Walnut Creek Car Accident Attorney - Overview of Walnut Creek Accident Issues
Our Walnut Creek car accident attorneys and investigators are familiar with Walnut Creek and its danger zones. In general, car accidents in Walnut Creek have been steady which is not bad given the increase in population. Here are the numbers from 2018 through 2022. (There is a COVID dip of course.)
Accident Trends in Walnut Creek (by Year)
Car accidents with injuries.
2018 192
2019 214
2020 114
2021 140
2022 150
Fatal Accidents are Steady
There has been no dramatic spike in fatal accidents. Fatalities are between 1-3 each year. A great cause of auto deaths are drunk driving accidents. Walnut Creek PD have a limited effect on drunk driving cases as most enforcement is by the California Highway Patrol. The number of Walnut Creek based accidents involving an under the influence driver have been fairly stead with a range from 20-31 cases. (With a dip during COVID.) While on a percentage basis this is a large range, in real terms 20-30 is a rather static number.
Walnut Creek Motorcycle Accident Danger Areas
Walnut Creek motorcycle accidents are focused in three danger areas. The first is the area by Broadway Plaza near Nordstroms. The next is 680 toward Concord, right after the 24/680 merge. The third is near Main Street and Casa Way toward the Marriot with accidents both on and off the freeway in that area.
How Drunk Drivers Affect Accident Statistics
A very large number of more serious accidents in both Walnut Creek and statewide are related to drunk driving. Drunk drivers are involved in more high speed accidents. High speed accidents include the fact that drunk drivers often fail to break so their initial speeding is compounded by a lack of speed reduction before impact. Sadly, many drunk driving accidents include a failure of the intoxicated person to wear a seatbelt. While this does not affect the ability of a victim to seek damages, it adds to the tragedy as the other driver may be ejected from the vehicle or otherwise seriously hurt. We have actually claimed damages for our clients in such a situation as seeing another person (even someone at fault) injured, adds to their emotional distress.
There has been no dramatic spike in fatal accidents. Fatalities are between 1-3 each year. A great cause of auto deaths are drunk driving accidents. Walnut Creek PD have a limited effect on drunk driving cases as most enforcement is by the California Highway Patrol. The number of Walnut Creek based accidents involving an under the influence driver have been fairly steady with a range from 20-31 cases. (With a dip during COVID.) While on a percentage basis this is a large range, in real terms 20-30 is a rather static number.
In Mendocino County 25% of all crashes involve alcohol. In Contra Costa the number is on the low end (compared to other counties) and is about 12-13%. A final note on DUI statistics. The most DUI crashes occur Friday through Sunday. The 20-39 age group is disproportionately high in terms of persons responsible.
A sad example is the recent matter involving Briana Day. Ms. Day was arrested for striking two pedestrians who were walking on the sidewalk near North Main and Pine. One person died and the other was seriously injured. She was ultimately sentenced to two years in prison. The families of the victims have filed suit. In April of 2022 an alleged drunk driver killed a pedestrian at Rossmoor. At times the drunk driver can just swerve and particularly with motorcycles, cause a death.
Car swerves in general are highly dangerous to motorcycles. For example, in 2016 a car swerved when a motorcyclist was driving northbound on Interstate 680. We do not in any manner imply intoxication. Cars swerve regularly and generally without causing major problems. But motorcycles are vulnerable. In this instance, the motorcycle could not stop in time, hit the car and the accident was fatal. We have posted a video of one of our motorcycle clients being struck by a car. It underscores to car drivers the fact that there are pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles that/who are vulnerable to your thousands of pounds of weight (x velocity). In other words, drive as if you are going to collide with a much smaller object/person, not just another car!
Daniel Horowitz and his Walnut Creek Accident Legal Team
If you have a car or motorcycle accident, our Walnut Creek accident attorneys can provide you the best representation to ensure that your car gets fully repaired and that your injuries and inconveniences are fully documented.
We hope that your injuries are temporary and manageable but if you suffer a severe and debilitating injury from your accident, we are expert in representing seriously injured clients. We are particularly well suited to injury analysis as we have a full time paralegal who is also a chiropractor (Dr. Michael Yates) and an associated attorney who is both a physician and a lawyer (Dr. Mark Ravis).
Daniel Horowitz has a lengthy list of high dollar recoveries and we have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. In truth we hope that your case does not justify a million dollar award because that money isn't free, it comes at a very high personal cost. We live and work locally so we are connected to our clients on a personal level. We truly care.
There is never any fee charged until you recover money. Please call us if we can assist you.