Category: Motor vehicle accidents

If you have been injured by an automobile while you were riding a bicycle in Los Angeles, you should speak with an attorney right away. It is likely that your injuries were serious, and an attorney can help you recover the compensation to which you are entitled. Under California law, bicyclists who are injured because of the negligence of other drivers are entitled to compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

You are not alone. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 50,000 bicyclists are injured by automobiles in accidents every year, and over 600 are killed. To receive the compensation to which you are entitled, you must be able to prove that the automobile driver’s negligent conduct caused the accident. It’s possible that more than one party contributed to the accident, which can make it difficult to determine who is financially responsible.

You should call an attorney to help with your case as soon as you can. The longer the amount of time that passes between the accident and when your case is initiated, the more difficult proving your case can become. An experienced Houston bicycle accident attorney can help you build a strong case against the negligent party. This often involves obtaining police reports, obtaining statements from eyewitnesses, reviewing medical records, and hiring accident reconstruction experts. There are time limits involved in personal injury cases, so the sooner you consult with an attorney the easier your case will be to pursue.

The steps you take after a bicycle crash can have a big outcome on how successful your personal injury case is. If you have been injured by an automobile in Los Angeles, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles bicycle accident attorney at 310-385-0567.

Distracted driving is an epidemic in the U.S. Distracted driving includes all of the different types of behaviors that can take a driver’s attention off the road. Although distracted driving is most often linked to cell phone use, there are a number of other activities that can cause drivers to take their focus off of driving.

When a driver looks away from the road or takes their hands off the wheel, the consequences can be deadly. In the moment that the driver looks away from the road, the driver in front of them could hit their brakes or an object could fly into the road. If the driver is distracted when that occurs, the driver may not be able to react in time.

Some common behaviors that can be very distracting for drivers include texting while driving, talking with passengers, reaching for the radio, eating, putting on makeup, reaching for moving objects, or looking at external objects. Thousands of Americans are killed each year and hundreds of thousands more are injured because of distracted drivers. Those people may have been in the car with the driver, riding in another vehicle, or walking as pedestrians or riding their bicycles. Sadly, these accidents are completely preventable and the injuries that occurred from them never should have happened.

The biggest distraction on the roads today is arguably texting. Although any type of cell phone use can distract the driver, texting is often the most dangerous because it normally requires a driver to look away from the road. Texting while driving is against the law and can be sued in a personal injury case to prove negligence on the part of the driver.

If you have been injured in an accident because a driver was texting while driving, you need to speak with a personal injury attorney. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles automobile accident attorney at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule your free consultation.

If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident in Los Angeles that was caused by a reckless driver, you may have a battle on your hands to recover compensation for your injuries. Insurance companies often refuse to pay claims or offer very low settlements for claims involving deceased or injured motorcyclists. You should speak with a Los Angeles motorcycle accident attorney after your accident in order to ensure that you receive the fair compensation to which you are entitled.

Of any individual travelling on the roads, motorcyclists often receive some of the worst injuries in accidents, since they have little protective equipment to absorb the impact of an accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 5,000 people are killed in motorcycle accidents each year, and almost 100,000 are injured in motorcycle accidents each year.

The reckless driving of others on the roads can be very dangerous to motorcyclists. As the injured party, you have the burden of proving that the other driver who caused the crash was negligent. The driver may have been speeding, using a cell phone while driving, driving under the influence of drugs of alcohol, failing to yield, or engaging in other dangerous behaviors. You also have the burden of proving your damages. The most common non-fatal injuries to motorcyclists include brain injuries, broken bones, damage to internal organs, loss of limbs, and paralysis.

If you have been involved in an accident as a motorcyclist with a reckless driver in Los Angeles, you should speak to a Los Angeles motorcycle accident attorney as soon as possible. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles motorcycle accident attorney at 310-385-0567. We can help. Call today to schedule a free consultation on your case.

Any time you ride in a car that is driven by someone else, you place your safety in the hands of another party, and you expect them to make the best decisions. Unfortunately, many drivers that work for companies such as Uber and Lyft engage in poor driving behaviors, which can lead to a serious accident that can harm the passengers in the vehicle.

