2009 November Archive

According to The San Francisco Chronicle, a reckless driving act known as a “sideshow” has resulted in the deaths of three young adults and injured three others. Reportedly, a total of five people were in the Nissan Altima that veered into oncoming traffic, struck a parked vehicle, and overturned onto the sidewalk before coming to a stop. Three of the five, a 22-year-old, 19-year-old, and 21-year-old, were killed in the auto accident in Alameda County. The two other vehicle occupants, along with a pedestrian, were injured in the crash and hospitalized with serious injuries. Updates on the conditions of the three injured individuals were not included in the report.

According to residents of the area where the accident took place, the dangerous vehicular activity puts all nearby residents and their property in grave danger. Whether the sideshow consists of “ghost riding the whip “ (a practice in which an individual vacates his or her vehicle while it is placed in neutral and traveling at slow speeds and dances around it or on top of it) or a “hyphy-train” (a practice in which a caravan of cars synchronize their driving patterns in what is similar to a conga line), such vehicular behavior represents an utter abandonment of traffic safety laws and greatly increases the probability that an individual is going to be killed or be subjected to severe physical injury. Victims of such reckless abandon should consult a personal injury lawyer that will hold individuals responsible for putting on sideshows accountable for their actions and responsible for damages that result from such foolish behavior.

If you have been involved in any type of vehicular accident, it is important to remember that you have rights. At Van Der Walde & Associates, our experienced traffic accident attorneys will examine the circumstances surrounding your accident, and will hold responsible for the accident accountable in a court of law. If you have sustained injury or lost a loved one as the result of another person’s reckless driving behavior, please don’t hesitate to contact our Northern California personal injury lawyers at 877-862-6288 for a free evaluation of your case.

Source:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/18/BA751A77S7.DTL&type=newsbayarea

San Francisco’s local CBS affiliate KPIX-TV Channel 5 recently reported that two people were killed in a car crash that took place on U.S. Highway 101 near Watsonville. The driver of the vehicle, a 51-year-old man, and the vehicle’s passenger, a 52-year-old female from Oakland, both died from injuries sustained during the crash. The male victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while the female was airlifted to Regional Medical Center in San Jose for treatment of her injuries, but could not be saved.

Investigation into the cause of the crash is still underway, although police do know that the other vehicle involved crossed the center-line before striking the vehicle driven by the 51-year-old man. While police do not know what caused the other motorist to waver into oncoming traffic, a thorough investigation will undoubtedly reveal how big of a role reckless driving played in this case and to whom the negligence that led to the crash can be attributed to. Reckless driving of any kind greatly increases the probability of an auto accident occurring. Traveling at rates greater than posted speed limits, failing to adhere to traffic signage, and operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol are all actions that can be deemed negligent.

In any auto accident, negligence of some kind often plays a significant, determining factor in causing the accident in the first place. In all San Jose auto accident cases, it is important that the victims or their families retain the services of an experienced San Jose auto accident attorney that will examine the circumstances of the accident to help appropriately attribute negligent action.

At Van Der Walde & Associates, our experienced auto accident lawyers will carefully examine the circumstances surrounding your claim, and will hold negligent parties accountable for their actions, seeking monetary compensation from those parties on your behalf. If you have been injured, please don’t hesitate to contact us today at 877-862-6288 for a free consultation of your case.

Source:http://cbs5.com/local/fatal.watsonville.car.2.1227429.html

An article in San Jose’s Mercury News talks about the $1.2 million settlement that the family of a killed bicyclist received from Santa Clara County. The male bicyclist was killed in an accident involving a police patrol car that was being driven by a sheriff’s deputy that fell asleep at the wheel while driving. The deputy also hit two other male bicyclists during the Cupertino accident that occurred in March of 2008. Santa Clara County previously settled with another one of the other victims for a total of $2.3 million. The third victim recovered from his injuries, and any sort of settlement received by him was not disclosed in the article.

The parents of 30-year-old and 29-year-old bicyclists that were killed filed suit on behalf of their sons, and were awarded compensatory damages on their behalf. While the sheriff’s deputy certainly did not mean to fall asleep at the wheel, he was found negligent in causing the accident. Because there was no intent to commit harm to the bicyclist, the officer pled guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, and was sentenced to four months of house arrest and an undisclosed amount of public service.

Ultimately, the settlements amount can be considered indicative of the sheriff’s department admitting that wrong-doing on the part of one of their officers took place. As with all vehicular accidents, negligent action can typically be attributed to one or more parties, and such action can hold those individuals responsible for the behavior that caused the accident. Regardless of the situation, it is always important to retain the services of a skilled personal injury lawyer that will examine the details surrounding your accident to ensure that your rights are upheld and those responsible for your accident are deemed as such in a court of law.

If you have recently been in a bicycle accident or any other type of personal injury accident, chances are that negligent behavior played a definite role in causing you injury. At Van Der Walde & Associates, our experienced Santa Clara County bike accident attorneys will seek compensatory damages on your behalf, and will hold the negligent accountable for their actions. If you have been injured, please don’t hesitate to contact us today at 877-862-6288 for a free evaluation of your personal injury case.

Source:http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_13519726