2010 July Archive

In a previous blog post, we discussed the dangers of tailgating in causing injury vehicle collisions in the San Fernando Valley. The other causes of accidents usually involve some sort of distraction that takes the driver’s attention away from the road. The three types of distractions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, are visual distractions, manual distractions, and cognitive distractions. These concepts can be combined to create even worse distractions as well.

• Visual distractions are any distractions that take your eyes off of the road. For example, looking at a billboard or pointing out your favorite restaurant to a passenger, can both be considered visual distractions.
• Manual distractions are those distractions that take your hands off of the wheel, for example, eating or drinking.
• Cognitive distractions are those that take your mind off of the road, for example thinking about a fight you had with your significant other.

An example of these concepts coming together would be inputting information into your navigational system while driving. You’re visually distracted by looking at what you are typing, manually distracted by actually typing, and cognitively distracted by thinking about the destination you are typing in. These are all distractions and they are all types of things we should try to avoid to prevent Northridge car accidents.

The most important detail to keep in mind in preventing distractions is to focus on driving, which is the task at hand. Most of us consider driving to be an easy task, when in reality we are controlling vehicles usually weighing over a thousand pounds at speeds up to 70 miles an hour and more. Overconfidence is no excuse for causing an accident. It is essential to simply focus on driving and nothing else.

Remember that it only takes a second to get into an accident and that second can have repercussions affecting the rest of your life. Keep these tips in mind every time you drive to help prevent accidents all together. If you happen to be involved in an accident caused by a distracted driver’s negligence, you may want to get in touch with an experienced San Fernando Valley car crash lawyer at The Mandell Law Firm. Call 818-886-6600 today for a free consultation and to learn more about how we can help protect your rights.

Here are some interesting statistics provided by the CA Department of Transportation regarding accidents in the year of 2008. According to the Department of Transportation, there were 452,595 vehicle accidents reported in the state of California. The police and California Highway Patrol are responsible for much of the information the Department of Transportation uses for these statistics reports. There were 170,496 injuries caused as a direct result of these accidents, which is actually the lowest recorded number of injuries since 1975 when there was 167,758 injuries.

Of the over 450,000 reported accidents, 3,113 of these accidents resulted in the death of an occupant inside of the vehicle. This is the lowest fatality rate recorded in California since 1998.

There were 278,986 accidents where only property damage was reported.

According to the Department of Transportation’s report, 1,963 people were killed in California vehicle accidents. This is excluding motorcyclists, emergency vehicles, buses, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Of the 1,963 people that died, it was determined that 574 of them were not wearing safety belts.

Here are a few more California vehicle accident statistics:

• A collision is reported in California every 1 minute and 10 seconds.
• One injury is reported every 2 minutes and 10 seconds.
• One death is reported every 2 hours and 35 minutes.
• There is one fatality for every 71 people that are injured.
• It was determined that speed is the primary cause of fatal injury in 28.4% of accidents.

On a more positive note, the number of occupants killed in vehicle accidents is down 19.7% from 2007 and the occupants injured in accidents is down 9.7% from the same year.

Accident statistics remind us of the importance of driving safe. Every driver has the important responsibility of following traffic laws. If you or someone you care about has been injured in an auto accident caused by another person’s negligence, please contact the Santa Clarita car accident lawyers at The Mandell Law Firm. Call 818-886-6600 today for a free consultation.

Far too many drivers have experienced that horrible, sinking feeling in the bottom of their stomach when an accident takes place because of tailgating. Auto accidents in the San Fernando Valley can pose many emotional, physical, and financial challenges for an injury victim to overcome. In order to help prevent these accidents in the first place, we will discuss some basic driving safety tips.

First and foremost, do not tailgate! Tailgating is the leading cause of accidents and is an action that can be easily avoided with just a small amount patience on your part. You will not reach your destination faster by driving a foot behind the person in front of you. This will only prevent you from being able to stop if the person in front of you decides to slam on their brakes.

There is no way to judge when another driver will hit their brakes or when traffic will suddenly stop ahead of you due to some unknown circumstance. This is why you should drive at least three car lengths behind the car in front of you, and even more depending on whether or not you’re driving on the freeway. This will leave you enough time to react to any sudden stops and brake safely behind the driver in front of you. It is also important to be aware of the brake lights of the cars in front of the car ahead of you. This can help you gauge whether or not traffic ahead will be coming to a stop.

If you or someone you care about has been injured in a San Fernando Valley vehicle accident, the skilled Northridge accident lawyers at The Mandell Law Firm have the legal knowledge and experience to assist you in obtaining the compensation that you deserve. Call us today at 818-886-6600 for a free consultation and to learn more about your legal rights.

A recent article stated that the cancer drug, Mylotarg, will be recalled due to new studies revealing that it has a higher rate of deadly health risks and a low amount of health benefits. The drug was originally released in the year 2000 in order to help cancer patients who were not responding well to chemotherapy.

According to the FDA, the drug went through several new clinical trials in which it was determined that the drug did not appear to work and that patients taking the drug had a higher rate of death than those patients on chemotherapy. Regulators apparently knew of the connection of the drug to veno-occlusive disease – a life threatening liver condition – but underestimated the high rate of occurrence that the condition had in patients using the drug. In light of this new discovery, the drug is being recalled.

Mylotarg has been deemed a defective drug and will be removed from the market due to the serious, sometimes fatal, injuries it has caused. Pharmaceutical companies responsible for designing, manufacturing and marketing drugs that are dangerous or defective may be held accountable for failing to properly warn customers about the risks of the medicine.

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured or wrongfully killed by medication that has been recalled and deemed dangerous, please call one of the experienced San Fernando Valley pharmaceutical litigation attorneys at The Mandell Law Firm today for a free consultation. Our attorneys have years of experience dealing with pharmaceutical and personal injury litigation and will be able to help. We can assist you in obtaining compensation to pay for steep medical expenses, rehabilitation, therapy, and loss of income. Call The Mandell Law Firm today at 818-886-6600 for a free consultation and to learn more about how we can help.

With the Fourth of July quickly approaching, a handful of Californians have already begun celebrating with fireworks and other devices. While a patriotic spirit is to be encouraged, too many people overlook safety around these potentially hazardous objects. A study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reveals that fireworks-related incidents were responsible for two deaths in 2009 and approximately 9,000 emergency room visits for injuries. According to the CPSC, throughout the 30 days near last year’s holiday, about 6,000 injuries involving fireworks were reported in which half of the injuries related to firecrackers, bottle rockets, and sparklers.

Consumers below the age of 20 are the most prone to fireworks injuries; however, the risk of serious injury or even death still exists for anyone within close proximity of fireworks or other pyrotechnics. Some common fireworks injuries and hazards include lacerations, loss of limbs, burns, residential fires and wrongful death.

Parental supervision is essential when legal fireworks are being used. Never allow young children to set-off or play with fireworks or other objects. It is also important to never throw or point fireworks at another individual. To learn more about how you can help prevent serious injuries related to fireworks this Fourth of July holiday, please refer to the CPSC’s website for consumer fireworks safety tips.

The California personal injury attorneys at The Mandell Law Firm hope consumers in California and nationwide understand the importance of their safety and well being during the Independence Day holiday. Take every necessary precaution to protect your loved ones.