San Mateo Intersection Accidents Lawyer

What Compensation Do I Deserve After an Intersection Accident?

Whether you are on foot, on a bicycle or motorcycle, or within the more safe confines of a car, cross-town traffic can not only be frustrating but dangerous, and accidents happen more often than we might like. If you were in an accident at an intersection that someone else caused, then you should recover damages for your injuries and losses through the personal injury process.

Knowing what another driver was doing in the moments leading up to an accident can be difficult to determine, and you might not know if the other drivers involved in the accident were at fault. You cannot see inside of another driver’s vehicle, and it is almost impossible to see if they were texting or otherwise distracted while driving. If you don’t have proper training, you might not even notice that they were intoxicated.

Having an San Mateo intersection accidents attorney on your side as soon as possible after you seek emergency medical care after your accident will help to ensure that you collect the full damages you need for your injuries.

This process involves:

• Collecting evidence to support your case, including what the other drivers were doing before the accident.
• Lining up professional opinions to measure the impact of your injuries on your health and working ability.
• Advocating for your best interests with insurance companies and possibly opposing attorneys if the case goes to court.

An experienced car accident attorney is ready to answer any questions you might have about your rights after a crash. Read on to learn more about intersection accidents and how an attorney can help you collect the damages you deserve.

Distracted Driving Is a Leading Cause of Intersection Accidents

People who drive distracted take their attention off of the road. This can include talking and texting while driving, using the center console display to mess with the radio or watch a video, talking to passengers, eating and drinking, and any other activity that takes your mind, hands, or eyes off of the road.

When a driver cannot see the road, they are experiencing visual impairment that limits their ability to react and avoid an accident. Manual impairment is when a driver’s hands or feet are not where they should be, making the driver unable to properly operate the vehicle and respond to changes in road condition or sudden driving threats or emergencies. Mental impairment is when the driver’s mind is not on the road and happens when the driver is distracted, fatigued, drowsy, or intoxicated by drugs or alcohol.

Distracted drivers often do not notice traffic signals or yield as they should to oncoming traffic. If a distracted driver injured you in an intersection, they should be responsible for your harm and losses.

It might be confusing trying to figure out what questions to ask and what evidence to collect to determine what the other driver was doing in the moments leading up to the accident and whether or not they drove distracted. This is where your car accident attorney comes into play, as they collect the evidence you need to support your case and prevail in your claim.

Drunk Driving Is Always Preventable and the Drunk Driver Is Always Always Liable

Drunk drivers can prevent all drunk driving accidents, as drivers simply should not get on the road after consuming alcohol. Driving while intoxicated is illegal in all fifty states, and if a driver caused an intersection accident while drunk and you suffered an injury, they are responsible for your damages.

When a driver decides to get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they are putting not only their own lives and those of their passengers at risk but every other person they might encounter while driving. When a drunk driver enters an intersection, they might not have the necessary focus and attention to properly follow signs, signals, and the rules of the road. This can easily cause them to crash into someone else.

Drunk drivers hit pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and fellow drivers alike, as they can't react to changes in road conditions quickly enough to avoid accidents. Drunk drivers may simply not be paying attention or be incapable of functioning properly and cause accidents and injuries. There is no excuse for drunk driving, and if a drunk driver ran an intersection and injured you, they should be accountable, and your car accident attorney can help you on every step of the process.

Irresponsible Drivers Can Hit Cyclists and Pedestrians in Intersections

While roads may have dedicated lanes for bicyclists and sidewalks dedicated to walkers, joggers, and runners, that does not mean that cars don’t hit these individuals in crosswalks or jump the curb and cause injury. If someone hit you while you were cycling, they should cover your losses.

Drivers have a responsibility to maintain safety when operating their motor vehicles, which generally weigh many thousands of pounds and travel at much higher speeds than cyclists or pedestrians. With the weight and size of cars, speed isn’t even essential for you to experience very serious injuries if a driver collides with you in an intersection.

Understanding Comparative Liability in Intersection Accidents

Fault is an important issue in any auto accident case. California is a comparative fault state, which means that your recovery can be reduced by any percentage of fault that is assigned to you.

Even if the other side admits fault, his or her story can change when it comes time to pay for your damages. For this reason, it’s important to collect and preserve evidence of liability as soon as possible, before skid marks disappear and witnesses’ memories fade.

You should not discuss the accident with the insurance company of the other driver. A seemly innocent answer to an adjuster’s question can be used against you to reduce your personal injury claim. For example, the adjuster may ask you if you looked both ways before crossing the intersection. If you say you didn’t look because you had the right of way, the insurance company can pin a percentage of the fault on you for not looking.

Low Speeds Can Still Cause Severe Injury

A car traveling at just one mile per hour can still run over and kill a pedestrian if the driver is not paying attention, so don’t think that your injury is any less serious if the driver who hit you was traveling slowly. Even if a car is following the speed limit in an accident, the driver may still have been violating other laws or engaging in activities that will make them responsible for any damages experienced in the accident.

Connect With a Car Accident Attorney Now

Reaching out to an attorney as soon as possible after you receive initial medical care will protect your interests and ensure you collect the full compensation that covers your past and future losses. Connect with an experienced San Mateo personal injury lawyer for a free case evaluation and discuss your options as soon as possible.

If you have been injured in an accident occurring in an intersection, fault may be contested issue. Even if the other side was clearly to blame, his or her version of the accident may be different from yours. To protect your right to full compensation, it’s important to contact an attorney as soon as possible.

At the law firm of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos, our lawyers will help you recover compensation for everything you have lost in an intersection accident or other type of car crash. We act fast and work diligently to protect your interests at every stage of the legal process.

From our office in San Mateo, our lawyers represent car accident victims in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and throughout the Bay Area. Call (650) 345-8484 or contact us online for a free initial consultation.

Note: Please bring a copy of the police report to your first meeting with us. If you have a strong case, our attorneys may elect to file a personal injury lawsuit during your very first visit to our law offices.