Sacramento Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Many car accidents happen each day right here in Sacramento. Turn on the news or radio and you will see dozen of stories from the day and the resulting injuries and traumas. I know the amount of stories we hear at the Law Offices of Moseley Collins can get somewhat frightening and startling.

So what can we do to prevent it? Well, although we may not be able to prevent car accidents completely, there things to help minimize injury and damage if one was to occur. One of these is the kind of car you drive and how safe it is.

We often hear about statistics on how safe or approved a car is... want to see it for yourself? Consumer Reports came out with a video documenting how different cars fare up to a crash test. It shows the test in slow motion as well, letting the viewer see how their car would hold up in a front and side impact crash.

I was pleased tosee my daughter's car, a Ford Fusion, held up well in the crash test. Unfortunately, the car she is planning on purchasing in the future, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, didn't do so hot... Well, we will have to talk about that decision. It's better to know now than at a future (and more costly) date.

Take a look...

Click here to see how your car holds up.

As my son just turned 15, I realize that he is approaching the age of driving. I find myself being more aware of articles and news relating to young people involved in automobile accidents in the Sacramento area. And it scares me to death. Especially since I am on staff for a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. We see many people and many teenagers who have been injured in an auto accident, car crash, or a motorcycle accident.

Consider this information from the California Department of Motor Vehicles:

Teenage Driver Vehicle Crash Risk Factors

“The traffic accident rates for 16- to 19-year old drivers are higher than those for any other age group. What causes teenage drivers to have so many accidents?

Risk Taking
Teenagers tend to take more risks while driving their car or motorcycle or truck, partly due to their overconfidence in their driving abilities. Young novice drivers are more likely to engage in risky behaviors like speeding, tailgating, running red lights, violating traffic signs and signals, making illegal turns, passing dangerously, and failure to yield to pedestrians.”

Why do our teenage drivers take so many risks when driving a car, motorcycle or truck? Why are they more likely to have a car crash and motor vehicle accidents in Sacramento and throughout California? Because the typical teenage driver doesn’t appreciate the risks of winding up injured or even killed in an auto or motorcycle accident.

What can we do to prevent accidents? We need to keep reminding our kids of the risks of a serious car crash. I know I will.

~ Tammy, stepping in for Moseley Collins

Paris Hilton.
Shemar Moore.
Ray Liotta.
Viveca A. Fox.

What do all of these celebrities have in common? They have all recently been arrested for the crime of DUI, or driving under the influence. Unfortunately, celebrities are not the only people who are guilty of drinking and driving. It often leads to car accidents, motorcycle crashes and truck accidents. But they do help to remind us that driving under the influence is a dangerous crime. Our Sacramento Personal Injury Law Firm represents many people who have had their lives forever injured by a drunk driver.

In 2005, 34% of all people killed in traffic accidents in California involved a car crash with a person whose blood alcohol concentration was 0.08 or higher. Drivers with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or above are considered legally intoxicated. Such car accidents resulted in 1,466 deaths in California in the year 2005. According to the US Department of Transportation, this is the highest number of alcohol-related deaths in ten years. And the death totals have been rising for the last seven years. Because of this increase, many of us know of a friend or family member who was killed in a car crash by a drunk driver.

As a lawyer and concerned parent, I was the founding President of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) Santa Clara County Chapter. M.A.D.D. and similar organizations in Sacramento and elsewhere have been helpful in getting the word out about the dangers of drunk driving and auto accidents, but it appears there is more work to be done.

Don't drink and drive...

At the Law Offices of Moseley Collins, we know auto accidents, motorcycle and truck accidents occur every day in Sacramento and throughout California.

Severe car, motorcycle and truck accidents can leave a crash victim with a traumatic brain injury. As a Sacramento car accident law firm we regularly assist victims who are suffering from a catastrophic brain injury. If you ever find yourself in this position, as an auto accident victim with trauma to the brain, one key aliment to watch out for is vertigo. This will assist your lawyer or attorney in representing you.

According to Dr. Kuljit Singh, “Head injuries from motor vehicle accidents or any other kind of trauma would result in traumatic vertigo. Vertigo occurs when sensation from the inner ear, eyes and sensation throughout the body are mismatched.”

Continue reading "Vertigo: Common In Car Accident & Brain Injury" »

In Sacramento and California today, our desire to maximize our time is more prevalent than ever. One of the most common ways we have found to achieve this goal is through the ever-growing popularity of cell phone use and driving. It allows us to be at two places at one time, creating a type of mobile office, and so much more. This "ideal", however, has not come without its own problems.

Over the past several years, we have seen more and more links to cell phone use while driving and car crashes. Studies show that almost 80% of crashes and 64% of near-crashes involve some sort of driver distraction within the 3 seconds prior. Out of all the causes, cell phone use is the most common distraction.

Another study, conducted by the University of Utah in the summer of 2006, concludes that talking on a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk. I know this may seem shocking at first, but if you think about the state of mind many people get into while talking on the phone, it makes more and more sense.

Cases have risen with large awards given to plaintiffs who were injured from someone who was distracted by their cell phone conversation. If you have been in an accident, find out what was the cause. Police reports will indicate whether the driver was talking on their cell phone at the time of the accident. If you would like further advice in this area and have been injured in an accident, please call us at the law office.

Over and out...

For more information please click here.

No one ever wants to be in an auto accident, much less the cause of the crash, and even more less to have the owner of the wrecked car owned by the highway patrol. This, unfortunately, is exactly what happened just west of our Sacramento home off of I-80 in Berkley, CA two nights ago.

Much known to us Sacramento locals, the I-80 can be hectic at times. But at 2:15 in the morning, this accident wasn't anything less than a negligent driver.

While evaluating a man suspected of drunk driving, two officers barely missed being hit by a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado that was driving partially on the shoulder of the interstate. Going 65 mph, the truck hit the highway patrol car, sending the officer's car propelling 35 feet. The Silverado then proceeded to hit the suspected drunk man's Toyota Tacoma, coming to a stop thereafter. Two people were injured in the accident, including the man the officers were evaluating who suffered a broken femur.

Unsuspected car accidents such as this happen all the time. If you have been injured in a car crash from a negligent driver, please do not hesitate to call us for help and advice at the Law Offices of Moseley Collins.

Have a good day and watch out for those patrol cars...

For complete article please click here.