Car Accidents

Ensuring everyone’s safety is the most important first step after a vehicle collision. However, once it is safe to do so, documenting the accident and the scene itself may prove critical.

Whether you need to file an insurance claim or become involved in an accident lawsuit, photographs and video can provide crucial evidence. In addition to gathering contact and insurance information from other drivers involved, consider documenting the following.

1. Injuries and property damage

Photographs of injuries and damage to vehicles and other property may provide information about both the severity and the nature of the accident.

2. Locations of vehicles and other debris

If it is safe to do so, moving vehicles out of the way of traffic is important for minimizing the risk of further danger. Regardless, it still may be a good idea to take photos of the positions of vehicles and of any debris that resulted from the crash.

3. General details about the scene

There are many details that a photograph or video may capture that you may not have remembered on your own. Weather conditions, the presence or absence of road signs or signals and traffic flow may all prove important when trying to reconstruct events later.

Even if you have a strong auto insurance policy, your provider may be reluctant to pay the full amount the law entitles you to. Additionally, if you need to file a lawsuit, or defend yourself against one, you may need to provide detailed information about how and why the accident occurred. In either event, making sure to take numerous photos may help you present the strongest case possible.

Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft are convenient for California residents who use them for daily transportation. However, anyone who sustains an injury that involves a rideshare vehicle may wonder who is liable for damages.

The driver, rideshare company or a third party could be responsible depending on the driver’s status when an accident occurs.

The driver is using the app without a passenger

The minimum insurance coverage California Uber and Lyft drivers must purchase covers $15,000 for the injury or death of an individual, $30,000 for multiple victims to share and $5,000 for property damage. In addition, when rideshare drivers cause accidents while using the app without passengers, their insurance policy must cover damages. However, when damages exceed the policy’s limits, the rideshare company’s liability insurance provides additional coverage of up to $50,000 for injury or death and $25,000 for property damage.

The driver is using the app while riding with a passenger

Uber and Lyft liability insurance policies pay damages when drivers are at fault for accidents while riding with passengers. Coverage is $1 million for a single passenger and $2 million split among multiple passengers. However, under California law, the policy of another driver who causes an accident covers the damages. Still, the rideshare company pays damages up to $1 million if the other driver’s insurance is insufficient.

The driver is not using the app while operating a vehicle

When off-duty Uber or Lyft drivers cause accidents, their liability insurance pays damages to others, including passengers they find off the app. Unfortunately, rideshare companies do not provide coverage under these circumstances, and payments are minimal because most drivers do not purchase coverage beyond the legal minimum.

As Californians continue to rely on rideshares, legislators are working to increase the safety of drivers and passengers.

It bears repeating that the roads in northern California have hazards and that you should take precautions to remain safe. While you cannot avoid all accidents, you can take measures to increase your safety.

Defensive driving refers to practices that minimize risks by looking out for road hazards

Key defensive driving tips

Information from Defensive Driving points to the need to stay vigilant when driving, even on short trips. This means using best practices such as keeping both hands on the wheel, sitting up straight and focusing on road conditions and other drivers. With distracted driving coming in as the top cause of vehicle accidents, your focus could help you avoid a bad driver.

You should also always keep an eye on your surroundings and survey the road ahead. Good drivers look at more than just the vehicle in front of them but look ahead for such things as slowing traffic or an animal on the road. This also includes using your mirrors to make sure an erratic driver is not approaching you from behind or crowding your side.

Additional driving advice

Good drivers keep a safe distance from other vehicles. This will give you more time to react and slow down in case of problems. Driving experts at a minimum recommend staying three seconds behind other vehicles and increasing this guideline during times of bad weather.

Another good practice involves staying out of the blind spot of other vehicles. If the driver in front of you can not see you, he or she could veer into your path and cause an accident. By practicing defensive driving, you stand a better chance of avoiding the expense and danger of a collision.

While your body may already have started to heal after a car accident, your mind may still have mental scars on it from that time.

The impact that a car accident has on your daily life and mental state is often more extreme than you would expect.

Problems with excessive fear

According to Psychology Today, panic attacks and flashbacks to the moment of the accident can often disrupt someone’s day. These may happen without warning or any kind of trigger, which can leave you feeling drained and exhausted.

You may even struggle with repressing memories of the event or refusing to talk openly about it. This fear can leave you withdrawing from friends and family, which may even lead to depression.

Struggles with rest

Sleepless nights and nightmares are common issues after a traumatizing event like a car crash. If you find yourself replaying the incident in your mind even when you are trying to relax, you may have emotional and psychological harm from the accident. This lack of sleep can lead to other health problems as time goes on.

Issues with travel

After a traumatizing accident in a car, you may find yourself hesitating to use transportation or even get into a car again. This fear of driving, which can include being a passenger while someone else drives, can limit your ability to travel and live your life the way you did before the accident.

Without proper help, you could also continue to develop an even greater fear as time goes on. The issues surrounding trauma following a car crash are serious and learning about what you are going through can help you make the next step.

You want to stay safe on the road, which means remaining alert to hazards such as drunk drivers. An impaired driver’s behavior can warn you to use caution around those vehicles.

