San Diego Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Sometimes it is unclear who caused a traffic collision. If that is the case, can a California car accident victim still be compensated even though they may be partially at fault for causing the auto wreck?

San Diego auto accident lawyer Ross Jurewitz answers this question and tells how you can receive compensation even though you are partially at fault for causing a California car accident in this important article. Follow the link for more helpful information.

If you would like more information about this and other issues affecting California personal injury victims, please order your free copy of Mr. Jurewitz's book, The Ten Biggest Mistakes that can Destroy Your California Accident Case. It is free to all Californians.

If the other driver caused a San Diego car accident that injured you or damaged your car, should you report the accident to your insurance company?

San Diego auto accident lawyer Ross Jurewitz tells you you should report an auto accident that is not your fault in this important article. Follow the link for more helpful information.

If you would like more information, please order your free copy of Mr. Jurewitz's book, The Ten Biggest Mistakes that can Destroy Your California Accident Case. It is free to all California residents.

Nobody likes to admit fault. But if you have ever caused a San Diego car accident, you know that admitting fault is often not only the right thing to do but also allows you to receive some benefits from your insurance company.

San Diego auto accident lawyer Ross Jurewitz tells you why not reporting an accident you caused to your insurance company may be a costly mistake and how failing to report a car accident cost Hulk Hogan $1.5 million in this important article. Follow the link for more helpful information.

If you would like more information, please order your free copy of Mr. Jurewitz's book, The Ten Biggest Mistakes that can Destroy Your California Accident Case. It is free to all California residents.

Conditions on the road and overall weather is something drivers have very little control over that directly contribute to their likelihood of being involved in a fatal San Diego County auto accident. The State of California has the unique and coveted quality of allowing drivers to reach the mountains from the beach in a matter of mere hours, but that does not mean that everyone has the same familiarities with different weather conditions in our varied locales.

Fog is very common in many parts of California, and the coastal area account for a huge percentage of this. For cities like Oceanside, Chula Vista, and San Diego, foggy conditions are most prevalent during the spring and summer months, which is now. Though commonly referred to as "June Gloom", the fog really tends to roll in as early as March or April and carries the blame for many a serious San Diego car wreck.

Continue reading "Foggy Weather Conditions Raise Number of San Diego Car Accidents" »

A study commissioned by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that buyers of so-called minicars, like the Honda Fit, the Toyota Yaris, and the Smart Fortwo, sacrifice safety for the sake of economy and efficiency. You can read the IIHS Safety Report here.

The Report concludes that minicars save fuel due to their lighter curb weight and smaller size, but that the reduced size and weight also increases the likelihood of death and serious injury in a car accident. A IIHS representative states that the increase is "a big effect--it's not small."

You can read more in this New York Times story.

According to the study, minicars are involved in more multiple vehicle and single vehicle car accidents than any class of vehicles other than small cars.

Many times, San Diegans drive their cars when they are very tired and before they know it they start nodding off at the wheel. Here are a few tips to make sure that you stay awake on our San Diego roads and freeways:

1. You should remember that, before a long drive, you should try to sleep seven to eight hours the night. If not then you are asking to fall asleep at the wheel.

2. When possible, try not to drive alone. Passengers can keep conversation up with you to keep you awake and help drive as well. Avoid long drives at night.

3. Avoid late night drives. The glare of the lights may cause a hypnosis sensation to come over you.

4. Keep your body involved in the driving by not using cruise control, listening to music, and keeping the air temperature cool in your car.

5. Check your posture and make sure that you are seated correctly. If you feel too comfortable, you will tend to fall asleep.

6. About every two hours make sure that you stop at a gas station just to walk around or do some sort of a physical workout. Get your blood pumping through your body again.

7. Try to eat a snack every once in awhile to fight hunger. Hungry people tend to sleep.

8. During the day, you should wear sunglasses to fight the glare.

9. Break the monotony by listening to different radio stations, turning the radio on and off, talk to yourself, etc. Keep your mind active.

10. If none of these tactics work, then there is only one thing to do: sleep. Find a well lit area to park where you can sleep. Even a 20 minute nap will make a difference.

Source: Road and Travel.

Impact Teen Drivers, a statewide California program to educate young drivers about the dangers of driving while not paying full attention to the road, had its first session at the East County San Diego school of Steele Canyon High yesterday in El Cajon. You can read more about the event here.

The program coincided with Teen Driving Safety Week and it is meant to prevent casualties that result from inexperienced drivers.

According to Brian Pennings of the California Highway Patrol, "Traffic collisions in our country take more than 5,000 teens' lives every single year." Pennings went on to say that countless studies have shown that teenager are more likely to fail in a deadly car accident than any other way.

The California Teacher's Association, the California Highway Patrol, and the California Casualty Insurance Association put on this collaborative effort to remind San Diego teens and other Californians of what family members and loved ones may suffer when such fatal car accidents happen.

