When a Car Accident Results in Paralysis

Paralysis, which is most often the result of a serious injury to one’s central nervous system, is one of the most catastrophic injuries a car accident victim can suffer. Muscle functions cease in one or more regions of the victim’s body, making long-term care a necessity in many cases. Bills for hospital stays, physical therapy, in-home care, and more quickly add up. If you or a loved one was paralyzed after being involved in a San Fernando Valley car accident, speak to an experienced personal injury attorney about obtaining financial compensation for your injuries.

Paralysis from direct physical injury to one’s body can be the result car accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, and motorcycle or bicycle accidents.  Sometimes, the paralysis is partial, or localized, meaning it only affects certain limbs or regions of the body. More severe forms of paralysis can affect nearly the entire body and leave a paralysis victim immobile from the neck down. As we addressed earlier, such conditions require extensive and expensive medical care. In some case, long-term bedding in medical facilities, wheelchairs, nursing care, and in-home ramps and other handicap accessible improvements may be required; resulting in bills that even the most robust insurance plans might not fully cover.

If you have suffered from paralysis or a debilitating injury as of the result of a someone’s negligence or wrongful act (such as driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol), contacting a personal injury lawyer with experience handling cases similar to yours can provide peace of mind and help you recover financially. A qualified car accident attorney in the San Fernando Valley can provide a free evaluation of your case and determine if you are entitled to compensation for damages and expenses such as:

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Car AccidentBy Barry Goldberg

Northridge Deadly Drunk Driving Accident Sheds Light on a Serious Issue

The summer months are upon us and with an increase in beach bonfires, summer BBQs, and Sunday Fundays in the sun, drunk driving accidents in the San Fernando Valley are also on the rise. These types of auto accidents are unavoidable and often tragic, as the recent accident involving CSUN college students indicates.

Northridge drunk driving accident leaves one teen dead

This past weekend in Northridge, a driver thought to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, killed a young woman when he crashed into her car in the early hours of the morning. The 19 year old girl was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime, perhaps from the impact of the other car hitting her driver’s side door. A total of five people were initially said to be injured in the accident, some critically. A witness stated that he saw police officers picking up beer cans at the scene shortly after the collision. Obtaining the names of potential witnesses to a car accident is always a wise idea. For more information on what to do in the immediate aftermath of an accident, click here.

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Car AccidentBy Barry Goldberg
Truck Accident Lawyer Canoga Park CA

A Passenger Encouraging a Driver to Speed or Break the Law can be Held Personally Liable for a Crash!

Woodland Hills personal injury attorney Barry P. Goldberg has seen hundreds of unusual accident scenarios in 35 years of personal injury practice.  However, liability for the actual accident has never been imposed on a passenger.  In fact, it is easy to understand why liability should not expand past the negligent driver—no matter what someone says…

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Car Accident, Motorcycle Accident, Personal Injury, Uninsured MotoristBy Barry Goldberg

Caitlyn Jenner’s Malibu Crash Brings Attention Multi-Car Crashes

As we have discussed, multi car accidents can be some of the most terrifying accidents to be involved in. With cars coming from what seems like every direction and tires squealing, it is no wonder multi-car accident victims often suffer serious emotional and mental damages.

Not even celebrities are immune to personal injury lawsuits and car accidents. In February 2015, Bruce Jenner was involved in a serious multi-car car crash on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu that resulted in one death and several other injuries. Accident victim Jennifer Steindorff’s Prius was stopped in traffic when it was rear-ended by a white Lexus, according to sheriff’s deputies. That Lexus was then rear-ended by Jenner’s black Cadillac Escalade SUV, which was towing a trailer with an all-terrain vehicle on it. The impact from Jenner’s vehicle propelled the white Lexus into traffic, where it collided with a black Hummer H2. The driver of the white Lexus, Kim Howe of Calabasas, California, died at the scene. In addition to Ms. Howe’s death, five children and two adults were hospitalized with injuries from the auto accident. The family of Kim Howe has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bruce Jenner.

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Car AccidentBy Barry Goldberg

Map Apps, Distracted Driving, and Car Accidents

Many drivers in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley claim that Waze is the best invention since sliced bread. Waze is an app with 40 million registered users that shares real-time traffic and road info, with the goal of saving everyone time and gas money on their daily commute. Google bought the Israel-based app in 2013 for $1 billion, plus $100 million in employee retention and incentives.

Map apps and distracted driving

Waze is a lifeline for many So Cal drivers who want to avoid hours of traffic and frustration (read abut a recent case of road rage gone very bad here). For example, if someone is stuck in traffic due to a car accident, they will report their observation which in turn allows other users to view and plan their drive accordingly. The app also updates a user’s route based on current traffic conditions.

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Car AccidentBy Barry Goldberg
Los Angeles Auto Accident Attorney

Analyzing the Enforceability of a Release—Was There Gross Negligence?

Woodland Hills personal injury lawyer Barry P. Goldberg is consulted for many very serious injuries sometimes related to fairly dangerous activities and others rather routine.  More and more, we are seeing a signed “Release of All Liability” which may bar all recovery for injuries caused by dangerous equipment, negligent employees and negligent co-participants.  Most commonly,…

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Personal InjuryBy Barry Goldberg

When Road Rage Leads to Auto Accidents

If you’ve ever driven in Southern California, you know firsthand just how frustrating it can be. With traffic, construction, distracted drivers who are texting and eating and reading newspapers (we witnessed that once during rush hour on the 10 freeway!) a trip to the grocery store down the street can turn into a several hour affair.

It’s not surprising then, that driving in these conditions can leave a person frustrated and stressed. What is not acceptable is when the driver takes their aggression out on an innocent victim, such as a motorcyclist or cyclist who is obeying the rules of the road but just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. While many instances of road rage do involve bicyclists and motorcyclists, automobiles are not in the clear. Let’s take the case of a recent road rage incident in Hollywood.

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Car AccidentBy Barry Goldberg

Financial Recovery for Emotional and Mental Suffering

If you have recently been injured in an auto accident in the San Fernando Valley, you are probably focused on your physical injuries. But what many accident victims do not know is that emotional and/or mental trauma is quite common following a car crash and you have the right to seek financial compensation for both.

Emotional Pain and Suffering

As we have discussed, a car accident victim can recover financial damages for emotional pain and suffering. Many injured victims, however, pay little attention to the effects of the car accident on their emotional and mental health. They are too busy dealing with physical injuries (broken bones, whiplash), mounting medical bills, and unhelpful insurance companies to focus on potential emotional trauma. This isn’t right.

Emotional distress

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Car AccidentBy Barry Goldberg

Multi-Car Accidents: Who is At Fault?

As we have discussed, auto accidents in Woodland Hills can take many forms. For example, motor vehicle collisions can be head-on, side swipe, rear-end, and hit and run, to name a few. The injuries and property damage can vary from accident to accident, but there is one common thread: if you were not at fault, and you or your loved one suffered an injury as a result of another driver’s negligence, you have the right to recover financial compensation. What happens when you are involved in a multi-car crash and each driver is blaming the other? Who is at fault?

Multi-Car Collisions

One type of auto accident that can be particularly complicated and stressful is the multi-car pile up. A multi-car crash involves more than two vehicles and with constant traffic and construction on San Fernando Valley roads, these types of auto accidents happen on a regular basis. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that approximately 40% of all traffic-related injuries and fatalities occur as a result of collisions involving more than two motor vehicles.

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Car AccidentBy Barry Goldberg

San Fernando Valley Bike Laws

Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley are relatively bike-friendly communities. Replete with bike trails, pro-cyclists traffic laws, and experienced bike accident attorneys who can and do successfully represent bike accident victims in lawsuits against angry or distracted drivers, cyclists in the San Fernando are generally protected. What happens, however, when bike trails are not available and bicyclists and motorists are required to share the same road?

As nice as it feels to have the wind blowing in your face, as a cyclist, you are at greater risk of injury in an accident than a motorist. Motorists are protected by seat belts, airbags, and surrounded by steel; cyclists may be wearing a helmet for protection. While not every cyclist in California is currently required to wear a helmet, a bill was recently introduced to make California the first state requiring adult bicyclists to wear helmets. According to some biking advocates who oppose the bill, they are worried that by requiring bicyclists to wear helmets, the state would discourage people from becoming bike commuters. According to the group, the California Bicycle Coalition, “evidence shows that mandatory helmet laws make the streets less safe for people on bicycles — and for everyone — by discouraging bicycling … And we know that having more bicyclists and pedestrians on the streets makes them safer for everyone.”

Types of bike accident injuries

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Bike AccidentBy Barry Goldberg