Motor Vehicle Collision
In trucking litigation, the defense wants complexity. They want jurors buried in driver logs, black box data, company policies, maintenance records, federal regulations, broker agreements, and expert testimony. The more technical the case feels, the easier it becomes for the defense to create doubt. I do the opposite. I use visuals to make the truth…
When a violent crash leaves multiple passengers ejected from a vehicle, determining exactly how and why the collision occurred becomes critical. In this case, attorney Todd Schafer of Schafer & Schafer LLP represented passengers who suffered serious injuries in a devastating rollover collision involving a Jeep Wrangler and a Scion. According to evidence presented in…
Four-wheeling is an exciting and fun activity, allowing people to see backcountry landscapes they otherwise might not reach. When people buy these machines, it would be expected that they include all the safety features necessary to prevent injury. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Doug Winters’ client. The side-by-side Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) he…
Few cases are more devastating than those involving the loss of a child. For trial attorney Tom Dickerson, one of the most heartbreaking cases of his career involved a family whose lives were forever changed when a commercial semi-truck slammed into the back of their vehicle. The family had come to a stop on a…
Defendants often try to minimize a plaintiff’s injuries and the lifelong effects caused by their transgressions. In the case of Yosha Law’s client, she was in a violent collision caused by a Frito-Lay North America employee driving a pick-up truck, who seemed to be trying to stay close to a company truck. The client was…
Driving requires a knowledge of basic traffic laws – when to stop, when to go, right of way, etc. The expectation is that anyone with a license knows and abides by these laws. Alex Ledbetter’s client found that this is not always the case when he approached an intersection that had 4-way flashing red lights,…
A tractor-trailer should never stop on the shoulder of a major highway. Doing so poses a grave danger to the motoring public. In the trucking industry, these semi-trucks are referred to as sitting ducks. If a semi-truck does stop on the shoulder, when the driver is ready to re-enter the highway, he should at a…
Heading home after work, looking forward to some R&R, a young woman was driving on a two-lane road that curved significantly to the left. As she traveled along this section of road, a driver in a work vehicle crossed over the double yellow line and into her lane, causing a head-on collision. The woman’s severe…
Triathlons take an incredible amount of training and discipline, and athletes are frequently on the roads as they complete both their run and bike workouts. Carlsbad is a huge scene for triathletes, and they are a very common sight on those roads. Most drivers are very aware of the cyclists, but one unlucky triathlete out…
It is assumed, when using a crosswalk to cross a street, that traffic will obey the pedestrian right-of-way laws and stop. Matthew Clendenin’s client apparently assumed the same while walking his dog in Chula Vista, CA, but was mowed down by a negligent driver. It was an admitted liability, damages-only case, and the injury to…
Everyone needs to give the road their full attention when driving, and when an individual is driving a company vehicle, it’s not just their own liability on the line, but that of their employer as well. Companies often have higher policy limits to protect their assets, so when their drivers don’t obey laws, it can…
A fundamental safety rule learned by all drivers is to always be aware of your surroundings. This includes being on the lookout for pedestrians at all times, but especially in crosswalks when they have the right of way with a visible WALK sign. A doctor was crossing the street with the WALK sign when an…