Automobile Congestion and Accident Risks

Auto related accidents involving serious to fatal injuries happen every day in and around Los Angeles. The most common cause of auto accidents, no matter where they occur, is operator error. Whether they’re overcompensating for road conditions or simply not paying attention to the road, vehicle operators improperly operating their vehicles is among the biggest causes of auto related accidents.
Some of the other causes of auto accidents include defective vehicle parts / poor maintenance and bad environmental conditions.

In places as congested by automobiles as Los Angeles, it’s important that residents understand the risks of vehicle operation as well as the best ways to reduce those risks. However, as many victims of automobile accidents will agree, doing everything right won’t always protect you from being injured by an automobile.

Take, for example, the 29 year old woman and 56 year old man who were both injured when an elderly driver cruised through a traffic stop and into a main entrance of a department store in Canoga Park. The woman and man who were injured, the woman suffered head injuries that put her in critical condition and the man suffered hip injuries, were shopping inside the department store when the vehicle came crashing through the building’s glass doors.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as an elderly 72 year old woman. When investigators examined the scene, they noted an absence of skid marks. This means that the accident was probably caused by the driver’s failure to notice where she was going (distracted driving), the driver’s failure to step on the brake on time, the driver’s mistaking the gas pedal for the brake pedal, or the vehicle’s defective brake system.

No matter what the precise cause, if the driver’s wrongful conduct or negligence caused the accident; the injured victims in the matter are likely entitled to full and fair compensation for their injuries. In the event that the accident was in fact caused by a defective part, the victims may even be entitled to compensation from the manufacturer of the part.

The example of the accident above illustrates just how spontaneously injuries can occur. This is why, if you ever are the victim of an injury caused by the wrongful action or negligence of another, you’re going to want to know how to respond, who you can speak to, and what to expect from the process. While these are very broad questions to ask, good rules of thumb are: get to the hospital as soon as possible, don’t speak to any of the other involved parties as they may be trying to collect information to hurt your case, and expect to be hurried or rushed into making statements either orally or in writing.

If anyone wants to talk to you about your injury, tell them to talk to your attorney and pass along the attorney’s number. If you don’t have an attorney, tell them to put their questions in writing and mail them to you so that you can pass them along to your attorney when you secure one.

Above all, make no statements or sign any documents.