25Feb 2022 by Pat Geddie
What if a Driver Offers to Pay You After an Accident?

What if a Driver Offers to Pay You After an Accident?

Auto Accident
Some drivers are very afraid of the consequences of a car accident. Their insurance could go up, and they could even be personally liable for your damages. Some may offer to pay you money at the scene of a car accident. Do not ever accept it from them because it could keep you from being able to receive full legal compensation for your injuries. If you take cash at the scene of an accident, you would be forgoing getting the other driver’s insurance information and reporting the accident to your own insurance company. Even if an accident seems minor at the scene, you do not know the full extent of your damages until the days after an accident. For example, You could learn in the days and weeks after an…
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25Feb 2022 by Pat Geddie
Reckless Driving Is Causing More Pedestrian Deaths

Reckless Driving Is Causing More Pedestrian Deaths

Auto Accident
Experts initially predicted that the COVID-19 pandemic would at least cut some of the escalating rates of serious motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents. Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened. Accident fatalities have actually increased since the beginning of 2020, reaching a 30-year high. The main reason is that people have been driving far more recklessly than they did in the past. Fewer cars on the road actually gave motorists the space and ability to drive recklessly. Pedestrian deaths are already up over 46% in the last decade. Now, the issue is getting worse for a number of reasons, the most recent of them being an increased ability to speed. Why Pedestrian Deaths Are Increasing Other factors that have been cited for the recent uptick in pedestrian deaths are: Drivers’ increased anxiety…
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25Feb 2022 by Pat Geddie
Evidence in a Truck Accident Case

Evidence in a Truck Accident Case

Truck Accident
Any motor vehicle accident case will turn on the evidence that you have. Truck accident cases have far more sources of evidence that you can use to prove your case. However, you must act quickly to obtain this evidence before it is lost or made to disappear by the trucking company. Like any motor vehicle case, you can benefit from physical evidence that could establish who was to blame for the crash. The best thing is when you have witnesses who saw the accident. Then, pictures of the accident scene and video footage may also prove your case. Sources of Evidence that Help Your Case There are additional helpful sources of evidence in a truck accident case, including: Black box data that could show key facts about how the truck…
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25Feb 2022 by Pat Geddie
Drunk Drivers and Head-On Collisions

Drunk Drivers and Head-On Collisions

Auto Accident
Head-on collisions are undoubtedly the most dangerous type of crash possible. The situation becomes far worse when one of the drivers is under the influence. These are the types of crashes that will cause the most severe injuries and even death. In any head-on crash, each driver bears the full brunt of the impact. The crash often occurs at high speed because neither driver is expecting it and has the ability to slow down. The drunk driver does not have a full idea of where they are going and usually makes no effort to break. In addition, they are often going well above the speed limit at the time of the crash because they have no sense or speed and the alcohol makes them far more reckless. Drunk drivers often…
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25Feb 2022 by Pat Geddie
UM Claims after a Hit-and-Run

UM Claims after a Hit-and-Run

Auto Accident
If you have been injured in a hit-and-run crash, you can still recover financial compensation. In California, insurers are required to offer you uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage with your policy. It is never smart to turn down this coverage because of circumstances just like these. The prerequisite for being able to file a hit-and-run claim against your own insurance is that you have a police report. Hopefully, you called the police to the scene of the accident to report that you were the victim of a hit-and-run accident. Damages in UM Claim When you file a UIM claim, you are dealing with your own auto insurance carrier. Your policy has coverage up to a certain amount, and you are filing a claim against that. You are able to recover the same…
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25Feb 2022 by Pat Geddie
Truck Crashes on the I-5

Truck Crashes on the I-5

Truck Accident
I-5 is a vital roadway that runs practically from border to border along the Pacific Coast. The location and necessity of this highway mean that it will be packed with trucks. These large vehicles often do not share the road well with drivers, causing serious accidents and injuries. There is not much that we can say about the Freeway that you have not already heard and experienced for yourself. One of the reasons why the Freeway is so packed is that drivers getting to and from work are not the only ones using this road. Serious Truck Crashes on I-5 In Los Angeles County, there is a fatal truck crash an average of every three days. Some of these crashes occur on the local portion of I-5. In December 2021,…
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25Feb 2022 by Pat Geddie
Can You Get Damages for Permanent Disabilities from Accidents?

Can You Get Damages for Permanent Disabilities from Accidents?

Auto Accident
Your personal injury compensation must fully compensate you for all of the injuries that you suffered in an accident. Financial compensation from an accident is both backward and forward-looking. You must consider what the future holds when you are seeking personal injury compensation. The defendant has an obligation to put you in the same position as if the accident never happened, including paying for permanent disabilities. Permanent disabilities will lead to a number of different types of damages that will continue to impact your life in the future. Some of these disabilities could keep you from working again or prevent you from doing the type and amount of work that you did before the injury. In addition, you may continue to experience pain and suffering indefinitely as you deal with…
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25Feb 2022 by Pat Geddie
Distracted Rideshare Drivers

Distracted Rideshare Drivers

Auto Accident
Rideshare apps, like Lyft or Uber, allow people to request a ride, like an on-call private taxi, right from their phones. Throughout the pick-up, while en route, and during the drop-off, the driver must look at and tap things in the rideshare app. Is it really safe to have a driver relying on using an app while driving? If that app the driver was using sent text messages, it would be illegal, but if it sends Uber passenger pick-up instructions, it’s ok. How is driving while using a rideshare app not distracted driving? What Is Distracted Driving? “The human brain’s inability to quickly process numerous sensory cues at the same time means that something must give—and often, it’s the driver’s focus on the road,” writes Uber on their own website.…
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25Feb 2022 by Pat Geddie
Will My Car Accident Case Go to Court?

Will My Car Accident Case Go to Court?

Auto Accident
It is very rare for car accidents to be litigated in open court in front of a judge. The overwhelming majority of car accidents are settled between you and your insurance company, as well as you and the driver who caused the accident. Settling out of court saves time, money, energy, and sanity (in most cases). Alternative Dispute Resolution  If settling your car accident case doesn’t seem possible, remember that you can ask the other side to participate in ADR or Alternative Dispute Resolution. ADR includes mediation and binding arbitration. Mediation is an interactive process where an objective, professionally-trained mediator assists you and the other party in agreeing to a fair settlement. Binding arbitration is similar to mediation except that the arbiter decides, like a judge, what the outcome will…
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25Feb 2022 by Pat Geddie
How Do You Know Who Was at Fault in Your Car Accident?

How Do You Know Who Was at Fault in Your Car Accident?

Auto Accident
Some states use a “no-fault” car accident system, meaning that, in the event of an accident, insurance companies don’t consider who was to blame. California, however, does use an “at-fault” system for car accidents. This means the driver who caused the wreck is responsible for the damages they caused. Get a Copy of the Police Report Hopefully, someone called the police to the scene of your accident. The police will take a report of the accident, in which they will investigate the cause of the crash. A traffic collision police report in the state of California will clearly outline which driver was at fault. In order to know which driver that was, simply request to see the police report. Most insurance companies will conduct their own investigations as well, which…
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