and Temporomandibular disorders of the jaw (TMJ) are usually physically evident—and painful—indicating a side effect of the crash that needs medical attention, not all car accident injuries are external.  The following injuries are usually undetected without X-rays and cat scans provided by physicians:

•          Whiplash
•          TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)

How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help?

When you call a personal injury lawyer at our premier law firm by dialing our toll free number, you will receive a free case review from one of our caring, knowledgeable legal representatives.  S/he will inform you as to whether or not you qualify for legal representation in a civil court of law by one of our highly talented and skilled personal injury attorneys.

You have suffered enough after being in a car accident—let us champion your legal rights by helping you to file a personal injury lawsuit against the offending, liable party in the case so that you can focus on reclaiming your physical and emotional health.  We fight for you no matter what your financial status is because we believe in advocacy-first, and in the prime importance of our clients’ well-being.  This means that we charge no out of pocket expenses, and never charge a cent for the time we spend working on your car accident case, until we successfully win your personal injury lawsuit for you and get you the monetary compensation you are entitled to.

Accidents Could Cause Brain Injuries

One of the most fragile parts of our body is the human brain.  Despite a sense of extreme resilience, a traumatic brain injury can be quite damaging.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 1.7 million Americans suffer from a traumatic brain injury every year.  Of these people who have suffered a brain injury, they are caused by the following sources:

• Slip and fall 35.2%
• Traffic accidents 17.3%
• Struck by an object 16.5%
• Assault and battery 10%

As these figures suggest, traumatic events such as accidents can leave lasting impressions on a person, notably in the form of a traumatic brain injury. Because no two brain injuries are alike, the symptoms and varied trauma could produce very different consequences for accident victims.

Symptoms of Brain Injury

Brain injuries fall into a sliding scale of physical and physiological effects.  Depending on the severity of symptoms, a brain injury could be classified as mild, moderate, or severe.  A traumatic brain injury, for example, is severe.  If you have suffered an accident, you could be experiencing signs of brain injury which could include: 

• loss of consciousness
• loss of motor skills
• headache
• concentration or memory difficulties
• nausea or vomiting
• slurred speech
• numbness in your extremities
• seizures, convulsions
• fluids draining from your nose or ears (clear fluids which could be mistaken for a runny nose)

Accident victims should take special care to see a doctor immediately after an accident.  If you have experienced these symptoms, you could have suffered a brain injury, which would require medical treatment. Following a diagnosis of brain injury, you should contact a skilled personal injury attorney in order to recover the damages you need to pay your medical bills. When you contact a personal injury attorney, they can help you to recover monetary compensation to help you. 

Pedestrians are at Serious Risk of Pedestrian Accidents

When you renew your license at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), they like to remind you that driving your automobile is a privilege, not a right.  They also like to remind you that you need to be diligent in order to prevent auto accidents.  In order to prevent accidents, we place the blame squarely on drivers who are operating these machines that weigh tons. But do pedestrians have a duty to take certain steps to protect themselves from accidents as well?

Every year, there are thousands of auto accidents across the United States.  Of those, when a car tangles with a pedestrian, it can cause devastation for a pedestrian.  Pedestrian accidents can be horrific, life altering, and even fatal.  Despite this harsh reality, many pedestrians take a cavalier attitude about their safety, assuming that they won't experience a pedestrian accident.  Unfortunately, the reality is that they could potentially experience a pedestrian accident at any moment that could end their life. 

The Danger of Pedestrian Accidents

As pedestrians, we often stride confidently into intersections, secure in the knowledge that we have the right of way.  But ask yourself if having that right of way will save your life and protect you from a pedestrian accident.  We do not live in a protective bubble and cannot protect ourselves adequately from distracted drivers who may run a light, gun their car, lose control of the vehicle, or worse. When pedestrians experience an accident with a vehicle, they could experience the following injuries:

• back and neck injury
• spinal cord and disc injuries
• severe burns
• amputation
• internal organ damage
• internal bleeding
• broken bones, fractures
• paralysis, paraplegia, quadriplegia
• death

Pedestrian accidents can be horrific.  Often, these injuries could grow worse over time as well. In order to protect oneself, pedestrians are encouraged to be smart and try to protect themselves by not taking unnecessary risks, to watch where you're walking, wear light clothing at night, and to follow the rules of the road. 

If you have suffered a pedestrian accident, your entire life could have been forever altered.  Your injuries could be severe and lasting. You should seek immediate medical care and talk to a skilled personal injury attorney.  When you consult with a personal injury attorney, you can trust that your pedestrian accident will be treated with the sensitivity and care that it deserves. Obtain the relief you need from your pedestrian accident. 

Extreme Sport Competitor Nearly Dies, Lesson to Consumers on Danger for Injury

Extreme sports has become wildly popular among sports lovers.  There's something about the thrill of jumps, spins, turns, and the human desire to defy gravity that attracts millions of people to a variety of high energy and high octane sports.  This includes not only snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, but also higher energy sports such as bmx riding and even snowmobiling.  However, a recent accident at the X Games in Aspen has shown just how dangerous and rife with injury these high octane sports can be.  

Competitor Caleb Moore failed to complete a dare devil spin off of a 70 foot ramp with a 450 pound snowmobile beneath him.  The snowmobile dug into the ramp and Moore flew over the handlebars headfirst into the snow, injuring himself in the process. As a result, his severe injuries have left him fighting for his life in a nearby Colorado hospital. 

The Dangers Extreme Sports Pose 

Extreme sports can be extremely dangerous and rife with injury.  When consumers watch these sports on the television or online and then attempt to recreate these stunts, often they injure themselves severely.  

In Moore's case, viewers only saw him carried off the course, injured with a concussion.  What they may fail to hear later or see later, is that his injuries worsened as he experienced a traumatic brain injury and bleeding around his heart which has necessitated surgery.  Doctors and family members are certain he may succumb to his severe injuries and die.  Moore would be the first death in the history of the X Games. 

When viewers engage in these extreme sports, they could be taking their lives in their hands and risking injuries such as:

• broken bones and fractures
• internal organ damage
• traumatic brain injuries
• back and neck injuries
• spinal cord injuries
• coma
• severe burns
• death

These injuries could be life altering.  If you have been injured in an extreme sport, please get medical help.  And then call a skilled personal injury attorney today.