When a person hires Uber, Lyft, or a taxi company, they expect to be transported safely. Many Uber and Lyft passengers are injured every year because the driver was distracted by using a cell phone, talking to the passenger, or other dangerous behaviors. Unfortunately, many rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft hire drivers that do not have proper insurance or sufficient training. Most rideshare companies label their drivers as independent contractors rather than as employees, which enables them to avoid liability in many cases, and allows them to bypass proper screening for some drivers.

When an accident does occur involving a rideshare vehicle, the rideshare company often avoids liability, and the injured passengers may be left trying to collect from the driver’s personal insurance. Many of those drivers have minimum policies, which often cannot come close to covering the damages that the injured individual suffered. The passengers may be left with trying to prove that the rideshare company should be held liable for the accident.

If you have been injured in an accident involving Uber, Lyft, or another ridesharing company, you should speak with an attorney. You will need to establish liability in order to recover. If you are in Los Angeles, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. Call today to schedule a free consultation on your case.

Accidents involving trucks in Los Angeles are not unusual. There are thousands of trucks driving through the congested roads of Los Angeles and the surrounding communities daily. Many of those truck drivers have very tight deadlines that can cause them to drive while they are tired or distracted. In addition, some of the truck drivers on the roads are not properly trained for the job.

Trucking companies have a duty to the public to hire qualified drivers who are competent at their jobs. Because of the size and speed at which trucks travel, if a tractor trailer is involved in an accident with a passenger vehicle, the occupants of that vehicle are likely to suffer serious injuries or even death.

Driver should be able to pass background checks, complete driving tests, and should be physically capable of handling the truck. Trucking companies must also follow federal rules which set forth the tests and training requirements for truck drivers.

When an employer hires a driver who is not properly trained, that action can lead to unsafe conditions for others on the roads. A truck driver who is not qualified can cause very serious accidents. Drivers should be trained, licensed, and should know how to handle easy as well as challenging driving tasks. If a truck driver does not receive the proper training from his or her employer, the driver as well as the employer can be held legally liable for any damages, injuries, or deaths that occur as a result.

If you have been involved in an accident with a tractor trailer in the Los Angeles area that was caused by the negligence of the truck driver, you should speak with an attorney. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.

No matter how safe of a driver you are in Los Angeles, unfortunately you share the roads with other drivers who may not be as safe. Normally when you have an injury caused by the fault of another party, you are entitled to pursue a lawsuit for all of the damages to which you are entitled by law. However, if the person who caused the accident has no insurance or inadequate insurance, and no personal assets to compensate you, you may be out of luck. This is a good reason to have uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance as part of your coverage.

Under California law, drivers are required to have automobile insurance. However, the minimum amounts of insurance they are required to carry are low. If a person suffers moderate or severe injuries in an accident, the minimum amount of insurance is not likely to be sufficient to fully compensate the victim. Many drivers ignore those requirements altogether and do not carry any insurance.

If you have underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage, you should be able to collect your damages from your insurance carrier rather than the person who harmed you. However, it’s important to keep in mind that your best interests are different from the best interests of your insurance carrier. Insurance companies stay in business by paying out less on claims than they take in in premiums. Your insurance company may try to find a way to pay less on the claim than you are entitled to, or may deny your claim altogether.

If you have been harmed in an automobile accident in Los Angeles who does not have insurance or is underinsured, you may wish to speak with an attorney. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles automobile accident attorney, at 310-385-0567. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

If you are in an accident with a ridesharing vehicle, it’s likely you will not sue the ridesharing company. The companies are set up so that their drivers are independent contractors instead of employees. Companies are not liable for the actions of independent contractors, although they can be held liable for the actions of employees. Ridesharing companies in the past have attempted to deny liability for crashes due to the legal distinction between independent contractors and employees.

However, you still have legal options. Your options will depend on the laws of the state in which the accident occurred. Generally, after an accident, you will want to call 911 and take pictures of the accident scene. Take notes of the name of the driver and the names and contact information of any witnesses. You should save the information about your Uber or Lyft ride in your phone. Follow your doctor’s medical advice, and you should also hire a lawyer if you were injured.

If the accident occurs during your trip with Uber or Lyft, and the Uber or Lyft driver is at fault, you are fortunately covered under a $1 million liability policy that both companies have. However, if you need to file a lawsuit, in most cases you would sue the driver, not Uber or Lyft directly. If another driver is at fault other than the rideshare driver, then that driver’s insurance policy comes into play. If that driver doesn’t have insurance, Uber or Lyft could provide coverage for underinsured or uninsured drivers. In extreme cases, you could sue the company directly.

Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney, if you have been injured while you were a passenger in a rideshare vehicle. You may have legal options against the driver, the company, or both. Call my team today at 310-385-0567 to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

Unfortunately, this kind of practice by the insurance company is not unusual. Insurance companies often act in bad faith, which is also known as insurance fraud. When an insurance company acts in bad faith, it prevents the insured from receiving the proper insurance benefits contained in the insurance contract. Some common examples of insurance fraud include the insurer offering less compensation than is due under the policy, the insurance company denying benefits altogether, or the insurance company unreasonably delaying payments.

By law, the insurance company is required to act with good faith, and to compensate the insured fully in a timely manner, if the claim is a legitimate one. If an insurance company acts in bad faith, that bad faith is legally actionable. The insured can sue the insurance company, asking not only for compensation for the money owed, but also extra compensation to punish the insurance company for its wrongful actions.

Insurance fraud cases can be complex. If your insurance company is acting wrongfully, you should speak with an attorney. Insurance bad faith cases need the knowledge of an attorney who is experienced in handling bad faith cases. An experienced attorney can thoroughly examine your situation, and can help fight for maximum compensation.

If your insurance company in Los Angeles is refusing to provide you with the compensation that you deserve, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles insurance bad faith attorney at 310-385-0567. I can help you pursue the fair compensation to which you are entitled after an accident. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

Researchers at the University of Chicago just released a draft of a report that suggests that ride-sharing vehicles, such as Lyft and Uber, may cause more accidents. The report examined traffic collisions from almost 3,000 areas between 2001 and 2016. The report focused on 1,185 areas where ride-sharing is now available.

The study concluded that when ride-sharing apps were launched, there was a trend towards more accidents. The study noted that in 2010, there was the lowest number of automobile crash fatalities since 1949, but shortly after the introduction of ride-sharing the decline halted and reversed. The study also found that overall, there is a 2.4 percent increase in accidents with the use of ride-sharing apps. The introduction of carpools, such as Uber Pool and Lyft Line, do not reverse the increase in fatal accidents. However, researchers caution that the long-term effects of these services are still unknown.

An Uber spokesperson expressed skepticism about the findings, noting that the study leaves out the effect of lower gas prices, which increases driving and therefore crash rates. In addition, rural areas, which do not have ride-sharing services, saw even bigger increases in crashes. However, researchers claim that the study does take gas prices into account, and that the reference to rural accidents is misleading.

It may take years before the effects of ride-sharing are really known. Many critics of Uber and Lyft point to the companies’ alleged lax hiring procedures, which can lead to dangers. If you have been harmed as a result of the actions of an Uber or Lyft driver, you should speak with an attorney. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call my team today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.

Whether or not you should sue the other driver for your accident depends on the circumstances of the accident. If you suffered no injuries and there was little or no damage to your vehicle, you may be able to work directly with the other driver’s insurance company to cover your damages. However, if you suffered injuries or if there was extensive damage to your vehicle, you may wish to speak with an attorney.

Accidents at traffic lights are not unusual. Anytime two or more roads come together at an intersection, there is a higher possibility of an accident occurring. Experts have estimated that about 40 percent of all traffic accidents occur at intersections, with about 7,000 deaths and 700,000 injuries each year. Most of the accidents happen because one or more of the drivers involved made a bad decision before driving through. They may have ignored the traffic lights or not followed the right-of-way laws.

In a congested city like Los Angeles, there is a high number of car accidents that occurs at intersections, which means there is a large number of personal injury and property damage claims that can provide compensation to injured accident victims. Every victim of an accident that occurs at an intersection, whether the person is a driver, pedestrian, bicyclist, or car passenger deserves to be compensated for their losses and injuries that have resulted from the accident.

If you have been injured in a Los Angeles intersection accident, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney at 310-385-0567. My team is experienced in handling accident cases, and we will work hard to get the best settlement possible for you. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.