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What happens if an uninsured motorist hits me?

The Weinberger Law Firm

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Getting into a car accident is always upsetting. It becomes even less pleasant when the impact causes injury.

Insurance covers medical bills under such circumstances. While the law demands Californians carry auto insurance, some drivers do not. Acquiring money to pay medical bills triggered by these scofflaws requires particular attention.

How to handle getting hit by an uninsured driver in California

Immediately report the accident to the police and your insurance provider. Mention to both that the other individual is on the road illegally. Repair the vehicle if it remains salvageable.

Seek medical care, even if you do not immediately feel pain or discomfort. It may be a matter of time before the symptoms of injury surface. Be mindful of how you treat your physical condition after the medical consult.

Save all paperwork generated throughout the process.

Directly after impact, you might experience an inclination to admit fault. Refrain from statements suggesting guilt, even benign ones. Such words may create complications if you choose to sue.

When to file suit against an uninsured driver in California

The state of California may impose penalties against the responsible driver. Unfortunately, these punishments never include the hurt party receiving compensation. For that, the injured party must file a lawsuit within two years of the accident. Weigh whether taking your grievance to a judge remains practical. If the driver lacks funds, suing may cost more than is possible to gain.

It should not matter whether the person responsible for your situation carries insurance. You deserve restitution either way. Nonetheless, your response depends heavily on this variable.

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Slipping and falling could inflict painful injuries and even endanger your health. In the event a negligent property owner is responsible for your fall, you should know in advance how to safeguard your rights to compensation.

Keep the following three tips in mind in case you should experience a fall somewhere beyond your own home.

Take pictures and video

Chances are that you will have a smartphone on your person during a fall. Your phone is a good way to gather evidence on the scene. However, you might not be able to get up unassisted if your injuries are serious. Sfgate explains that you may try activating the recording function on your phone. This should be enough to collect pictures and sound that could be of help to you later on.

Ask witnesses to support your claims

If you were in a location with multiple patrons when you fell, it is likely one or more people watched you fall. If they agree with your account of your injury, they could bolster your claim if the property owner denies responsibility. If you are able following your fall, you may gather contact information of eyewitnesses.

Limit what you say while reporting your injury

If you report your fall to a supervisor or anyone who is in charge of the property, be cautious of what you say. Reporting that you have fallen puts your injury on the record and adds evidence to your case, but if you say something that makes it appear that you bore responsibility for your injury, the property owner could use your own words against you.

Falls can require medical treatment and even hospital stays. Older fall victims can also experience emotional trauma. If you seek compensation, be sure that you have done all you can to support your claim.

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The California Highway Patrol partners with a private contractor to bring the public the Motorcycle Training Course. The MTC is a mandatory requirement for anyone under the age of 21 who wishes to get a motorcycle endorsement on his or her license.

But those over 21 can also take the course, and according to the CHP, taking the course is a recommendation for everyone seeking to secure an endorsement.

The course

The MTC provides 10 hours of riding instruction and five hours of classroom instruction. It covers a range of skills and important information that can make anyone a better and safer rider.

The recommendation

The CHP recommends everyone take the course even if they are not required by the law to do so. Officials have been running the program since 1987, and they believe it is highly beneficial. They also say it saves lives and will help make you a better rider.

The CHP mentions that taking the course could help you to lower your insurance rates, and it will allow you to skip the riding skills test when you go to get your endorsement at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The agency also suggests that completing this education and skills training can give you and those who love you peace of mind that you will be safer when you hit the road.

Taking the course is completely up to you if you are over the age of 21. However, it is a good idea to at least consider taking it because you can learn many skills and tips that can keep you safer on the road and enable you to learn how to avoid common situations that could lead to serious accidents.

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As you decorate your property and work on features you want in your yard, you may notice that these areas could be unsafe for children.

When children enter your property, including when they are technically entering without permission, they are at risk for getting a serious injury.

Heights

According to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute, children are not trespassers in the same way that adults are. You must offer reasonable protection for them to prevent them from getting hurt since they are technically an invitee.

Tall pieces of equipment and huge metal structures used for construction can be potential sources of injury if children climb up on them. Falling from a few feet above the ground can lead to serious head or back trauma, including spinal cord issues.

Interesting structures

One of the most common structures that you may find in a yard is a swimming pool. Children can easily fall into the water, especially if there are no signs or warnings surrounding the area.

An old car that you are working on may have sharp parts and rusted pieces of metal in it. Since this could attract children’s attention, there are many ways that this could be appealing to them to play on. Construction sites and equipment can also have the same problems.

Fun equipment

Since children are too young to know how dangerous skateboard ramps and tree houses can be, taking reasonable measures to keep them secure is important. Locking up entrances and putting warning signs around the area can help keep them from falling or hitting their heads.

Knowing what qualifies as an attractive nuisance and how these places and items can lead to injuries is important for anyone who owns land.

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While on your motorcycle, you may feel free and full of energy. When a truck pulls up close behind you, that feeling could turn to dread.

Sharing the road with large vehicles like trucks can seem intimidating, especially when they drive recklessly and put you in danger of an accident.

Sudden turns or swerves

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, one way that truckers may use the size of their vehicle to their advantage is by turning or entering a road suddenly.

Since your motorcycle will likely not endanger their physical safety if you crash into them, they do not worry as much about smaller vehicles around them. They may also forget to signal with their blinkers or show that they want to change lanes.

Increase in speed

Since trucks have more wheels and can reach a greater top speed, it is often easier to travel faster in one. However, when a trucker wants to speed, this means that they could accidentally sideswipe vehicles around them or make people fall off their motorcycles by hitting them.

