Sacramento Injury Attorney Blog

In anticipation of increased traffic over Memorial Day weekend - and the possibly of trucking accidents in Sacramento and throughout California, professional drivers demonstrated on Thursday the dangers of driving too close to trucks. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) calculated that roughly half of the 7,262 trucking collisions were caused by the actions of car drivers.

California Highway Patrol officers discussed ways both car and truck drivers can safely share the road. The CHP emphasized the need for car drivers to be aware of the large blind spots encountered by truckers. Other tips include providing trucks sufficient room to maneuver - often collisions occur when cars make abrupt lane changes without anticipating the amount of time and space required for trucks to adjust their path of travel accordingly. Further, cars should avoid following a truck too closely - accidents may occur when a truck turns or stops with little warning. For their part, truckers need to be aware of cars and limit their distractions.

In the event an accident does occur, it's a good idea to be prepared. Tips include ensuring your car, truck or even motorcycle has a first-aid kit, blankets, flares along with other post-accident necessities.

Continue reading "California Trucking Accidents Result In Hundreds Of Deaths Each Year" »

According to the Central Valley Business Times, the Sacramento area will receive close to $250 million to improve its roadways. Significantly, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) has approved $45 million to widen Highway 46, a dangerous two-lane highway that serves as a major link to the Central Coast.

Highway 46 has received much notoriety as a deadly stretch of highway. Dubbed "blood alley," since April 2005 there have been 391 car accidents, with 130 injuries and 24 deaths on that stretch of road.

Most recently, on April 6 three people were killed and two seriously injured in a head-on collision, about 2 miles west of Lost Hills.

Other improvements include substantial rehabilitation of Highway 99 and resurfacing of Interstate 5 from Florin Road to the Sacramento/San Joaquin County line.

Continue reading "Millions Approved To Improve Sacramento's Roadways - Including "Blood Alley" - And To Prevent California Car Accidents " »

A jury has ordered a Rocklin nursing home company to pay $28 million in the death of woman. According to the Sacramento Bee, the jury found that the company was guilty of elder abuse and caused the wrongful death of a 79-year-old Stockton woman, Frances Tanner. The attorney then urged to jurors to award punitive damages in order to make "company leaders think twice about understaffing facilities and providing substandard care." Tanner had fallen and suffered a hip fracture that was undiagnosed for several days, and subsequently died from an infected bed sore.

In California, a wrongful death is one caused by the negligent, careless, intentional or reckless act of another person or of a corporation. Punitive damages may be awarded where the negligent party's actions are particularly egregious.

Here, the jury found that Horizon's negligence and abuse - including chronic understaffing and inadequate care - led to Tanner's death and determined that Horizon should pay a record setting punitive damage award.

Earlier, jurors had awarded $1.1 million in damages for Tanner's pain and suffering and her daughter's loss of companionship.

Just last week a tort reform measure seeking to limit punitive damages to three times the amount of compensatory damages was defeated in the California legislature. Had Assembly Bill 2740 passed, juries would be deprived of their ability to send a message to nursing homes or corporations that place profits before care and safety.

Continue reading "Jury Sends Message To Rocklin Nursing Home Liable For Stockton Woman's Wrongful Death" »

On Wednesday, California lawmakers advanced a bill that would ban the use of metal bats in high school for two years.

This ban comes after a teenager was hospitalized and remains in critical condition with a severe head injury after he was hit by a line drive. Principals from the 10 highschools in the Marin County Athletic League have already banned the use of metal bats at games.

The accident has spurred discussions throughout Marin County, and now the legislature, regarding what is safe for highschool sports. Because metals bats can hit harder than wooden bats, the risk of head and brain injuries is greater. Despite the Marin County ban, the North Coast Section (which governs highschool sports from the Bay Area up the coast) did not pass a ban for their teams - arguing that using wooden bats would put their teams at a competitive disadvantage.

The dialogue surrounding the use of metal bats is similar to many discussions throughout the years pitting sports safety against fun, comfort, convenience and competition. Sporting event safety - both for players and spectators - is often not a concern until a highly publicized event calls people into action.

Continue reading "Marin County Head Injury May Lead To Metal Bat Ban" »