Auto Accident

Mobile Phones Behind the Wheel – An Evolving Danger

Anyone who has ever been behind the wheel of an automobile will eventually come across an auto accident. A majority of the time, these are the result of not paying close attention to the road. With the advent of mobile phones with texting and email capabilities, the dangers of “distracted driving” are more apparent than ever. The combination of driving and constant communication has created a recipe for disaster.

In 2010 alone, about 1.6 million traffic accidents in the U.S. were caused by the use of mobile phones while driving. That figure represents more than 28 percent of all traffic accidents. While the culprit used to be talking on mobile phones, now the problem has evolved into texting, sending and receiving emails, photos, and browsing the internet while behind the wheel.

Need to Text? Pull Over.

Now, technology allows us to remain in constant touch with others. While this is intended to be a matter of convenience, it can quickly place others in a danger. Consider the fact that in 2009, the number of text messages sent totaled 1.5 trillion. By 2010, that number had increased by four-fold, to 6.1 trillion. With more and more individuals getting mobile phones with text and email capability, that number will continue to climb rapidly.

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I Resolve to …

New Year’s resolutions. Many of us make them, but not many of us manage to keep them. They generally have to do with things we feel, if accomplished, would make us a better, or healthier, or more prosperous person. We resolve to lose weight, or stop smoking, or to start working out or running, or to simply try to be a nicer human being.

These are all laudable and worthwhile objectives, and we encourage everyone to do your best to achieve whatever goals you’ve resolved to reach in 2012. But, we have a couple of items we’d like to suggest that you add to your list. They’re not traditional New Year’s resolutions, but we think they would be worth your time and effort, and might save you, or a loved one, or even a total stranger from harm and/or liability in the coming months and years.

Make a List … or Several

• Have all your vehicles checked thoroughly for potential safety issues. This means your cars, motorcycles, motor homes, watercraft, camping trailers, bicycles, even your skateboard. Check them all to be sure that wheels, brakes, lights – anything that could cause an accident, should it malfunction – are in good working order.

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I Can Do This. Right?

Personal injury law encompasses a broad array of circumstances. These may include, but are not limited to, injury in an auto accident or some mode of public transportation, slip and fall on property owned by someone else, injury from dog bite or other animal that does not belong to you. These, and more, all fall under the umbrella of personal injury and the severity of your injury may have a big impact on exactly how your claim is processed. There may be occasions when you could handle a claim on your own, either through an insurance company or small claims court. In other situations, you would be well advised to seek the counsel of a qualified legal professional. This will depend on the seriousness of your injury, and your comfort level in dealing with bureaucratic red tape.

When Is It Smart To Do It Yourself?

Auto accidents are by far one of the most common causes of personal injury, even for good, careful drivers. If you’re rear-ended by another driver and injuries to you and your passengers are slight, and the damage to your car is minor, you may feel comfortable simply filing a claim with your insurance, or the other driver’s insurance. If you feel that compensation is sufficient to cover repairs to your vehicle and any medical treatment received, and you are satisfied with the timeliness and professionalism of the service, then this would constitute a good outcome for you.

If, on the other hand, you’re not comfortable or not willing to negotiate with insurance adjusters to reach what you consider to be fair compensation for your loss, then you should turn this task over to someone who is skilled and professional and who can represent your best interests. Waiting until you’ve tried and failed to arrive at a fair settlement, and then seeking the advice of a personal injury lawyer can complicate your claim process. If you’re unsure about how to handle your personal injury claim, contact an attorney immediately and explain the details of your case. Most will offer a free consultation, and most will inform you if their services are not really required for your particular situation.

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Holiday Air Travel Doesn’t Have to be Maddening

Are you one of those people who starts to get anxious, even angry, at the very thought of flying to be with family during the holiday season? Holiday flight doesn’t always have to be a nightmare. In our last post, we offered a few tips to make driving to your holiday destination a little less stressful, and maybe even a little safer. In this post, we’re going to look at holiday air travel with the same eye to lowering stress, and getting you to Grandma’s house in a mood to celebrate.

Winter Still Counts

Just as it does when traveling by auto, winter weather can have a huge influence on how well your trip by air will go. When you add cold, unpleasant, even extreme weather conditions to the fact that hundreds of thousands of extra travelers are competing for available airline seats, some bad things are bound to happen. But if you begin your journey with the expectation of delays, cancellations, and missed connections, you could well be one of the few people in the airport who is relatively calm and stress free. It just takes a little pre-planning, and the right frame of mind.

Here’s Your Air Travel Checklist

The Mandell Law family hopes your holiday air travel will be as pleasant as possible, and that you to get there and back without suffering undue stress. With that goal, we offer the following tips to help you make the best of it.

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Plan For Fun. Prepare for Adversity.

The holiday season is upon us, and for many Southern California families holiday tradition sometimes means travel, whether driving to a nearby city to visit parents and grandparents, or flying across the country to participate in a large family gathering. In either case, there are potential stresses and hazards that can be mitigated, or even avoided altogether, with a little careful planning beforehand.

The Winter Roadtrip

If you’re planning to drive to your holiday destination keep in mind that winter driving conditions, even in parts of California, are the most dangerous. Auto accidents related to driving in snow and ice result in 6000 deaths each year in this country. Another half million Americans are injured, according to The National Center for Atmospheric Research.

A Holiday Travel Checklist

The Mandell Law family wants your holiday trip to be as safe, happy, and stress-free as possible, so here are a few tips that can help you enjoy a warm and joyous holiday trip.