Continue reading "San Diego Car Accident Education Program Brings Teen-Driving Message To East County" »

Now San Diego can follow San Diego car accident lawyers, the Jurewitz Law Group, on the social networking "micro-blog" site, Twitter.com.

Want to know about news and issues facing San Diego's roads? Want to know about interesting developments in the law, particularly those facing San Diego car drivers and car owners?

You can follow our feed at http://www.twitter.com/sandiegoinjury and stay in the loop as events happen.

Most people have never hired a San Diego injury accident lawyer or attorney, let alone been involved in a car accident trial. However, if you'd like to know what it's like, our friends at the Maryland law firm of Miller and Zois have posted this trial transcript.

While the transcript involves a car accident trial in Maryland, the trial is very similar to what happens in a California car wreck trial.

If you're ever in a car accident in San Diego or California, be sure to contact the Jurewitz Law Group at 888-233-3180.

Forbes Magazine issued a special report at the most frequent factors that cause fatal car accidents based upon data gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the Traffic Safety Center at the University of California at Berkeley.

Amongst the factors covered in the report, the data shows that Saturday is the deadliest day of the week for auto accidents due to higher incidents of drunk driving. The most dangerous time of the year is August and the most dangerous hour is between 5 and 6 pm--rush hour. The most dangerous day of the year is July 4th.

Other factors included, not surprisingly, failure to wear seatbelts; driving over the speed limit; talking on cell phones; and drinking and driving.

Please read the report and keep these factors in mind the next time you are driving.

If you or a loved one have been injured--or killed--by the negligence of another driver, please contact the Jurewitz Law Group at 888-233-5020 to discuss your case.

(Hat tip: http://www.robertnkatz.com/)

Heavy rains came to San Diego today and will remain over the County for the next four days. As usual, this means more car accidents--including deadly accidents--in the area as drivers try to remember how to drive safely in the rain.

Our office always receives more calls about San Diego car crashes immediately after a heavy rain storm. However, we'd rather see San Diegans remain safe on the roads.

Here are five tips to drive safely in the rain:

1. Avoid skids and sliding by driving slower than usual. San Diego drivers are used to driving 70-80 mph on the freeway. Don't. Slow down, particularly in curves and heavier traffic.

2. Don't steer or brake quickly. Use a slow, gradual touch. Quick movements can cause you to lose control over wet pavement.

3. If your car starts skidding in a fishtail, remain calm and take your foot off the gas pedal. Do not use your brake. Over wet pavement, your car can accelerate or steer but not both. By taking your foot off the gas and brake, the rear axle will come back in line.

4. Hydroplaning is a common problem that happens when the water in front of your tires builds up until your car is riding on top of the water rather than the pavement. To avoid hydroplaning, drive in the tire tracks of the car in front of you. If you find yourself hydroplaning, take your foot off the brake and gas pedal until you slow down enough so that your tires make contact with the pavement.

5. If you absolutely need to use your brake while hydroplaning, pump the brakes gently.

Stay safe on our San Diego roads over the weekend. If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a car crash on our wet highways, feel free to contact the Jurewitz Law Group at 888-233-5020 anytime for free advice and assistance.

We just received this response from a San Jose / San Francisco car accident client, Amber L. of Palo Alto, California, whom we helped after she was involved in a very serious car accident on the freeway in Mountain View.

We consider this kind of great feedback from clients to be our end-goal: great customer service and results.

Here is what Amber L. had to say about her experience with the Jurewitz Law Group.

Dozens of car accidents happen in San Diego every day. Fortunately, most are minor and don't cause injury. However, a large percentage of these accidents do cause some injury and leave victims wondering what they must do to protect themselves.

Without specific knowledge of what to do after a car accident, most accident victims are left at the mercy of insurance adjustors who are looking to exploit their lack of knowledge and the fact that they have not hired an experienced injury lawyer.

Here are some things insurance companies don't want you to know:

Continue reading "What Car Insurance Companies Don't Want You to Know, Part One" »

The Jurewitz Law Group has opened a second office in North San Diego County to better serve our North County clients, including people seriously injured in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, and trucking accidents.

Our North County office is located where Carlsbad, Vista, and San Marcos meet along Palomar Airport Road and is easily reachable from Oceanside, Escondido, and Encinitas.

Our North County office is located at 2768 Loker Avenue West, Suite 101, Carlsbad, CA 92010.

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Meetings at our North County office are by appointment only and can be made by contacting our office at 619-233-5020 or 888-233-5020.

Welcome, readers.

Building upon our success publishing the San Diego Injury Lawyer Blog, the Jurewitz Law Group has launched the San Diego Car Accident Attorney Blog to educate and inform car accident injury victims in San Diego of their rights, the pitfalls after being in a car crash, and how to avoid being abused by insurance companies looking to protect their bottom lines.

We will also report upon recent accidents. However, the point will not be to simply make you aware of a recent accident but to use the specific facts of an accident as a jumping off point to help you if, or when, you are ever involved in a car accident.

Please add our blog to your RSS feed to receive our updates automatically on your homepage or your reader program.

Enjoy.