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Santa Barbara Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys

Auto Accidents Near Ventura & Goleta, California

Motor vehicle accidents come in all shapes and sizes. They might involve cars, motorcycles, large commercial trucks, delivery vehicles, buses, public transportation, drunk drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, trains, or boats. Each accident, in turn, may also involve a different type of negligence and cause a different type of harm.

vehicles after a crash

For all of the possible differences, there is one thing that victims of all accidents have in common: the need for experienced legal representation.

At NordstrandBlack PC, we put three decades worth of knowledge, success, and resources to work helping victims of negligence recover fair compensation for wrongful deaths and injuries of all types. Our practice is focused on accidents in the Santa Barbara area of Southern California. Our Santa Barbara motor vehicle attorneys and support staff stay focused on you.

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What Should You Do After an Accident in Santa Barbara?

The first thing to do after an accident is get appropriate medical care and treatment for your injuries. It is also important to follow through on any medical advice or treatment regimen that your treating physician recommends. If you don't do these things, you make it possible for the insurance company to argue that your injuries were not related to the accident; are not all that severe; or that you, yourself, made them worse by not following medical advice.

The second thing you can do to protect your rights is contact a Santa Barbara car accident lawyer. When clients call us, we waste no time beginning our own independent investigation of the accident. We visit the scene, preserve evidence, identify and interview potential witnesses, and work with a variety of experts to determine both the cause of the collision and the full extent of the injuries suffered by our clients.

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What Are Some Types of Vehicle Accidents?

While a wide range of different types of vehicular accidents are possible, some are more common than others. By understanding what can happen in each of these types of accidents, you better prepare yourself to handle such a collision. Each has certain dangers you should be aware of to keep yourself safe, as well as additional considerations when thinking about liability and the possibility of a civil claim against another driver.

Common types of vehicle accidents include:

  • Bike Accidents: Collisions with bicyclists are among the most deadly vehicle accidents that can occur. While the driver of a car is encased in hundreds of pounds of metal designed to keep him or her safe, a bicycle rider has no such protection. Serious injuries and fatalities are all too common after these accidents. As a cyclist, it is important to obey all the same traffic laws as vehicles and ensure you are visible to motorists, especially at night. As long as you do these things, it is up to drivers to behave responsibly around you while sharing the road.
  • Bus Accidents: A collision with a bus can be particularly dramatic due to the large number of people who may be involved. Since people inside a bus are typically not wearing safety restraints, there is great potential for injury due to falling and tumbling around inside the bus. Bus drivers are responsible for maintaining safe speeds and sharing the roads with all other drivers. Failure by a bus driver to act responsibly while driving may be the basis of a negligence claim.
  • Motorcycle Accidents: While the number of motorcycle accidents per year is relatively low, they end in more fatalities than almost any other type of vehicle accident. Motorcyclists can sustain serious injuries from other vehicles as well as from hitting the ground and the motorcycle itself. Anyone on a motorcycle is responsible for wearing appropriate safety gear and operating the vehicle in a way that is reasonable.
  • SUV Accidents: The large size of SUVs can make drivers feel invincible, but these vehicles are just as likely to be involved in an accident as any other. Drivers should be careful around these large vehicles and make sure to keep the larger blind spots of SUV drivers in mind. SUV drivers need to act responsibly and be mindful of their blind spots, slowing down, and stopping, especially on wet roads.
  • Truck Accidents: Truck accidents can be incredibly destructive, especially when large commercial vehicles are involved. Professional truck drivers are held to high standards of road safety and personal conduct. Failure to meet these standards may make truck drivers, as well as the companies that employ them, liable for injuries and damage that occurs after an accident. It is important for other drivers to be mindful that professional truckers usually deal with very large blind spots, due to their large vehicles.
  • Train Accidents: Collisions with trains are exceedingly rare, but can be unspeakably tragic. Train conductors have a limited amount of control over the vehicles they command, which means drivers need to be very careful around train tracks. It takes a very long distance for a train to stop unexpectedly, and irresponsible actions by drivers can even cause a train derailment. Unsafe performance or lack of proper railroad maintenance can cause some accidents, in which case the company that owns the train might be liable.
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Take Action to Protect Your Rights

Learn more about your legal rights and options as an accident victim by scheduling a free consultation with one of our Santa Barbara injury lawyers. To do that, simply call our law offices directly at (866) 298-2041 or contact us online.

There are no legal fees to pay unless we win compensation for you.

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