Carlsbad Personal Injury Attorney - Car Accident Lawyer
Free Consultations - Call Michael Rehm at (619) 787-3456
Surfers drive to Carlsbad to enjoy Tamarack Surf Beach, while parents like to spend time with their kids at Legoland California. The Flower Fields provide beauty for everyone, as do the peacocks at Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park. Abundant resorts make Carlsbad a prime tourist destination, but residents think of Carlsbad as “the village by the sea” because of its relaxed vibe.
While the city's inhabitants may think of Carlsbad as a village, the city's 178 traffic signals prove that traffic is part of the Carlsbad lifestyle. Commuters, tourists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists all contend with Carlsbad traffic. And unfortunately, they all take the risk of becoming victims of a collision. In the most recent year for which statistics are available, more than 660 people were injured or killed in Carlsbad traffic accidents.
Carlsbad residents and visitors need an aggressive car accident lawyer when they are injured, or when a loved one is killed, in a collision. Carlsbad Personal Injury Lawyer Michael Rehm represents accident victims in Carlsbad and surrounding areas recover financial compensation for their injuries.
Carlsbad Car Accident Injuries
Traffic accidents can injure drivers, passengers, motorcycle riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Common traffic accident injuries in Carlsbad include:
- Neck injuries — particularly whiplash injuries caused by rear-end collisions
- Broken bones — arm, leg, and rib fractures are the common
- Head injuries — including concussions and traumatic brain injuries
- Joint injuries — knees are particularly vulnerable in car crashes
- Disfigurement — glass from broken windshields can cause facial scarring
- Amputations — lost limbs or feet can result from serious crashes
- Spinal injuries — broken vertebrae and ruptured disks are painful, while a severed spinal column can cause paralysis
- Organ damage — crush injuries from a rolling car or overturned motorcycle can damage kidneys, lungs, and other organs
- Eye injuries — flying debris in a car crash can cause loss of vision
- Hearing loss — about 17% of car occupants suffer hearing loss when airbags inflate
- Muscle injuries — torn or stretched muscles in shoulders, the lower back, and other parts of the body can cause years of pain
- Ligament injuries —ligaments in ankles, knees, and wrists are vulnerable to injury in crashes
- Nerve damage — nerve injuries can cause lasting pain that defies treatment
Emotional distress is an inevitable outcome of a physical injury. Anxiety and depression are among the psychological injuries caused by traffic accidents.
Common Carlsbad Auto Accidents
The most common car crash in Carlsbad are rear-end collisions. “Rear-enders” typically cause whiplash injuries. Neck pain caused by a whiplash is not always noticeable until 12 to 72 hours after the accident. It is important to seek treatment at the first sign of neck pain, because patients recover more quickly when treatment begins immediately. Also, since insurance adjusters typically maintain the fiction that whiplash injuries are not real, prompt treatment makes it easier to prove that the accident victim didn't decide to fake an injury long after the accident occurred.
Intersection accidents occur when drivers run red lights or fail to yield to oncoming cars or pedestrians in crosswalks. Most intersection accidents are “T-bone” collisions involving the front of one car and the side of another car. Occupants of a car are particularly vulnerable to T-bone collisions when the car has no side-impact airbags. A local radio station reports that the intersection of Palomar Airport Rd. and Paseo Del Norte is the most dangerous in Carlsbad, but any intersection can be dangerous when drivers aren't paying attention.
Other common Carlsbad accidents include:
- Head-on collisions
- Sideswipes
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
Even unsafe backing can cause an accident if a driver strikes another car in a parking lot or hits a pedestrian while backing out of a driveway.
Causes of Carlsbad Traffic Accidents
Distracted driving has become the number one cause of traffic accidents in Carlsbad. Cellphones are a frequent cause of distracted driving. Not all drivers obey California's “hands free” law, which prohibits holding a phone while driving. However, even when a phone is mounted to a dashboard, taking time to read a text instead of watching the road can lead to a collision.
Distracted driving explains most rear-end collisions, as well as many accidents involving pedestrians and bicycles. Drivers who aren't watching the road don't see pedestrians who are crossing the street. Drivers who aren't paying attention stray into bike lanes.
Most motorcycle accidents in Carlsbad are caused by drivers making a left turn without yielding to an oncoming motorcycle. Drivers either fail to notice the motorcycle or misjudge the speed at which it is approaching.
Other causes of Carlsbad accidents include:
- Drunk driving
- Aggressive driving
- Driving while fatigued
- Trying to beat red lights
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Changing lanes without checking blind spots
- Unsafe backing
Any accident that is caused, even in part, by another driver's negligence will entitle the accident victim to compensation.
Compensation
Compensation for a traffic accident is designed to put the accident victim in the position that he or she occupied immediately before the accident. It isn't possible to make injuries disappear, but accident victims deserve reimbursement for medical bills that were incurred to treat those injuries, as well as the cost of future health care that the injury victim will probably need.
Accident victims should also receive the wages they lost because they were injured, and the value of their lost future earnings if a disability will prevent them from returning to work. If injuries will prevent an accident victim from resuming his or her former employment, compensation should include the expense of vocational training so that the victim can find new employment.
When injuries cause a permanent disability, damages should include the cost of living with that disability. A paralyzed accident victim might potentially need to add ramps to their home and to purchase a wheelchair-accessible van that operates with hand controls. Hiring a caretaker and rehabilitation specialists may be necessary when an accident victim suffers from a traumatic brain injury.
Compensation does not take away pain, but it permits accident victims to ease their financial worries and to pursue offset their pain by spending money in ways that will increase their pleasure. Experienced personal injury lawyers place a value on pain and suffering by examining the unique circumstances of each injury victim and by considering the verdicts that San Diego County juries have awarded for similar injuries.
For additional information on how Attorney Rehm can help, call for a free, confidential consultation.
Carlsbad CA Car Accident Lawyer -- Michael Rehm -- (619) 787-3456
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