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Calling an Uber on New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve is often a night when people indulge themselves with food and alcoholic drinks. Often times people who have consumed alcohol think that they can drive safely, which often leads to dangerous situations for all. We absolutely discourage drinking and driving. Instead, please consider other designated driver options for your safe return home.
Driving Safely During the Holidays
Holiday shoppers in Santa Barbara County probably have checklists, gift lists, and shopping lists in their minds as they head to the malls and shopping centers. With other things on their minds they may not be driving safely. Some practical tips to keep drivers safe during the holiday season include:
Does Poor Driving Make Me Liable For a Crash?
In California, like many other states, liability for a vehicle crash really comes down to whether a driver acted negligently and to what extent such actions or inactions contributed to the accident. Unsafe or negligent behavior does not necessarily make someone liable for damages after an accident, and sometimes there are mitigating factors that alter how much someone is at fault. Ultimately, it depends on the specifics of a case and an experienced California vehicle and personal injury lawyer can help you understand your situation.
While dangerous driving habits often contribute to an accident, they may not be a direct cause and therefore do not necessarily establish negligence. For example, driving at excessive speeds and being distracted by texting are both very dangerous habits that can certainly cause a crash with serious consequences. On the other hand, if someone is speeding and another driver swerves suddenly into that person’s vehicle, then it may be hard to prove that the high rate of speed contributed to the cause of the accident.
When It Comes to Teen Driving Habits, the Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree
Teens are always an easy target when it comes to talk about unsafe or distracted drivers.
Of course, the statistics seem to bear this out. In 2011, teens accounted for 10 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released a report in 2012 that indicated that the risk of a 16 to 17 year old driver being killed in a crash increased with each additional teen passenger. The risk actually quadruples with three or more passengers.
And teens continue to have the highest crash rate of any group.
But, according to research studies also conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, teenagers learn by example and the more parents work with their teens on driving before they go solo, the better and safer those teen drivers will be. Parents teaching teens safe driving techniques in a wide variety of situations tends to rub off.
Two injured in Downtown Santa Barbara Collision
The Santa Barbara automobile accident attorneys at the Law Office of Renée J. Nordstrand have learned that a sedan and a taxi cab full of tourists from Florida collided in downtown Santa Barbara, leaving two injured and some questions as to who was at fault.
The accident happened at Haley and Santa Barbara Streets when one of the vehicles allegedly ran a red light. What is definitively known is that a sedan plowed into the driver side door of the taxicab, leaving the taxi driver trapped until firefighters using extricating tools were able to free him from the wreckage.
One of the people in the cab told a Keyt.com reporter that the oncoming vehicle hit the taxi hard. “I saw it coming, “ she said, “but I thought we were not going to get hit.”
While the trapped driver first told rescue workers that he wasn’t injured, he complained of pain after he was extricated and firefighters put him in a c-spine brace as a precaution. He was then taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment. The driver of the other vehicle suffered only minor injuries.
The kinds of automobile accidents on Santa Barbara’s roads and highways are as diverse as the vehicles involved in them. That’s why it’s important to seek legal representation from a law firm that understands that each kind of accident is unique, and each may involve a different type of negligence and cause a different degree of harm.
The Law Office of Renée J. Nordstrand has the legal team with the resources and knowledge you will need to recover fair compensation for your injuries after an automobile accident. To learn more about your legal rights, contact our office in Santa Barbara at (805) 962-2022 or fill out our online contact form today.
Santa Ynez DUI Crash Suspect Wants Reduction in Bail
A Santa Ynez man, who seriously injured a passenger in his vehicle after allegedly driving drunk and crashing into a tree off of Highway 246 between Solvang and Buellton, is asking that his $500,000 bail be reduced.
According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the 36-year-old man was driving his 2003 Ford E-350 van on Highway 246 east of Ballard road when he veered off the road and struck the tree. While he suffered only minor injuries, his passenger, a 39-year-old Los Olivos resident, suffered major injuries and was flown to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition.
This is the second serious accident that the driver has been involved in. In 1998 he lost control of his vehicle on Alisos Canyon Road, killing an 18-year-old woman in another car and seriously injuring a passenger in his vehicle. Injuries from that accident left him a paraplegic.
An attorney for the driver asked that his bail be reduced due to his serious medical condition. His public defender also stated that his client’s 1998 accident did not involve alcohol and that he only was charged with a misdemeanor in that case. The driver is currently facing felony charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, causing an injury.
CHP reported that both the driver and his passenger were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash and that the investigation is still underway
If you’ve been injured by the irresponsible and negligent actions of an impaired driver, you should seek the services of a Santa Barbara County car accident injury attorney in at The Law Offices of Renée J. Nordstrand. We offer the experienced and aggressive legal representation you expect when seeking compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, hospitalization, and other damages.
If you have questions about your automobile accident, call our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022 or contact us online, for a free, no-obligation review of your case.
