Jim Vititoe Named to Prestigious Super Lawyers List for 16th Consecutive Year
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NHTSA: Traffic Fatalities Up Again in 2016

According to information released by federal highway safety regulators, U.S traffic fatalities rose for the second consecutive year in 2016, despite a reduction in the number of distracted driving fatalities. The vehicle collision death toll reached 37,461 in 2016, the highest mark since 2007 according to figures released by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA). The increase of 5.6 percent in traffic fatalities followed an 8.4 percent leap in 2015, which was the greatest annual increase since the mid 1960’s. Surprisingly, the increase in deaths was linked to other risky behaviors, rather than fatigued driving and distracted driving. Texting related fatalities actually declined by 2.2 percent. [...]

By |2018-05-24T18:59:52-07:00November 10th, 2017|Car Accidents|Comments Off on NHTSA: Traffic Fatalities Up Again in 2016
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Despite Risks, California Seatbelt Use Low in Uber and Taxi’s

Seatbelts save lives. That phrase is not a tagline from a government-sponsored ad – it is a fact. The fact is that seatbelt use can reduce the chances of fatality or serious injury to the front seat passenger of a car by 50%. Too often, we learn of a rollover where an occupant was ejected from the vehicle and died unnecessarily. In California, seatbelt use became a strictly enforced, primary law in 1993. Since then, compliance rose steadily to its current level of 96%. That number is ten percentage points higher than the national average. With seatbelt use so prevalent by drivers and passengers in private [...]

By |2020-07-21T21:20:40-07:00October 23rd, 2017|Car Accidents|Comments Off on Despite Risks, California Seatbelt Use Low in Uber and Taxi’s
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What are My Rights in a California Limousine Accident?

When the news carries a story of a California limousine accident, it invokes an image of people having the time of their life, suddenly ruined by tragedy. It may be a wedding, a night on the town, a trip to wine country or a ride to the airport for a long awaited vacation. Such was the case in Santa Clarita on August 1, 2015. A limousine carrying ten people, including the driver, crashed into a car that was stopped in the road. The excessive weight of the limousine made it impossible for the driver to stop in time. The vehicle that was stopped went out of [...]

By |2022-06-13T17:03:04-07:00August 28th, 2017|Car Accidents, Personal Injury|Comments Off on What are My Rights in a California Limousine Accident?
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Why Should I Wear My Seatbelt in an Uber or Lyft?

Ride share companies utilize smartphone technology to provide an alternative to taxi cabs and other forms of public transportation. The ride share company can keep its operating costs low because they are not regulated by states and cities and are not required to carry the same type of insurance as cabs or to purchase expensive medallions. Statistics from the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that only 65% of passengers buckle up in taxis compared to 87% in private vehicles. The apparent reason for failure to buckle up is the fact that most pubic transit lacks seatbelts and riders are not accustomed to doing it. California [...]

By |2018-05-24T20:50:17-07:00August 22nd, 2017|Car Accidents|Comments Off on Why Should I Wear My Seatbelt in an Uber or Lyft?
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San Diego Police use the Drager Drug Test 5000 to Assist in Making DUI Marijuana Arrests

Last month the first arrests were reported in San Diego for driving under the influence of marijuana using the new Drager Drug Test 5000. The device acts much like a Breathalyzer except it requires police to swab the inside of a driver’s mouth and test the results onsite for active THC. Once a positive result is returned, the police can obtain a warrant for a blood drawing to determine the actual blood level of THC. While a blood alcohol test is generally accurate, a screening for THC may be inconclusive. There is no level of THC that is a current standard for a DUI marijuana charge [...]

By |2018-05-24T20:54:54-07:00August 14th, 2017|Car Accidents|Comments Off on San Diego Police use the Drager Drug Test 5000 to Assist in Making DUI Marijuana Arrests
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Cause and Prevention of California Tailgating Accidents

Tailgating in California, and everywhere else, is not only distracting and irritating to the driver being followed too closely, it is very dangerous. Tailgating is a contributing cause in more than one third of all motor vehicle accidents, according to research by the Highways Agency. If you are one of the many people injured in California tailgating accidents every year, it is important to seek the aid of a skilled accident attorney who will recover the compensation you deserve. Tailgating is defined by California Vehicle Code section 21703 as following another vehicle “more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of [...]

By |2018-05-25T15:04:45-07:00May 22nd, 2017|Car Accidents|Comments Off on Cause and Prevention of California Tailgating Accidents
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Motor Vehicle Accidents are the Leading Cause of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system, extending downward from the base of the brain. It is made of soft tissue and surrounded by small bones called vertebrae. The spinal cord consists of nerve cells and groups of nerves called tracts, which runs to different parts of the body. Messages are carried by these tracts from the brain to the rest of the body. The tracts are separated into two groups. Sensory tracts carry messages related to heat, cold, pressure, pain and the position of limbs. Motor tracts carry messages from the brain to control muscle movement. Damage to the vertebrae, ligaments or [...]

By |2017-05-15T18:16:28-07:00May 15th, 2017|Car Accidents|Comments Off on Motor Vehicle Accidents are the Leading Cause of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
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The Importance of Cell Phone Records to a Distracted Driving Case

It is an unfortunately common experience to see a driver drift over the lane marker or onto the shoulder of the highway, only to notice his eyes are on a cell phone, a taco or some other form of preoccupation. When you consider that a car at 55mph travels the length of a football field in the time it takes to read an average text message, it is no wonder that distracted driving is a leading cause of death and injury on our nations highways. Each day in the U.S. an average of 1,161 people are injured in crashes involving distracted driving. In the same day, [...]

By |2019-04-05T20:32:35-07:00May 13th, 2017|Car Accidents|Comments Off on The Importance of Cell Phone Records to a Distracted Driving Case
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How Can Airbags Injure When They Are Supposed to Save Lives?

Anyone who has access to the news is aware of the massive recall of vehicles due to defective Takata airbags. A report issued by the NY Times, in December of last year, indicated that 11 deaths and 184 injuries had occurred in just the US from exploding airbags that propelled shrapnel into the chests of vehicle occupants. Over 92 million vehicles from multiple auto makers were recalled. When considering those figures, it seems like a very small percentage of deaths and injuries compared to the number of installed airbags, but even one death is too many. In addition, there are many other airbag related injuries that [...]

By |2018-05-25T15:08:09-07:00May 8th, 2017|Car Accidents|Comments Off on How Can Airbags Injure When They Are Supposed to Save Lives?
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Call us at 818-991-8900 or fill out the form below to set up a time to talk with our legal team about your case. If you are unable to come to our office in Westlake Village because of your injuries, we can come to you.

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