Personal Injury

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

The Mercury News recently reported in a story that four people were injured in San Francisco when a cable car collided with a city van. The accident occurred on Washington Street as the cable car was traveling towards Downtown. A total of four commuters, all of whom were in the cable car, were injured during the collision. Two of the four were treated at the scene, and two others were taken to nearby hospitals where they received treatment. No injuries sustained were life-threatening or serious, and no one in the van was injured.

In all vehicular accidents, it is critical to determine what exactly caused the crash. Though it was not reported as to what caused this particular collision, thankfully, no one was severely hurt. However, in many accidents, serious injury is often sustained by at least one party. Furthermore, it is important to establish the cause of an accident in order to hold negligent parties accountable for injuries sustained, property damaged, and any other negative impact the accident has on either those involved or the surrounding area. Besides driver negligence, auto accidents can be caused by dangerous road conditions, faulty automobile products, and even inclement weather. In any event, it is important to have someone on your side that will help decipher the true cause of your accident and help you obtain compensatory damages to help with recovery.

In you have recently been injured in a vehicular accident in San Francisco, please don’t hesitate to contact a skilled San Francisco auto accident attorney to ensure that your rights are protected in a court of law. At Van Der Walde & Associates, our skilled personal injury lawyers will examine the details of your accident to determine where negligence played a detrimental factor, and will hold all parties responsible accountable for their actions. Please call us today at 877-862-6288 for a free case evaluation.

Source Article: http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_13288000

According to The Mercury News, a pickup truck and a commuter train struck each other while the train was on its way to the Manteca station.  The pickup truck was on the tracks as the train approached.  The train was traveling at 72 mph, a full 7mph slower than the posted speed of 79 mph for trains in that area.  The truck driver was killed.  No passengers on the commuter train were injured.

Investigation into the matter has not concluded as to why the pickup truck was stopped on the tracks.  According to investigators, the guard arms positioned near the accident site appeared to be functioning properly.  However, if the guard arms were in fact operating as they should, then the question of how the pickup truck was able to navigate around them comes into play.  All intersections that cross with railroad tracks need to be closely examined to ensure that all possible safety measures have been put into place, including those safety measures that serve to prevent motorists from entering into the path of oncoming trains.

While it has not yet been determined whether or not the driver intentionally left his vehicle parked on the tracks as he awaited a train, investigation into the matter will undoubtedly determine the most likely cause of this deadly crash.  Once that cause is determined, it may reveal that negligence played some sort of role in the accident, and that negligence will have to be attributed to one party or another.  In any event, accidents of all kinds need to be carefully scrutinized to determine why they occurred in the first place, and a skilled Northern California personal injury attorney should be the first resource you seek assistance from.

If you or a loved one has recently been involved in a traffic accident in Northern California, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced San Jose auto accident lawyers at Van Der Walde & Associates. Our knowledgeable attorneys will examine the details surrounding your accident, will hold those negligible parties accountable for their actions, and will seek monetary damages on your behalf that can be used to help cover the costs associated with your accident, such as medical bills, physical therapy fees, and even lost wages.  Please contact us today for a free consultation at 877-862-6288.

Source Article:http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12923050

The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported in an article that a 6-year-old girl and her mother were seriously injured in a Burlingame pedestrian accident.  Holly Rogers, 49, and her daughter, Caroline Schoustra (now age 7), were selling Girl Scout cookies outside of a Burlingame grocery store when a motor vehicle struck them, pinning the mother-daughter pair between the car and the building.  The motor vehicle, a Lexus belonging to Paul Glad, 59, of San Mateo, pinned Holly Rogers with such force that her left leg was beyond repair and needed to be amputated above the knee, leaving her disabled.  Her daughter suffered from multiple leg fractures.  There were also three other people who suffered injuries due to the automobile accident in Burlingame, two 6-year-old girls and a 53-year-old man, but they were all treated at a local hospital and promptly released.

Paul Glad told police that he inadvertently hit the gas pedal instead of the brake while attempting to park his vehicle.  However, Holly Rogers told authorities that Mr. Glad began to get out of his car even before it had come to a complete stop, and failed to shift the vehicle into park.  Paul Glad did not show any signs of intoxication or impairment, although he did inform police that he had taken Oxycontin, a prescription painkiller, earlier in the day as treatment for a previous spinal injury he had sustained.  Furthermore, Mr. Glad attempted to park his car in a space reserved for disabled drivers, although no mention of whether or not Mr. Glad legally qualified to park in that type of parking spot was made.

Negligence played a significant role in determining Holly Rodgers’s fate.  If you, like Holly, have suffered from a debilitating injury that has permanently changed your life, you need the help of a personal injury lawyer more than ever.  The Northern California personal injury attorneys at Van Der Walde & Associates specialize in cases regarding pedestrian and automobile accidents, and are prepared to assist you with your case in every way possible.