Lawsuit Filed Against LAPD Following Deadly Crash
The parents of Devin Leigh Petelski, who was killed following a car crash with a Los Angeles Police Department Patrol car on October 15, 2009, have filed a lawsuit against the police department, the LA Times reports.
Petelski, who was 25 at the time of the incident and working as a substance abuse counselor, had entered the intersection of Venice Boulevard and Glyndon Avenue when a patrol car, driven by LAPD officers Ramon Vasquez and James Eldridge on Venice Boulevard, struck Petelski’s vehicle. The accident spun the police car, which slammed into a tree and traffic sign. Petelski was hospitalized and died two days after the accident from her injuries.
The Petelski’s lawsuit alleges negligence, citing that the patrol car was driving above the posted speed limit of forty miles per hour and that the officers were using neither lights nor sirens to warn other motorists as they sped. According to LAPD Commander Stuart Maislin, the police department had recently implemented a policy before the crash that required all officers to use both lights and sirens when exceeding the speed limit in response to an emergency. Vasquez and Eldridge were responding to a burglary call, however they had not told dispatchers that they were responding to the call, and there was another unit that had already been dispatched to respond.
If you have lost a loved one in an a car accident due to someone else’s negligence, please contact experienced and compassionated wrongful death attorneys who will fight for your legal rights during your time of need. At the Law Office of Renee J. Nordstrand, we offer free consultations and you won’t pay legal fees until we successfully settle your case.
Los Angeles Police Office Seeks to Crack Down on Distracted Drivers’ Destruction
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/crime/la-me-lopezcolumn-20100503,0,4276097,full.column
Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez teamed up with Los Angeles Police Officer Kamaron Sardar this week on a mission to catch distracted drivers. Lopez’s editorial, which appeared in the Times on Monday, highlighted four of the many citations issued during his traffic observation with Sardar at Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz.
According to Lopez, it took only five minutes for the duo to spot their first distracted driver, who was talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device. Sardar went on to write four citations within a one-hour time period.
According to distraction.gov, a US Department of Transportation website, there are three primary types of distracted driving: Visual (taking one’s eyes off the road), Manual (taking one’s hands of the wheel), and Cognitive (taking one’s mind off of what one is doing). Distracted driving activities include talking or texting on a cell phone, eating and drinking, talking to passengers, grooming, reading maps, changing the radio station, or using a navigational device. According to the website, there were nearly 6,000 deaths in accidents related to distracted driving in 2008, with an additional 515,000 injuries.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident due to a distracted driver’s negligence, please contact experienced and aggressive personal injury attorneys today to learn about your legal options. At Law Office of Renee J. Nordstrand, we offer free consultations and no fees until we win your case.
Learn more about our Personal Injury Law Firm:
Teenager Files Claim Against the City of Costa Mesa After Traffic Accident
An 18-year-old San Clemente resident has filed a $42,000 claim against the city of Costa Mesa following a traffic accident at Fairview Road and Fair Drive that occurred on November 18, 2009, the Los Angeles Times reports.
In her claim, Katelyn Obbards states that she was riding her bicycle eastbound on Fair Drive at the Fairview Road intersection, and, as she crossed the intersection through a green light, the traffic signal changed from yellow to red in a few quick seconds, causing her to be hit from behind by a car traveling northbound on Fairview who accelerated when the signal opposing Obbards turned green.
As a result of the incident, Obbards suffered injuries including the loss of several teeth, facial lacerations, a fractured back, and a herniated disc. According to Obbard’s attorney, a police officer that arrived at the scene of the accident had commented that the timing on the traffic signals was off.
It is the city’s responsibility to ensure that traffic signals function properly. If the signal was in fact off on the night of Obbard’s accident, the city of Costa Mesa may be held liable for her injuries and damages, including medical treatment, lost wages, and pain suffering.
If you have been injured on city property due to negligent conditions, please contact experienced, aggressive personal injury attorneys today for a free consultation.
Apellate Panel Overturns Ruling in Fatal Los Angeles Car Accident
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-trucker7-2010apr07,0,6659360.story
An appellate panel from the 2nd District Court of Appeal overturned a ruling by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge regarding second degree murder charges in a 2009 big rig to car accident on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Marcos Barbosa Costa, 44, of Everett, Massachusetts, drove a big rig on the Angeles Crest Highway into La Cañada Flintridge on April 1, 2009 despite the fact that his brakes were not working properly. Costa passed two truck turnouts, where he could have safely stopped his truck, before his brakes eventually gave out and his truck struck a compact car, instantly killing its driver and passenger.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench dismissed second-degree murder counts against Costa in October, however the prosecution appealed her ruling and the three justice appellate panel found there was sufficient evidence that Costa was aware of the condition of his brakes and continued to operate his vehicle despite the risk it presented to himself and others.
This tragic car accident could have been prevented. Each day, there are hundreds of car accidents in Los Angeles that could be averted by taking basic safety precautions. When someone else’s negligence or lack of precaution causes you to be the victim in a car accident, contact experienced personal injury attorneys to learn more about your legal options and how we will fight for you to recover compensation for medical bills, lost earnings, and future care and treatment.