Southern California Injury Law Blog

Backovers is term that is used to explain accidents that occur when a vehicle that is backing up, accidentally hitting toddlers or young children. During the last 4 years, the U.S. has seen a fourfold increase of “backovers”. 474 children have died in the last 4 years and numerous others have been injured. Last September, a California man was devastated when he accidentally ran over his 14 month old son. Because of these numerous deaths and injuries, the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act was passed just a few weeks ago.

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Posted In: Injuries

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A rear end crash occurs every 17 seconds in the U.S. Whiplash is often the result and over 2 million personal in injury claims are filed each year; 200,000 of those are serious enough to cause long-term medical problems. But what exactly is whiplash? What can we do about it and how safe are our cars?

Whiplash is defined when the soft tissues of the neck are injured by a sudden jerking or “whipping” of the head. This sudden motion strains the muscles and ligaments of the neck beyond their normal range of motion. Even though you may be wearing a seatbelt, the belt will keep your body from moving forward but the head may snap forward, then backward, causing pain and sometimes serious long term pain.

Continue reading "WHIPLASH AND PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS IN CALIFORNIA" »

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Posted In: Injuries

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Tort reform is among the many issues being thrown around this election season. It has not been acceptable to limit the rights of people that are injured, for corporate profit and greed. Even President Bush couldn't get his plan passed through a Republican Congress, because of the continued refusal of valid health care claims, the increased lack of control by government over these companies, and ongoing disgust of the public with governmental inaction.

If Democrats regain control In November and have a house majority, major tort reform will still face an uphill fight. Whether you are a democrat or republican, this issue does affect us all and it’s interesting to see where the candidates stand on this issue. Let’s review some of the front runners on both sides before “Super Tuesday” which includes California voters. Democrats:Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have very similar views on universal healthcare reform, medical malpractice and patient safety.

Continue reading "PERSONAL INJURY TORT REFORM, DO YOU NEED IT?" »

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It took the death of a 15 year old California girl, Brandi Mitock, to pass a law requiring elderly drivers to take a written and road test at age 75 or older here in California. She was killed by a 96 year old motorist that hadn’t taken a road test since 1918-- that was day he received his driver’s license! Although rules in states vary greatly, here in California, after age 70, no driver may get automatic renewals through the mail. Is this a case of age discrimination like many see it? Or is it a safety measure geared to save lives here in California? Let’s look at the facts and you can decide.

Continue reading "CALIFORNIA TOUGHENS DRIVING LAWS TO PREVENT PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY ELDERLY INCAPABLE DRIVERS" »

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Posted In: Car Accidents , Firm News , Injuries , Motorcycle Accidents

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A tiger escapes and mauls three teenagers, next a polar bear and leopard nearly escape. No, this is not a new science fiction movie trailer, but the reality of life at the San Francisco zoo in the last three weeks. On Christmas day, three friends were visiting the zoo and for some unknown reason, a four year old Siberian tiger allegedly jumped a large enclosure and viciously attacked the young men; one died and two were critically injured. On the New Year’s Day incidence, a polar bear and leopard almost escaped from their enclosures. The zookeepers are on record stating that they are fearful for their safety and in fact, whether the visitors are safe as well.

Continue reading "CALIFORNIA WILD ANIMAL LAWS PROTECT YOU FROM PERSONAL INJURY BUT WHAT ABOUT THE DANGERS OF E-COLI?" »

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Here in Orange County, California we experience balmy temperatures even in the middle of January—the envy of the rest of the country. Weekends are filled with sailing, beachcombing and if you have kids, the playground. However, many public play areas for children are potentially dangerous and parents must be aware of deficiencies.

Each year over 200,000 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for playground equipment related injuries. About 75% are from public playground s and the other ¼ are from home playground equipment. Also, about 15 children die each year, primarily due to falls. By far, this is number one injury with playgrounds. Even though protective surface materials are available, not all parks and schools can afford or know about the various types of materials.
In California each year, approximately 1, 000 children are hospitalized due to playground injuries.

Continue reading "CALIFORNIA PLAYGROUND INJURIES SOAR HIGHER" »

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Posted In: Product Liability

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It’s just after the holiday season! If you’re one of lucky ones, “Santa” just brought you a new car this year. Just in time for the holiday buying season, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s annual list of the safest cars for 2008 has been released. New cars now have some new technologies that just might keep you safer in case you’re involved in an accident, and keep you away from a visit to a local personal attorney for personal injuries. What car tops your list? Let’s see if they match this year’s top safe cars.

Audi A4, Acura’s RL and Saab’s 9-3 were rated the three safest automobiles to date. All three cars received top scores from four of the most respected sources for automobile safety data; Consumer Reports, the Department of Transportation, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).

Continue reading "NEW CAR RELEASES, WHICH WILL PREVENT PERSONAL INJURY AND A TRIP TO A CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY" »

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Well, it’s a New Year! With every New Year comes new state laws that become effective on January 1st. Here in California, we practically live in our cars, so if you’re a motorist, these laws will probably have an effect on you.

SB 67 will hopefully crackdown on dangerous illegal street racing. This type of speeding is a serious cause of personal injury to drivers, occupants and innocent bystanders. Basically, this law will reauthorize a law that lapsed in 2006 that allows police to impound a vehicle for 30 days when a person is arrested for street racing, exhibition of speed, or reckless driving. It allows registered owners of impounded vehicles to claim their vehicles if the owners were neither the driver nor passenger at the time of the violation and were unaware that the vehicle was being used.

Continue reading "NEW CALIFORNIA CAR LAW DESIGNED TO PROTECT YOU FROM UNNECESSARY PERSONAL INJURY" »

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Posted In: Car Accidents , Injuries

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