Costa Mesa auto accident and product injury legal blog

Car accidents occur far too frequently in the city of Costa Mesa. One resident lost his life when he sped down a street early in the morning and collided with a utility pole. 

When most people experience an auto accident, they only have to contend with minimal injuries and property damage. However, injuries can present themselves weeks after the initial incident. One of the most vital things you need to do following a collision is see a doctor. You could have one of the following injuries with hidden symptoms. 

Serious accidents involving dump trucks and ready-mix concrete delivery trucks are on the rise in California and across the United States according to the Federal Motor Carrier Administration. As a result, federal regulators and traffic safety experts are pushing trucking companies to take steps to reduce driver fatigue and adopt technology that monitors driver performance on the road.

The FMCA reports that dump truck accidents serious enough to require the vehicle to be towed away jumped by 9 percent to 8,206 in 2016, which is the most recent year of statistics available. In addition, injury accidents involving dump trucks accidents rose by 2.7 percent to 5,483 that year. Meanwhile, there were 838 towaway crashes involving ready-mix concrete delivery trucks in 2016, which is an increase of 9.6 percent over 2015. Injury accidents involving ready-mix concrete delivery trucks jumped by 3.8 percent. The only bright spot is that fatal dump truck crashes dipped slightly from 369 in 2015 to 367 in 2016.

A bill that would help prevent underride crashes from occurring to drivers in California and across the United States has stalled out in Congress. The bill, which is titled the Stop Underrides Act of 2017, aims to reduce the number of underride crashes that occur each year by requiring underride guards on the front and sides of each commercial truck. The bill would also update the standard requirements for underride guards on the back of trucks and require the Department of Transportation to update its standards every five years.

Hundreds of people are injured or killed each year due to underride crashes. An underride crash occurs when a vehicle goes under the back of a tractor-trailer or semi-truck. Guards can help prevent the vehicle from going under the tractor trailer. Underride crashes have been found to have more serious consequences than read-ending crashes.

Car accidents may lead to a lot of problems. One accident in which a driver knocked down a power pole in Huntington Beach resulted in people living in that area and Costa Mesa momentarily losing their power.

Following a car crash, you should exchange insurance information with the other driver and get in touch with the police. You may need to file a claim if you sustained injuries. However, before any of that can happen, you need to speak with the other driver. There are plenty of people who will flip out and scream at you following an accident, even when it was the other driver's fault. Here are the steps to take if this ever happens to you.