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Some Surprises Can Make Your Day

Some days just don’t turn out exactly as we expected. But, sometimes, the surprises can turn out to be just what we needed. As most of us begin looking forward to the season of holidays, whether we celebrate for religious, or secular, or personal reasons, we make more of an effort to find the good in others as well as in ourselves, and we reflect on what we’ve been most thankful for over the past year. I decided to share a recent day from my life, and my daughter’s, that I found humorous, heartwarming, and that included one of those surprises that made my day. I hope you enjoy it.

At our house, mornings aren’t always a time of peace and tranquility. More often than not, it’s chaos and disorder. Trying to juggle professional and personal lives can be challenging. On this particular morning, I was running late, and realized I would not be able to get my 3-year-old daughter, Vanessa, to preschool and still make it to court in time for my scheduled appearance. After some internal debate, I decided the only solution was to take Vanessa to court with me. “I guess it’s never too early to start training her to be a lawyer,” I thought.

An Unexpected Day in Court

As we rushed into the courtroom, I reminded Vanessa that this is where Mommy works, and tried to impress on her how important it was to stay quiet while court was in session.

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Ensure Your Best Possible Recovery ~

It can certainly be a life-altering event, and the first thing you should know about spinal cord injury is that it does not always present symptoms immediately after sustaining damage. If you suffer a head, neck, or back injury, even if you feel that it’s minor, get the opinion of a qualified health care professional immediately. If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, you should know what steps to take to ensure that you’ll receive the best medical care and rehabilitation efforts.

All brain injuries and injuries to the spinal cord are potentially dangerous. They can cause excruciating pain, take away your freedom of movement, speech, or hearing, and can even result in death. If you suffer an injury to the spinal cord due to an accident, on the job or elsewhere, you’ll not only need excellent medical attention but also the counsel of a skilled personal injury attorney. More often than not, there will be an intimidating maze of legalities that must be dealt with before you can get on with treatment and recovery.

Things to Keep in Mind

After you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury, take the following steps to ensure that you won’t be left without help and without the means to ensure your best possible recovery.

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Know What to Do Next ~

In the United States, someone suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every 15 seconds. A TBI is the most frequent cause of disability or death among children and adolescents, according to the Brain Injury Association. Approximately five million head injuries occur every year, and most result from what appears to be only a bump or bruise to the head, but is actually quite a bit more serious.

What Are the Symptoms?

Any head trauma has the possibility of also causing injury to the brain. A head injury can be suspicious for brain damage if the following symptoms are present: unconsciousness, headache, convulsions, dazed expression, drowsiness, vomiting, memory loss or amnesia concerning the injury, as well as unequal pupil size. In addition, more obvious symptoms can include a bloody nose or bleeding from the ear without any noticeable fractures or cuts. Following a head injury, it is important to keep close tabs on any changes and be prepared for questions such as, “When did this change begin?” Try to recall specifics surrounding your fall or accident and when your first noticed impairment. For example, if you’re feeling anxious or disoriented, what do you think may have brought this on?

Brain Injury Checklist

Take a look below at these common changes, including personality, neurological, intellectual and psychological impairments following a head injury.

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Protect Your Health and Your Legal Rights ~

If you’re involved in any kind of vehicular accident, there are certain rules you should follow. Some of these rules are required by law, others are there to protect your rights. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in an auto accident, a bicycle accident, a motorcycle accident, or are hit by any one of them while walking down the sidewalk as a pedestrian. These rules apply in all situations. While you should always consult with a personal injury attorney for legal advice immediately following any accident, you also need to know, in advance, what to do in case of an emergency.

Remain as calm as possible. Being involved in an accident is almost always an emotional experience. You may be afraid of potential consequences. You may also be in pain. However, staying as calm as you can is in your best interest. You will be less likely to say or do something that could be detrimental should legal proceedings result.

First, if anyone was injured in the accident, call 911. “Anyone” means yourself and passengers in your vehicle as well as other drivers, and passengers in other vehicles. Emergency personnel should be contacted even if the injuries seem minor. Second, call the police so the facts of the accident can be documented. In most instances, a single call to 911 will likely dispatch both the police and paramedics.  (Note: In certain instances, the police may refuse to come or prepare a report.)

Even if you believe the accident was entirely your fault, do not make any statements to that effect. Doing so can have serious legal consequences, and might even affect your insurance coverage. You are not obligated to provide this information before obtaining legal advice.

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Drunk driving accidents cause injury and death all over the country. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), almost 11,000 people are killed in drunk driving crashes every year. Additionally, approximately 29 people are killed each day in alcohol-related car crashes. Odds are, that one in three Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related collision at some point during their lifetime. But all of these drunk driving crashes, deaths, and injuries can be prevented.

The NHTSA finishes up its August 19 through September 5 summer DUI crackdown campaign “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” this Labor Day Weekend, which, historically has a large number of drunk driving crashes. Most states and local law enforcement agencies will be doing their part for the holiday weekend as well, though some won’t stop there.

California is doing its part for the end of the summer DUI crackdown this weekend. Its 41 Avoid DUI task forces and over 100 individual local jurisdictions conducting extra sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols to cover 98 percent of California’s population. Media events and press releases have also been complementing the enforcement campaign. This holiday weekend will also see a California Highway Patrol (CHP) Maximum Enforcement campaign that will put 80 percent of all available officers on the roads.

Drunk driving accidents are not accidents at all. Impaired drivers make the choice to get behind the wheel and endanger the lives of everyone on the road. If you or a loved one has been injured in a San Fernando Valley drunk driving crash, the experienced Chatsworth car accident attorneys at The Mandell Law Firm may be able to help. Call us today to learn more about your legal rights and options.