Costa Mesa auto accident and product injury legal blog

If your loved one was recently in an accident that caused first responders to suspect a spinal cord injury, you may have witnessed some frightening and confusing activity. In such situations, the first concern of medical responders is typically to clear the victim's airways and protect the spine from further damage. This involves stabilizing your loved one using a cervical collar and backboard.

Once your loved one reached a California trauma center, a medical team went into action. They may not have had time to explain each step along the way, but the waiting and uncertainty may have seemed more than you could bear. If you understand the important interventions your loved one's team performed, you may have a clearer idea of the type of injury with which your loved one is dealing.

In California and across the United States, failure to wear seat belts frequently causes trucking accidents and car crashes. The CVSA's Operation Safe Driver Week took place from July 14 to July 20, 2019. The event focused on drivers who speed and commit other violations. With nearly 47,000 motor vehicle citations and approximately 88,000 warnings issued to drivers, CVSA officials stated that drivers are responsible for 95 percent of truck accidents and automobile collisions. As a result of the study, law enforcement officers plan to help drivers prevent accidents.

Per the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute, drivers who speed are accountable for more than 25 percent of deaths caused by crashes since the year 2008. Consequently, CVSA chose speeding as Operation Safe Driver Week's main focus. Drivers who drive too fast committed thousands of violations. Risky behaviors pertaining to trucking accidents include drunk truck drivers, truck driver fatigue and distracted truck drivers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is teaming up with the trucking industry to encourage the use of advanced driver assistance systems in commercial fleets. The move is designed to make roadways safer in California and across the United States.

During a presentation at the American Trucking Association's Management Conference and Exhibition in San Diego on Oct. 5, the FMCSA administrator said that advanced safety technologies offer "real benefits" to trucking companies and truckers. As a result, the U.S. Department of Transportation is paying for a two-year monitoring program to measure the effectiveness of such technologies, including lane departure warning systems and automatic emergency braking systems, in real-world scenarios. Several truck manufacturers, including Daimler Trucks North America and Volvo Trucks North America, currently offer semi-automated safety features on their newest trucks.

There is a lot to look at following a car accident to see what kind of damages you qualify for. You may have extensive vehicle repairs to make, or you may need to go to the hospital for months on end for treatments. However, you should never overlook the impact of emotional distress following an auto accident. 

You can receive several forms of damages after a personal injury. Economic damages have specific, quantifiable amounts, and this would include medical bills and auto repairs. Emotional distress falls under non-economic damages because there is no way to quantify pain and suffering. Here are the basics of what to understand if you plan on pursuing a claim like this.