Goleta Car Accidents
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that a car crash occurs once about every 60 seconds. That’s nearly 6 million auto accidents a year. Of those crashes, just about one-third involve multi-vehicle crashes, also known as pile-ups or multi-vehicle collisions.
It only takes one person who is driving distracted to set off a huge chain reaction of cars, motorcycles, trucks, travel trailers and other vehicles, all colliding into each other. With thousands of pounds of metal and glass flying about, the probability of traumatic injuries and even death from multi-car collisions is high.
Turnpike Road and San Gordiano Avenue Crash
This was the case, on February 22, 2017, when multiple people were injured in a two-car crash on Turnpike Road and San Gordiano Avenue in Goleta.
What Happened?
Shortly after 12 p.m., it was reported that two vehicles were involved in an auto accident. All that is known at this time is that one vehicle was in the process of making a turn off of San Gordiano Avenue on to Turnpike Road when another vehicle (the second vehicle) on Turnpike ran into them. Reports say that upon impact, one of the vehicles flipped and landed on its roof. The accident left a total of four people injured—three adults and one young child. The good news is that all the occupants of the overturned vehicle were able to exit the vehicle and the four victims only sustained non-life-threatening injuries which they received medical attention for at a nearby hospital.
Multiple Vehicle Accidents
As briefly suggested, multiple-vehicle accidents are a reality that can occur frequently and for a variety of reasons. Typically, factors such as the weather, being distracted (cellphones, other passengers, etc.), speeding, being intoxicated, falling asleep as well as other external causes can play a role in these particular kinds of auto accidents. In this instance, it has yet to be reported as to what caused this vehicle accident. It is very important to contact an experienced car accident lawyer who will investigate the events leading up to the collision in order to determine who was at fault.
Liability and Insurance Claims
In California, individuals who are injured in a multiple-vehicle accident have several legal avenues for obtaining compensation for their injuries/medical bills, loss of income, and damage to their vehicles. Under California law, you are at liberty to file an insurance claim via your insurance policy, file a direct personal injury suit against the driver who is at fault, as well as pursue a claim against the other driver’s insurance company. Ultimately, this means you are often entitled to some form of compensation; however, it is important to note that California’s comparative liability is applicable if both parties were at fault to any degree. Remember, every driver has a duty of care (operating one’s vehicle in a reasonable and prudent manner) under these circumstances. Consequently, if both of drivers breach that duty of care, the amount of compensation the injured party is entitled to will be effectively reduced by their percentage of fault or liability.
Determining Your Claim
In order to determine what claim(s) you can pursue, you will need the expertise of an experienced auto accident lawyer.
Goleta Car Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Goleta car accident lawyer. When serious injuries or loss of life occurs after a car accident, please call me at (805) 372-0200 for free, friendly advice. I can also be reached toll-free at (800) 404-5400.
As an experienced injury lawyer practicing since 1982, I’ve helped my clients receive fair and just compensation for personal injuries, including wrongful death.
You may look up my client reviews on Avvo (the lawyer ranking service), Yelp, and Google.
I belong to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. This is a group of US trial lawyers who have successfully obtained multiple million-dollar case verdicts and settlements.
See my results here: Previous Verdicts and Settlements page.
Image Attribution: Wikimedia Commons
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