Familiarize yourself with these three tips for spotting a drunk driver.

1. Pay attention to the vehicle’s lights

Drunk drivers might ignore small details, such as turning on the headlights at night. They may also drive with the high beams on, use the wrong turn signal or keep the signal on after turning.  While some non-impaired drivers might unknowingly leave their blinkers on, continue watching the vehicle to look for additional clues of drunk driving.

2. Be aware of excessively high or low speeds

Aside from the vehicle’s lights, look for very slow drivers or those traveling at a high rate of speed. Drunk drivers might drive slowly due to diminished reaction times, creating hazards in the roadway. This pattern is especially dangerous when the vehicle’s headlights are also off. Sometimes, drunk drivers speed above the limit, making collisions more harmful for themselves and other drivers on the road.

3. Watch for erratic driving behavior

Another typical indication of a drunk driver is the inability to control the vehicle properly. Impaired drivers may have a difficult time keeping their vehicles in their lane. Look for drivers that:

• weave within their traveling lane
• cross back and forth between lanes
• ride on the shoulder or center divider
• drive down the middle of two lanes

Drivers might also break or stop suddenly, turn abruptly and even collide with other cars or objects.

Looking for tell-tale signs of drunk drivers can keep you safely out of their path.

Whether you have concerns about your child becoming involved in a traffic collision or you already face challenges as a result of an accident that left your child hurt, it is essential to take a close look at various issues related to children and motor vehicle crashes. When it comes to traffic accidents, children are especially vulnerable, and the impact of a crash can have a particularly disruptive impact on their life.

Aside from reviewing data on how widespread traffic accident injuries and deaths involving young children are, you should also review risk factors that cause many kids to become involved in accidents on the road.

Statistics on motor vehicle accidents involving young children

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers traffic accidents involving children 14 and under. According to their estimates, 183,000 kids in this age group suffered injuries in traffic accidents in 2019, and more than 1,000 lost their lives. Among the children who died in traffic accidents during 2019, 19% lost their lives in crashes involving drivers impaired due to alcohol.

Looking at these figures in another way, more than 500 children 14 and under suffered injuries, and three lost their lives each day in 2019, on average.

Traffic accident risk factors involving kids

Aside from drunk drivers, many other risks cause kids to become involved in devastating collisions. Some children find themselves struck by reckless drivers while walking or riding a bike, and most fatal accidents involving child pedestrians and bicyclists took place between 6 PM and 8:59 PM in 2019. If your family is struggling with the aftermath of a serious accident due to a reckless driver, gather as much evidence as possible and hold them answerable.

The minute you exit your car after an accident, multiple thoughts that come into your head may leave you feeling overwhelmed over what to do next.

If you take some steps immediately after the accident, you can help reduce the amount of worry you feel. The time right after the crash is crucial for your safety and health.

Notice any people and vehicles

According to the AARP, taking in the scene around you can help you as you try to understand what to do next. If you notice the driver of the other car is lying hurt somewhere or does not respond, then you may need to call an ambulance.

Soon after this, you should move your car out of the way of traffic. The one exception is if the car is so damaged or unsafe that you should not climb back into it to try to turn it on.

Have a talk

After initially meeting the driver of the other vehicle, you both should exchange several pieces of information to make sure you can find each other after you both leave the scene. This information often includes phone numbers, full names and both your license plates.

You may even want to take pictures of your car and the other person’s car for future reference.

Make arrangements for transportation

If a tow truck shows up, you should make sure to verify that the credentials of the person driving it are correct. Finding a safe way to go to your destination may include calling a friend or loved one to help pick you up if your car is too damaged to drive.

What you do in the time immediately after a car crash is important for your well-being at the scene of the accident.

A thorough investigation at the site of a vehicle crash provides valuable insights into the cause.

In starting the search on behalf of an injured victim, a legal team may call in professionals who specialize in scene investigation.

Marking a scene

In the aftermath of a vehicle crash, law enforcement officers will arrive to secure the crash site. They will take photographs and videos and prepare accident reports. They will usually “mark the scene” by using flags or spray paint to indicate the location of key evidence. However, the police rarely have time to conduct a detailed investigation.

Evidence left behind

Professional accident reconstructionists will gather any remaining evidence. They will begin their work as soon as possible after the crash since evidence can vanish due to issues such as weather, sun exposure and passing traffic. Common types of roadway evidence include:

• Gouges in dirt or pavement
• Tire tracks and skid marks
• Fluid stains such as brake fluid, engine oil and blood
• Broken glass from windshields
• Vehicle debris
• Damage to objects such as guardrails, mailboxes and telephone poles
• Cargo from vehicles
• Final resting position of vehicles

Scene mapping

Investigators might also use surveying equipment to take measurements at the crash site. They then prepare drawings that show the conditions at the time of the accident and the evidence left behind. This is the scene mapping process. The legal team will add this information to police reports, any eyewitness reports and more. The scene investigation will provide valuable clues as to the cause of the crash and help the advocates for an injured victim to assign liability.