SANTA ROSA PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY – CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER
MICHAEL REHM – (707) 225-0731
Santa Rosa is home to the Charles M. Schulz Museum, but to many tourists, the creator of “Peanuts” takes a back seat to the city's world-class wineries. Unfortunately, tourists who visit California’s wine country often drive after tasting too many wines.
The Office of Traffic Safety ranks California cities according to the number of traffic accident injuries or deaths that occur within city limits. Those rankings break cities into groups of comparable size and adjust for population differences and mile driven within the city. In the most recent year that OTS studied, 960 accident victims were injured or killed in Santa Rosa crashes. In its group of 58 comparable cities, Santa Rosa had a below average ranking of 21.
Drunk Driving Accidents in Santa Rosa
Even more troubling is that 118 of the 960 injury victims were involved in collisions with drivers who had been drinking. The prevalence of alcohol-impaired drivers caused OTS to rank Santa Rosa as the tenth worst city of its size in California.
Wineries and wine tasting may contribute to the drunk driving accidents, but there is more to the story. The number of underage drivers who were under the influence of alcohol was unusually high in the most recent year that OTS analyzed. The city had the third worst ranking of 58 cities in the category of accidents caused by underage alcohol-impaired drivers.
Santa Rosa Pedestrian Accidents
In that same year, Santa Rosa traffic accidents resulted in 67 pedestrian injuries or fatalities. That statistic gave Santa Rosa an average ranking of 30th of the 58 comparable cities.
Sadly, the OTS ranking for pedestrian accidents involving victims under the age of 15 fell far short of average. Santa Rosa ranked 15th of 58 cities in that category. Negligent drivers pose a serious risk to Santa Rosa children.
Santa Rosa Motorcycle and Bicycle Accidents
With 53 traffic accidents that injured or killed bicycle riders, Santa Rosa also earned a poor ranking for collisions with bicyclists. Compared to 58 cities of similar size, Santa Rosa had the 17th worst record in that category.
Motorcycle riders also need to be careful in Santa Rosa. With 52 motorcycle accident injuries or fatalities in just one year, OTS gave Santa Rosa the 11th worst ranking of 58 California cities.
Motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents can cause catastrophic injuries. Even a rear-end collision involving two cars can cause a painful and lasting neck injury. Santa Rosa Auto Accident Lawyer Michael Rehm will give crash victims the help they need to bring claims against negligent drivers and their insurance companies.
Santa Rosa Traffic Accident Lawsuits
Lawsuits against negligent drivers in Santa Rosa are filed with the Superior Court for Sonoma County. Civil cases are heard at the Sonoma County Civil and Family Law Courthouse, located at 3055 Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa.
In the most recent fiscal year for which data has been published, there were 342 lawsuits filed in Sonoma County that resulted from motor vehicle accidents. In that same year, 350 previously filed lawsuits were resolved.
Of the cases that were resolved, four were decided by a jury. The other cases settled out of court.
Cases move quickly in Sonoma County. About 71% of motor vehicle accident lawsuits are settled within one year of filing. About 91% are resolved within two years, almost always by settlement.
Summary:
Santa Rosa Accident Attorney Michael Rehm provides representation on all personal injury matters in Santa Rosa CA, and all of Sonoma County. Call (707) 225-0731 for a free, confidential consultation, and find out how Accident Attorney Rehm can work for you.
SANTA ROSA CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY – SONOMA AUTO ACCIDENT LAWYER
MICHAEL REHM – (707) 225-0731
Santa Rosa Accident Resources: