Modesto Personal Injury Attorney
Car Accident Lawyer Stanislaus County
Michael Rehm – (209)-589-7025
Free Consultations
Modesto is served by a public transit system and one of the busiest rail corridors in the country, but most Californians still rely on cars for transportation. Cars and trucks enter Modesto on I-5 or State Route 99, although Routes 132 and 108 also carry heavy loads of traffic. Urban roads have become so crowded that the city attempted to add roundabouts to ease traffic snarls, a goal that met with only limited success.
Unfortunately, an abundance of traffic leads to a high number of traffic accidents. In the most recent year for which the California Office of Traffic Statistics has complete data, 1,727 injuries or deaths resulted from Modesto traffic accidents. Adjusted to account for population and miles driven, OTS ranked Modesto as having the eighth worst traffic accident record among 57 comparable cities.
Modesto also ranked as the:
• 9th worst city for bicycle accidents
• 6th worst city for bicycle accidents involving victims under age 15
• 12th worst city for drunk driving accidents
• 14th worst city for pedestrian accidents
• 14th worst city for nighttime accidents
Whether a traffic accident involves passenger car occupants, a pedestrian, a bicycle rider, or a motorcyclist, a dedicated traffic accident lawyer can help injury victims obtain the compensation they deserve. Modesto Car Accident Attorney Michael Rehm helps accident victims in Modesto and surrounding communities recover compensation for their losses.
Modesto Car Accidents
The Modesto Bee reports that Modesto has been slow to spend the transportation tax funds it receives from the Measure L sales tax. The city has installed only three traffic lights and is working on a bike lane.
Traffic lights reduce intersection collisions, but some drivers try to beat red lights, speeding up and causing more damage in a T-bone collision than would have occurred in the absence of a traffic light. Other drivers don't notice that the light has changed to red because they are looking at their smartphones.
Intersection accidents can cause serious injuries. Unless car occupants are protected by side-impact airbags, they may suffer devastating head injuries in a T-bone collision, including traumatic brain injuries. Even if a vehicle is equipped with side-impact airbags, occupants often sustain injuries to their torso and limbs, including knee and ankle injuries, neck and back injuries, and puncture wounds.
On Modesto's crowded streets, however, rear-end collisions are the most common accident. Distracted drivers who fail to stop in time to avoid a collision cause serious whiplash injuries to occupants of rear-ended vehicles, even at speeds as low as 10 mph. Neck and back injuries caused by a rear-end crash can produce months of nagging pain.
Other car crashes in Modesto include:
• Collisions with trucks and busses
• Collisions with trains
• Front-end collisions
• Sideswipes
• Rollovers
Motorcycles are also rear-ended and sideswiped in Modesto, but the most common motorcycle collisions occur when a car makes a left turn in front of an oncoming rider.
Drunk Driving Accidents in Modesto
The police in Modesto do not write an unusually high number of DUI tickets, but the city suffers from an unusually large number of DUI accidents. Personal injury lawsuits hold drivers accountable for their negligence and driving drunk is always an act of negligence.
Most drunk driving accidents are caused by drivers who have blood alcohol concentrations of at least double the legal limit. In some cases, the driver may be responsible for paying punitive damages in addition to injury compensation. Punitive damages punish the driver for causing an injury by engaging in the reckless act of driving drunk.
Bicycle Accidents in Stanislaus County
Rising gas prices spark an increased interest in commuting to work on a bicycle. While bicycles are a clean and healthy alternative to driving, roads that are built for cars are not always safe for bicyclists.
Modesto has a few bike paths that are separated from traffic, but it more often relies on bike lanes that are separated from traffic only by a white stripe. Negligent drivers often encroach on bike lanes, sideswiping bicyclists as they drop off passengers or prepare to make a turn.
While Modesto plans to build more protected bike lanes that place barriers between the lane and traffic, bicyclists continue to be endangered on most Modesto roads. The fact that so many bicycle injuries involve children under 15 suggests that protected bicycle lanes are urgently needed on busy residential streets and near schools where children are most likely to be riding their bicycles.
While cars enclose occupants in a steel cage, bicyclists have nothing but their clothing and a bicycle helmet to protect them. Victims of bicycle accidents often suffer from serious brain injuries, facial injuries, broken bones, and road rash.
Michael Rehm -(209)-589-7025
Pedestrian Accidents in Modesto
Some pedestrian accidents occur in crosswalks. Drivers should always yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, but negligent drivers who are looking at a smartphone sometimes fail to see pedestrians until it is too late to stop. Drivers who make a right turn on red also cause pedestrian accidents by failing to yield to pedestrians who are crossing the street the driver is entering.
Even if a pedestrian is not in a crosswalk, California law permits the pedestrian to seek compensation for accident injuries. California law compares the negligence of the pedestrian (if any) for crossing in the middle of the street to the driver's negligence in failing to watch for pedestrians. If the pedestrian was partially at fault, the pedestrian's compensation is reduced in proportion to the pedestrian's share of the blame. A pedestrian who is 20% at fault therefore receives 80% of full compensation. The same comparison of negligent applies to all traffic accidents, not just those involving pedestrians.
Compensation for Stanislaus County Auto Accidents
Injury compensation takes into account several factors, including the severity of the injury and its impact on the accident victim. Common traffic accident injuries include:
• Whiplash and other neck injuries
• Spine injuries and other back injuries
• Head and brain injuries
• Broken bones
• Joint injuries
• Facial injuries and disfigurement
• Eye injuries
• Dental injuries
• Puncture wounds and infections
• Road rash and infections
• Nerve damage
• Torn and stretched muscles, ligaments, and tendons
Compensation should cover medical expenses and any future healthcare costs that will probably become necessary. Compensation covers medical devices like knee replacements and prosthetics. It also covers physical therapy, prescriptions, and pain relief from chiropractic treatment and acupuncture.
Lost wages and the loss of future earning capacity are a key component of injury settlements. If an injury is permanent, the settlement should cover the expense of coping with the injury, including home nursing care, vocational rehabilitation, wheelchair-accessible vans, and similar expenses.
Pain, suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life also deserve compensation. Compensation for pain and suffering is the largest part of most injury settlements.
Modesto Car Accident Lawyer – (209) 490-5049
Attorney Michael Rehm
931 10th Street #252
Modesto, CA 95354
Stanislaus County Accident Resources: