Wrong Way Accidents

We’ve all been driving down the freeway when we see the shocking site of a totaled automobile facing the wrong way. Often, the driver has somehow managed to drive the wrong way down the highway, ending his drive by crashing into another vehicle, a pole, or other large object. Wrong way auto accidents occur when a vehicle enters the travel lane of oncoming traffic, typically resulting in a head-on or offset front end collision. With the two automobiles heading toward each another, and the combined approach speed of the vehicles, there is usually little or no time for the drivers to react in time to brake or avoid the collision.

While not as common as fender benders and drunk driving accidents, wrong way accidents are far and away the type of highway crash most likely to cause serious injury and death. In fact, the California Department of Transportation has found that wrong-way accidents caused 12 times the number of deaths compared with all other accidents on highways with controlled access, perhaps because they often involve more than one vehicle.

Details
Car AccidentBy Barry Goldberg

Why Can’t I Get My Traffic Collision Report?

Woodland Hills personal injury lawyer Barry P. Goldberg gets this question all the time.  In fact, sometimes the failure to obtain a police traffic collision report is the motivating reason why accident victims decide to contact a personal injury lawyer in the first place.  Because the traffic collision reports are more than just information, this…

Details
Articles, Bike Accident, Car Accident, Motorcycle Accident, Pedestrian Accident, Personal Injury, Uninsured MotoristBy Barry Goldberg

Commercial Bus Rollover Accidents

As we have discussed, rollover accidents happen with some regularity throughout Southern California. Many of these tragic accidents involve SUVs, trucks, buses, and other large vehicles and occur because of driver error, such as tiredness. What happens if you are a passenger on a bus or other form of public transportation and you are injured…

Details
Personal InjuryBy Barry Goldberg

Troubling Numbers Show Auto Accidents on the Rise

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), auto accidents are on the rise and these rising accident numbers are “a troubling departure from a general downward trend.”  For the first half of 2015, traffic-related fatalities nationally spiked upward when compared against the same period from 2014. In fact, they jumped by more than 8% over the previous year. And unfortunately, the statistics relating to roadway deaths in 2014 were anything but positive. Statistics from NHTSA reports indicate that, on average, nearly 90 people died in the United States in motor vehicle crashes every day last year.

Is there a specific reason that so many innocent victims are being killed in car accidents in California and throughout the country?

Details
Car AccidentBy Barry Goldberg

El Nino Is Here! How You Can Avoid a Car Accident

As Southern California drivers know, weather is not generally our biggest concern when it comes to tackling the roads. Now traffic on the other hand… We can count on gridlock on the 101, 405, 10, and just about every side street throughout the San Fernando Valley! However, things are changing this winter — El Nino has arrived.

According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, there is an 80% chance that El Niño will continue to rain over California until early spring. This mean that throughout January, February, March, and even into April, California drivers can expect to see colder weather, torrential rainfall at times, and wet roads. For many young drivers, this will be their first time dealing with these less than desirable road conditions. It is important to make sure that whether you are a passenger or another driver on the road, you stay safe and avoid being injured in a serious auto accident.

A few safe-driving best practices for wet roads caused by El Nino include…

Details
Car AccidentBy Barry Goldberg

Getting Coverage for your Property Loss — Consider the “Efficient Proximate Cause.”

Woodland Hills personal injury attorney has significant experience in insurance and insurance coverage.  Often, the ability to understand and access insurance coverage is a key component in a successful recovery in a large personal injury action.  Many of the insurance coverage principles overlap when analyzing your own first party property damage claims—particularly water damage claims.  Most homeowners are baffled when their water damage or other claim is denied.  I always recommend that the insured actually read the policy and consider the “efficient proximate cause” of the loss, especially when there are multiple causes for the loss.

Details
Personal InjuryBy Barry Goldberg

9 Year Old’s Death Brings Attention to Pit Bull Attacks

Pit bulls are loved by many, but a recent case of a tragic dog bite mauling reminds us that these animals can be deadly.

The facts are as follows: a 9 year old California boy was left alone in his sister’s trailer home with three pit bulls for approximately three hours on Sunday morning when the sister arrived home to find the boy barely clinging to his life. According to official reports, deputies found the child in the trailer home with life-threatening injuries around 10am. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. Investigators said the dog bite victim’s 24-year-old sister left the child home alone with the dogs when she left to go to work.

The death of this young boy is tragic and reminds us that dog bite attacks happen all to often in the greater Los Angeles area.  In fact, this young boy is one of many recent attacks by aggressive pit bulls to take place in the last few months. The victims were individuals of all ages. If you or a loved one has been injured by a vicious dog, contact an experienced dog bite lawyer immediately to discuss your legal rights and potential for financial recovery.

Details
Dog BiteBy Barry Goldberg

Motorcycle Accidents and a “Contract for Safety”

Motorcycle accidents are all too common in the San Fernando Valley. Whether its riders coming to or from the windy canyon roads or those using their bikes as an opportunity to avoid some of the 101’s notoriously heavy traffic, more and more motorcyclists are on the roads. And more and more of these riders are getting seriously injured, through no fault of their own, in serious motorcycle crashes. If you or a loved one was injured in a motorcycle crash in Woodland Hills or the surrounding area, know that there are experienced motorcycle accident attorneys on your side.

In an attempt to reduce some of these accident-related injuries (many of them fatal), the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) has introduced a “Contract for Safety” tool for riders. The goal is to foster “communication between prospective motorcyclists and their friends and family members about a safe way forward to motorcycling.” The contract is available for free download on the organization’s website, msf-usa.org.

Details
Motorcycle AccidentBy Barry Goldberg

Expert Testimony is Necessary to Establish Some Types of Damage, But Not Others.

Woodland Hills personal injury attorney Barry P. Goldberg is often faced with decisions whether to hire experts on medical causation, or allow the plaintiff and the jury to apply common sense.  Essentially, the question of whether an expert is required comes down to whether the medical [or economic] condition is “beyond common experience” such that…

Details
Bike Accident, Car Accident, Motorcycle Accident, Pedestrian Accident, Personal Injury, Slip and Fall, Uninsured MotoristBy Barry Goldberg

Who’s at Fault in a Car Accident During Bad Weather?

Southern California is typically the home of sunshine and warm weather. We generally don’t have to deal with the icy roads, snow, and torrential rain that drivers in other states face each winter. With this nice weather comes inexperience with less than perfect driving conditions. As you have probably experienced firsthand, driving through the San Fernando Valley during a rainstorm can be a harrowing ordeal, with traffic backed up for hours due to car crashes, cautious drivers, and other accidents.

So who’s to blame when the weather causes a car accident in California?

As we have discussed in previous posts, not all car accidents in Woodland Hills are cut-and-dry when it comes to determining liability.  Multiple factors can contribute to fender benders, multi-car pile ups, and catastrophic crashes including driver error, mechanical failure (such as faulty brakes), and inclement weather conditions. If you or a loved one were injured in a car accident that was not your fault, speak to an experienced auto accident lawyer who can review all of these factors and build a strong case on your behalf.

Details
Car AccidentBy Barry Goldberg