San Francisco Injury Lawyer Blog

As you can tell from my comments in prior blogs, the uninsured motorist situation in this State has gone from bad to worse. Just when I thought that I may never see another auto accident case where all of the drivers were adequately insured, the cavalry arrived. California has decided to flex its muscle and at least attempt to make sure all drivers have some coverage. Unfortunately, the only teeth in these enforcement plans is vehicle seizure. Since the targets here are uninsured motorists, civil penalties and fines against these people who presumably cannot afford insurance to begin with probably serve only to make matters worse. Again, the only thing you can do is obtain adequate uninsured motorist coverage for yourself and your family.

An article entitled, "California Going After Uninsured Motorists" discusses the State's effort to regulate uninsured drivers. The Legislature authorized the DMV to begin a systematic review of 22.4 million private vehicles registered in the state. The DMV reviews its data of registered car owners and compares their list to a list of insured vehicles (supplied by insurance companies). With this method, the DMV will be able to account for the car owners who are driving without insurance.

The State has already sent out suspension warnings to vehicle owners that do not have insurance. The vehicle owners are given 30 days to purchase insurance or show proof of insurance. If they do not respond to the suspension notice, the vehicle owner may be subjected to fines exceeding $1,000 and or seizure of the vehicle if the driver obtains a citation for driving with the registration suspended.

The article highlights the fact that, " Uninsured drivers who get in accidents can lose their licenses for one year and be subjected to civil damages to compensate injured parties or to repair property." The article also states that 14.3 percent of California drivers are uninsured and 15 percent of accidents involve uninsured motorists.

That means that if you are in an accident at present, you have a nearly 2 in 10 chance that the person involved has no insurance. Rather dramatic information, wouldn't you agree?

It is no secret that the time period between Thanksgiving and New Year's can be a stressful time for some people because of financial strains, family problems, unmet goals, recall of holiday seasons past and a host of other emotional issues. People are often not as focused as they may be during other seasons-- they may be partying or concentrating on partying or not concentrating at all. They may be in an altered state due to alcohol, drugs or otherwise.

It is not just that the Holiday Season seems to proliferate more accidents and mishaps, but that the fallout during the Holiday Season can add insult to injury. We all are anxious to have fun during this time and being injured, hurt and impaired due to an injury not of our own making is very frustrating and upsetting.

As "Coping With the Holiday Blues" on EverydayHealth.com explains, people struggling with the holiday blues may experience feelings of sadness, tension, and stress; changes in sleep patterns; a lack of energy; diminished interest in favorite activities; or excessive drinking or eating. These emotional issues impair our ability to function, both on the job and in other aspects of our lives.

Injury from a car accident, or losing a loved one in an accident can potentiate these emotional problems and make things even more difficult to cope with. On top of holiday blues, suffering from personal injuries will add tremendous pressure during the holidays. People injured in car accidents often miss work due to their injuries necessitating sick leave, disability, or valuable personal time off. At times, some people are forced to take reduced pay or no pay at all. Depending upon one's job, missing work may really not be an option and a host of dominoes can begin to fall. Injury leads to the added stress of attending medical appointments, the side effects of medications, and worrying about paying medical bills. It is so frustrating not to be able to complete normal household chores or accomplish the activities of daily living due to injuries.

Continue reading "Insult to Injury: Coping With Holiday Blues and Personal Injuries" »

Cbs5.com reported on a fatal hit and run that occurred early Thursday morning. A vehicle headed northbound on Laguna Street in San Francisco ran a red light while a cab was crossing the Fulton Street intersection. The cab then spun out, hit a pole and a car. As a result, one of the three passsengers has died. Another passenger was in critical condition after the crash while the other passenger and the taxi driver suffered minor injuries.

The San Francisco district attorney's office has arrested Eduardo Vicente and charged him with felony involuntary manslaughter and felony hit and run. According to the San Francisco police, after the collision Vicente jumped out and ran from the intersection. The police found empty alcohol containers in Vicente's car. Police are investigating whether Vicente was driving under the influence of alcohol or whether he ran a red light.

This accident raises a host of issues about San Francisco driving. The obvious here is that it is Holiday Season and drinking and driving are once again synonomous. They are a recipe for certain disaster as was evident in this crash. Be sure your uninsured motorist protection is adequate. As I have previously stated in earlier blogs, there are many uninsured drivers on the road and if one of them hits you, all you can rely on is your UM coverage. Call your broker or get on line and make sure you have adequate coverage. California minimum limits of $15,000.00 is not adequate coverage in most accidents. For the few additional dollars necessary to obtain coverage, UM insurance is the best bargain and among the most important coverages offered.

Second, if this news report is accurate, this may be one of the rare instances that, from what I have seen, that a cab driver was not at fault. Which leads us to suggest--at the risk of being redundant: wear your seatbelt especially in a cab! For whatever reason, many of us think that since we are in the hands of a common carrier, we are safe, or safer than when we drive. In this City, as in New York, nothing could be farther from the truth.