The faster a vehicle goes, the harder it is to react in time to a sudden threat. Speeding can limit how much reaction time a trucker has to stop before hitting someone else.

Forgetting to check blind spots

Reckless driving can often happen when a trucker forgets to check the sides and back of their vehicle. They may assume everyone should get out of their path no matter what, instead of trying to avoid a collision by being a defensive driver.

Dealing with the effects of a truck accident can feel overwhelming, especially when you are on a motorcycle.

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While your body may already have started to heal after a car accident, your mind may still have mental scars on it from that time.

The impact that a car accident has on your daily life and mental state is often more extreme than you would expect.

Problems with excessive fear

According to Psychology Today, panic attacks and flashbacks to the moment of the accident can often disrupt someone’s day. These may happen without warning or any kind of trigger, which can leave you feeling drained and exhausted.

You may even struggle with repressing memories of the event or refusing to talk openly about it. This fear can leave you withdrawing from friends and family, which may even lead to depression.

Struggles with rest

Sleepless nights and nightmares are common issues after a traumatizing event like a car crash. If you find yourself replaying the incident in your mind even when you are trying to relax, you may have emotional and psychological harm from the accident. This lack of sleep can lead to other health problems as time goes on.

Issues with travel

After a traumatizing accident in a car, you may find yourself hesitating to use transportation or even get into a car again. This fear of driving, which can include being a passenger while someone else drives, can limit your ability to travel and live your life the way you did before the accident.

Without proper help, you could also continue to develop an even greater fear as time goes on. The issues surrounding trauma following a car crash are serious and learning about what you are going through can help you make the next step.

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You want to stay safe on the road, which means remaining alert to hazards such as drunk drivers. An impaired driver’s behavior can warn you to use caution around those vehicles.

Familiarize yourself with these three tips for spotting a drunk driver.

1. Pay attention to the vehicle’s lights

Drunk drivers might ignore small details, such as turning on the headlights at night. They may also drive with the high beams on, use the wrong turn signal or keep the signal on after turning.  While some non-impaired drivers might unknowingly leave their blinkers on, continue watching the vehicle to look for additional clues of drunk driving.

2. Be aware of excessively high or low speeds

Aside from the vehicle’s lights, look for very slow drivers or those traveling at a high rate of speed. Drunk drivers might drive slowly due to diminished reaction times, creating hazards in the roadway. This pattern is especially dangerous when the vehicle’s headlights are also off. Sometimes, drunk drivers speed above the limit, making collisions more harmful for themselves and other drivers on the road.

3. Watch for erratic driving behavior

Another typical indication of a drunk driver is the inability to control the vehicle properly. Impaired drivers may have a difficult time keeping their vehicles in their lane. Look for drivers that:

  • weave within their traveling lane
  • cross back and forth between lanes
  • ride on the shoulder or center divider
  • drive down the middle of two lanes

Drivers might also break or stop suddenly, turn abruptly and even collide with other cars or objects.

Looking for tell-tale signs of drunk drivers can keep you safely out of their path.

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While operating a truck, your mind may focus on multiple different issues or concerns. Whether those thoughts are about communicating with your workplace or minding the rules of the road, you may not notice safety issues with other drivers right away.

Learning more about how cars and other vehicles can cause accidents and intimidate trucks can help you if are struggling after a crash.

Reckless turning

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a car may try to drive around a turning truck in order to save time. This lefthand turn can put both the truck and the car in danger, however, since the truck cannot stop in time to avoid a collision.

Since trucks need more space to turn, a car suddenly driving out in front of them to turn can lead to a panic.

Poor merging choices

A car choosing to merge in a lane on the highway even when there is not enough room can make it hard for a truck to slow down in time. Drivers of smaller vehicles may also overestimate how quickly a truck can stop or avoid another vehicle.

This is especially true when a truck is carrying heavy materials that make it even slower. Someone cutting off a truck that is trying to merge slowly into a new lane can lead to a serious crash.

Dodging between trucks

A car that tries to drive between you and another truck can struggle to stay on course because of the drafts and wind resistance that happens between two large vehicles. Your blind spots can also prevent you from seeing cars when they first approach.

Understanding how cars can intimidate truckers and cause truck crashes is one way to stay aware on the road.

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Whether you have concerns about your child becoming involved in a traffic collision or you already face challenges as a result of an accident that left your child hurt, it is essential to take a close look at various issues related to children and motor vehicle crashes. When it comes to traffic accidents, children are especially vulnerable, and the impact of a crash can have a particularly disruptive impact on their life.

Aside from reviewing data on how widespread traffic accident injuries and deaths involving young children are, you should also review risk factors that cause many kids to become involved in accidents on the road.

Statistics on motor vehicle accidents involving young children

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers traffic accidents involving children 14 and under. According to their estimates, 183,000 kids in this age group suffered injuries in traffic accidents in 2019, and more than 1,000 lost their lives. Among the children who died in traffic accidents during 2019, 19% lost their lives in crashes involving drivers impaired due to alcohol.

Looking at these figures in another way, more than 500 children 14 and under suffered injuries, and three lost their lives each day in 2019, on average.

Traffic accident risk factors involving kids

Aside from drunk drivers, many other risks cause kids to become involved in devastating collisions. Some children find themselves struck by reckless drivers while walking or riding a bike, and most fatal accidents involving child pedestrians and bicyclists took place between 6 PM and 8:59 PM in 2019. If your family is struggling with the aftermath of a serious accident due to a reckless driver, gather as much evidence as possible and hold them answerable.