Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Enactment of a New Law to Deter Auto Collisions in California

With the continuous upsurge of auto accident cases in California, the state government has enacted a new law that will set some limitations in the use of mobile phones while driving. Taking effect this first day of July, the Cellular Phone Law seeks to prevent drivers from engaging with fatal auto collisions that brought about great damages in the lives of the victims.

The said law will prohibit using cell phones unless a driver has a hands free device. Drivers who will fail to abide by this rule will be fined $20 on the first offense and $50 for the succeeding violations.

However, the law will allow automobile drivers to use cell phones in emergency cases. This law also exempts commercial vehicle drivers who are using push-to-talk phones until July 1, 2011.

With this law, California will now be included in the list of states that has a law on cellular phone use while driving.

Now, in my own view, this legal development will just create a bit of impact of diminishing auto collision incidents. The real problem does not rely mainly on whether a driver has his/her both hands on the wheel but rather his/her concentration in driving.

Again, as an auto collision lawyer myself, I would suggest that our legislators focus their attempt to minimize road accidents on laws that will compel drivers to take a course on safe driving. I do believe that adequate information will threaten those unruly drivers, which will eventually lessen the accounts of auto accidents.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Comprehensive Auto Accident Checklist


Auto accidents are dismal events that are prevalent in our society and impossible to avoid. People can be potential victims of this unlikely eventualities even how careful and concern one can be.

Thus, with these concerns, it would be worthwhile to illuminate and give comprehensive list of things to do whenever one is involved in auto accidents. For then, even if we cannot all throughout prevent or avoid auto accident involvement, at least one can learn the right thing to do after their accident encounter.

There are considerable numbers of articles that tackles and illuminate on the basic auto accident checklists.

All the guidance given are aimed at providing workable measures of protection for the victims, importantly so in their impending personal injury lawsuits or claim for compensation.

In this respect, the relevant checklists are the following:
  • After the impact, try to remain calm and composed
  • Stop your car completely especially when the accident involves pedestrian, parked or moving cars, or other people’s property
  • Try to pull off to the side of the street or road to avoid traffic congestions and disturbances
  • Turn off your vehicle's engine and step out of your car
  • Ask for assistance from people around
  • Seek medical assistance as soon as practicable
  • Be courteous and tactful to all parties
  • Call the police and relate your own tell of the story. Make sure your thoughts are clear and composed before making any statements to the police. Assist the police with their official report.
  • Avoid making statements about you admitting fault or responsibility to the any person more so with the other driver, witnesses and police
  • Contact your insurance company when you have your thoughts clear and after you have on hand all pertinent accident information
  • If able, take pictures of the damage to your car and the area or location of the accident including a complete diagram showing direction and positions of vehicles involved in the accident
  • For a more comprehensive auto accident checklist, you can ask the help of an Auto Accident Attorney.
Capping all these, you need to confer with an Auto Accident Attorney to help you prepare for your injury lawsuit or claim at the soonest. The Attorney will assess your cause and can give success in your compensation pursuit.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Lesson Learned in Los Angeles Railroad Accident

The very much celebrated Railroad Accident that besets Los Angles California, as reported by CNN International coined as "Train collision near Los Angeles kills 11", is considered as the deadliest incident in the history of Metrolink.

The incident happened in January 26, 2005 at 6:03 a.m. in Glendale-Los Angeles that ended with 11 deaths. Two Metrolink passenger trains, a union Pacific freight train and a Jeep Grand Cherokee were involved in the collision. The Jeep was left abandoned on the tracks by certain Juan Manuel Alvarez who alleged to have contemplated suicide.

The incident was alarming and devastating especially to the families of the victims -who are unlucky to survive the railroad accident. This incident should be given particular importance by our authorities as life is at stake in this respect and that a considerable number of people ride trains in going from and into their homes and offices.

Aside from the lunacy of the Juan Manuel Alvarez, this particular incident has brought several issues that have something to do with changing the rail systems to a more modern and safer one and issues relating to safety concerns- that need to be considered first over profits.

Setting aside other issues, the foremost issues to consider would be the full exhaustion of compensation claims of the survivors of the helpless victims including those that were injured in the train collision.

Up until now, the trial in this case was still on going and the survivors and other victims have not yet fully compensated from the tragic railroad accident. In a latest development of the trial, last Tuesday, May 27, 2008 the defendant apologizes for commuter rail deaths saying, “He was trying to kill himself and never meant to harm anyone else”.

This bit portion of our history taught us a lesson that we should be cautious in all our actions and must not make anything that could harm other people.

As for the general mass of train commuters, one relevant lesson to be learned from the incident was that you have to be proactive in communicating your causes of action in courts whenever you are involved in any train mishaps. You can ask immediate assistance from qualified Railroad Accidents Attorneys when cases of this nature besets you. The Attorney, with its vast experience in this matter can readily assist you in your trials or claims pursuit against the faulting party.

The Railroad Accidents Attorneys will be of help for communicating your causes in the courts of law.