Dangerous Intersection Car Accident Lawyer

California has many miles of quiet neighborhood streets, busy highways, and freeways throughout the state. Along with thoroughfares comes the need for intersections. Unfortunately, many accidents happen daily at intersections, potentially injuring or killing those involved.

Insurance claims and potential civil lawsuits have many components and can be extremely complex. If you sustain injuries in a car accident at an intersection or other location, you can benefit from hiring a car accident lawyer. Call Johnson Attorneys Group to handle your claim so you can focus on recovering from your injuries.

What Makes Intersections Dangerous?

Intersections are places where many people who may need to travel in different directions meet simultaneously. You can probably guess that the more people present in a small area at the same time, the greater the chances are that an accident will occur.

You can find reports listing the most dangerous intersections in your city or county, but these can vary. Let’s look at what characteristics tend to make intersections dangerous instead:

• Several lanes of traffic
• Busy pedestrian areas
• High volume
• Inadequate or malfunctioning traffic lights and signals
• Limited visibility
• No turning lanes
• Lack of crosswalks

Some temporary conditions can add to the danger of any intersection as well:

• Fog
• Heavy rain or wind
• Pooled water on the roadways
• Sun glare
• Roadway obstacles
• Poorly maintained roads
• Construction and school zones

Driver, cyclist, and pedestrian inattention and error can also cause accidents.

What Kinds of Driver Error Cause Accidents?

When you get behind the wheel of a car, you’re legally obligated to drive safely to avoid the risk of harming others. Unfortunately, many drivers are guilty of errors daily. Common driver errors include:

• Speeding
• Reckless or aggressive driving
• Failing to follow traffic laws
• Failing to yield the right of way
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Fatigued driving
• Distracted driving

Most of those are straightforward, but do you know what distracted driving is? Anything that takes your focus away from traffic and the act of driving is a distraction. Common distractions include:

• Cell phone usage
• Eating, drinking, and smoking
• Searching or reaching for something in your vehicle
• Interacting with passengers
• Daydreaming
• Fixing your hair, putting on makeup, and other grooming activities

You’d be surprised how far your car can travel in just a few seconds. Say one of those activities takes your eyes off the road for just one second. Driving at 1 mph, you’ll travel almost 1-1/2 feet. At 30 mph, you’ll travel just over 44 feet. That one second of distraction can mean you’ll hit someone, possibly causing injuries.

Do Pedestrians Always Have the Right of Way?

Contrary to what some people believe, pedestrians don’t always have the right of way. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t yield to pedestrians if they suddenly appear in front of you; it means that pedestrians have rules to follow, just like drivers do.

State and local governments can set laws and guidelines for pedestrians. In most places, for instance:

• Pedestrians must cross a street or road at a 90-degree angle to the curb.
• Where crosswalks are present, pedestrians should only cross in those areas as long as they follow the WALK/ DON’T WALK signals.
• If pedestrians need to cross a street or road when an intersection with a crosswalk isn’t nearby, they should yield to oncoming traffic.

Pedestrian and bicycle accidents pose a higher risk of seriously injuring or killing someone because they’re not protected against the impact of a vehicle hitting them. Motorcyclists don’t fare much better.

What Kinds of Accidents Commonly Occur at Dangerous Intersections?

Some types of accidents are more likely than others to happen at intersections. Any of these have the potential to injure or kill those involved.

Pedestrian Accidents

Some intersections are likely to have several pedestrians waiting to cross at any given time, especially those in commercial or business districts, university campuses, or other areas with lots of foot traffic. Drivers or pedestrians can be distracted, and traffic or WALK/ DON’T WALK signals can malfunction, causing a collision.

Rear-End Collisions

Driver impatience or distraction often causes rear-end collisions at intersections. They may follow too closely behind the vehicle in front of them and ignore traffic or brake lights.

T-Bone

Drivers who fail to stop at a red light or stop sign can hit the side of vehicles traveling on another road. This type of accident may present a higher risk for severe injuries because the driver or passengers don’t have as much protection against impact.

Why Do You Need a Car Accident Lawyer?

Whether you’re an innocent victim or played a part in causing a car accident, hiring an attorney provides many benefits.

Potential Complications

Many circumstances can complicate car accident claims, and you may not know how to handle these things on your own. They include:

• Multiple responsible parties
• Varying statutes of limitations
• Commercial vehicle involvement
• Government agency involvement
• Hit-and-run accidents
• Underinsured or uninsured motorists
• Insurance companies that refuse to pay you a fair amount for your damages

Your competent JAG lawyer knows the laws and procedures for successfully handling a car accident claim. We will fight to get the maximum amount of compensation available for you.

Investigations

Any car accident requires an investigation to determine what happened and who caused the collision. This is crucial because the fault determination indicates which party or parties should pay for damages.

An investigation of an intersection accident requires obtaining and examining things like:

• Driver cell phone records
• Video footage and photos
• Police accident reports
• Driver and witness statements

Do you have the time and resources to perform a thorough investigation? JAG does.

Insurance Company Negotiations

You’d think that insurance companies would pay your damages willingly. After all, that’s why people purchase insurance policies. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Insurance companies often attempt to shift blame, intimidate victims, offer meager settlements, or refuse to pay altogether.

Your JAG car accident lawyer can handle all communications with insurance companies. We’ll also use our experience to negotiate aggressively with them to obtain a favorable settlement offer for you. If that’s not possible, we’ll take your case to trial.

More Compensation

In many cases, people who hire a car accident lawyer receive more compensation than they would have if they handled their claims alone.

Fault

The percentage of fault you’re assigned in a car accident directly affects the amount of compensation you can receive. State laws governing fault differ; California uses pure comparative negligence standards.

These standards allow you to seek compensation even if you’re 99% responsible for causing your accident. However, the damages you can receive are reduced by your percentage of fault. It’s essential that blame is placed fairly after a car accident. Your JAG lawyer will ensure that you’re not blamed for more than your share.

Why Should You Choose Johnson Attorneys Group?

With multiple locations throughout the state, there’s a JAG office close to you. With a success rate of 98.7%, why would you choose anyone else? We’ll give you the personal attention and respect you deserve, and you won’t pay fees unless we win compensation for you.

Request your free, no-obligation consultation today. We’ll review your case and advise you of your options. Someone from Johnson Attorneys Group is available to speak with you 24/7, so there’s no reason to delay. Call us at (800) 208-3538, use live chat, or submit our case review request form.