It can happen in an instant. You may not even see it coming but the impact of another vehicle upon yours is terrifying. The statistics on Orange County car accidents bears this out. The data for the most recent years shows we counted over 325 fatalities (2019) in our county but that doesn’t touch on the number of injuries suffered by those who were not killed.
An Orange County car accident lawyer can help injury victims
Berkeley has developed a Transportation Injury Mapping System which shows data for California and can be filtered by county, city and so on. Looking at Orange County as a whole there were just over 26,000 injury crashes in 2019 which is roughly 400 motor vehicle accidents per day! As a result of those incidents, over 37,000 people suffered some type of injury.
Statistics on Orange County car accidents
Orange County Vehicle Accidents More Common in Certain Areas
The Orange County Register lists the most “dangerous” intersections throughout O.C. including cities of Santa Ana, Orange, Anaheim, Irvine, Fullerton, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Merely getting behind the wheel comes with inherent risk and the odds go down on these Orange County streets. Statistically more dangerous or not, a vehicle collision can occur anywhere. If it does, there are some things motorists should keep in mind.
First and foremost, stay calm. It may be easier said than done, but a (relatively) cool head will help you to get through the accident better.
Second, make sure you (or your passengers) are okay. We could say make sure you are not hurt but with automobile accidents it can take several days for symptoms to appear. If there are no immediate, life-threatening injuries, only then take the next steps. If there are injuries, call 911 for an emergency response.
If you or the other driver(s) are not in need of immediate medical treatment, it’s best to move out of the flow of traffic and to a safer area. Although I would suggest that you document the post collision position of all vehicles by taking photos of the vehicles where they came to a rest. It is often important to show later whether the vehicles were still in contact or whether they were separated and by how much distance after the crash. Only if the vehicles in the car accident are posing a danger to others who may not see the vehicles and may collide with them, then those who carry road flares or reflectors in their vehicles can put these on the roadway to warn other drivers. Use caution with flares if there is any hint of spilled or leaking fuel in the area. If so, do not use them.
If your injuries would affect you ability to move your vehicle, or would be aggravated by you exiting your vehicle on your own, then you should stay put in your vehicle and wait for emergency assistance to extricate you or assist you from your vehicle. Severe pain, such as neck pain or back and especially pain that seems to shoot or travel from one area to another, such as from your low back and into your legs, or numbness and tingling in your arms or legs is an indication that you may have spinal cord damge and should not move until emergency personnel arrive.
Once first responders arrive, allow the EMTs or paramedics to evaluate you and anyone else in the automobile accident. When the police arrive, they will make a Traffic Collision Report. Sometimes police officers at the scene will state that if no one is injured then they won’t make a report or they may only make a property damage only report. So it is important for you not to minimize your injuries and provide all physical complaints that you are having to the investigating officers. Those symptoms are sometimes specific, such as a cut on your elbow, or severe pain in your neck, but other times can be just a feeling of malaise or that you are not just feeling right. Remember, your 3500 pound vehicle was just struck by another 3500 pound vehicle or even a 5500 pound vehicle usually when you were not expecting a crash. Even a 10 mile per hour crash with force and movement that distributed to your body in a tenth of second is significant. You need to report all injuries so that the emergency personnel can treat and evaluate them and the officer can document them in her report.
If you feel that you do not have to be transported from the scene to a hospital or that you will seek your own care with your doctor or at an urgent, that is alright. Just make sure that you exchange driver license and insurance information with the other driver(s) involved in the collision. A police officer will usually collect this information, but you will have to wait for the Traffic Collision Report to obtain it. Even if there is an officer present, if your injuries do not prevent you from obtaining it, you should make sure you get this information at the scene. If you have the presence of mind, take photos of the accident—this is much easier our smartphone era than it was previously. Photos are especially important since debris from the crash may be removed shortly after the incident to clear the road and skid marks will fade in days to weeks and will be more difficult to prove later that they were due to your car crash. Documenting the scene will become a good source of evidence should you need to hire a car accident attorney or even if you decide to attempt to settle your case on your own.
Above all, try to remain calm throughout the process. An auto accident can be one of the most frightening, unnerving experiences anyone can endure, but remaining calm in the initial moments after impact can prove to be invaluable if negligence was a factor.
It should be stressed that medical care is vital, too and it’s important to see a physician as soon as possible if there is any hint of injury, external or internal. The quicker potential problems are diagnosed, the better. In some cases the earlier the treatment the better the chance of recovery as insurance companies and their adjusters always argue that any delay in getting medical treatment is a sign that you were not injured or that your injuries are not “significant.” Also, with the physical stresses placed on the body during a collision, some injuries may not be apparent immediately so it’s wise to keep tabs on how you feel in the hours and days following a crash. Some people even write down their symptoms in a symptom or pain diary. However you approach it, use your common sense and do what is best for you and your family.
Consulting an Injury Lawyer in Orange County
If the negligence of another driver(s) caused your injuries, then I would highly recommend you obtain a free consult with a lawyer that specializes in Orange County car accidents. Your best option is to consult an experienced car accidents lawyer. In Orange County that’s Kyle Scott in Tustin. Knowing your rights and being able to discuss your circumstances with a qualified legal expert can also help alleviate at least part of the emotional stress that is also a byproduct of an auto accident. For a free consultation, contact Kyle Scott Law at 714-544-1460.