This legal guide explores the unique issues of liability in highway accidents. From solo vehicle rollover accidents to multi-fatality bus accidents and pileups involving dozens of vehicles, crashes on California highways seriously injure or kill thousands of people every year.
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California Auto Accident Statistics
Did you know about 90% of all injury accidents in California occur on highways? About 4,000 people die annually in motor vehicle accidents every year in California. Most of these fatal accidents occur on highways and freeways. More than a thousand fatal accidents are DUI-related. Because vehicles on highways are travelling at higher speeds, drivers and passengers are more likely to suffer serious injury or death in a highway accident than in an accident on a city street.
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Highway and Interstate Accidents
California has more than 16,000 miles of highways and freeways. These roads are travelled by automobiles, large semi-trucks, motorcycles, buses, Cal-trans vehicles, and even cyclists and pedestrians. Types of accidents include solo vehicle rollovers, collisions with debris, guardrails, and trees, head-on collisions, T-bone collisions, bus accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents and bicycle accidents. Accidents may be caused by negligent or distracted motorists, drunk drivers, speeding drivers, debris falling from vehicles, other drivers falling asleep at the wheel, defective road conditions, insufficient illumination, lack of road maintenance, poor sign placement, poor road design, defective automobiles, and numerous other causes. If you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault, you deserve to be compensated.
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Highway Accident Investigations
Determining who was at fault for an accident is an important first step in obtaining compensation. This starts, but does not necessarily end, with the California Highway Patrol. If you are involved in a highway accident in California and suffered any kind of injury, do not leave the scene of the accident until the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has responded to the scene and taken a report. You should also collect the contact information of drivers and passengers involved in the accident and the contact information of any witnesses that stopped at the scene. Finally, once your immediate medical needs have been addressed, you should contact an attorney. If you’re accident involved a serious injury, an attorney will hire an independent investigator to determine the cause of the accident and what parties were at fault. For this reason, it is advisable to contact a lawyer soon after the accident.
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Compensation for California Highway Accidents
Victims of automobile accidents in California may be entitled to compensation for their past and future medical expenses, lost earnings, pain and suffering, rehabilitation, and other accident related expenses. An experienced attorney can help you obtain the full and fair compensation you deserve for your injuries. If a member of your family died in an accident, you may be entitled to compensation for wrongful death. Contact an attorney with experience handling highway accidents to determine your legal rights for compensation. Most California injury lawyers handle cases on a no-win, no-fee basis. Due to a statute of limitations, you have a limited amount of time to bring a claim for your injuries or a loved one’s death, so do not delay in seeking representation from a qualified lawyer.
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