San Diego Highway Accident Lawyer

San Diego is a major traffic hub for residents, travelers, and commercial trucks operating as part of the essential supply chain that’s an integral part of the California industry. Several major highways in San Diego County are among the busiest in the nation, including Interstate 5, Interstate 8, and the notoriously high-risk Interstate 15. Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) considers a “highway” to describe both single and multiple-lane roadways, the term is commonly used to describe divided, multi-lane highways and major freeways. Accidents on these high-speed roadways are terrifying and traumatic, often resulting in serious or catastrophic injuries.

Understanding the Dangers of Highway Accidents in San Diego

More accidents occur in intersections and on high-traffic roadways in urban areas compared to large highways, resulting in higher numbers of injuries and fatalities on smaller roadways. Traffic experts warn that accidents are more common in shopping, business, and residential areas because cars travel in opposing directions and navigating intersections requires more decision-making; however, injuries in highway accidents tend to be more severe.

Although accidents on major highways may be statistically less frequent than on smaller roadways, the accidents are typically more serious and result in more severe injuries and fatalities because they happen at higher speeds and may involve multiple cars in chain-reaction accidents or multi-car pileups.

What Causes Accidents Occur on Highways in San Diego?

San Diego’s multi-lane highways have high traffic volumes and speed limits of 65 miles per hour. In a collision at this speed, a 150-pound person becomes an astonishing 9,750-pound force according to crash force calculations. The result is severe bodily trauma. Common causes of accidents on San Diego highways include:

• Distracted driving
• Speeding
• Unsafe lane changes
• Improper merging
• Tire blowouts
• Aggressive driving
• Tailgating
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances
• Drowsy driving

Unlike accidents on smaller community roadways and intersections, highway accidents aren’t typically T-bone accidents or head-on collisions. Instead, sideswipes, roadway departures, rear-end collisions, rollovers, and multi-car pileups are common types of highway accidents in San Diego.

Proving Liability in San Diego Highway Accidents

California is a fault-based car accident state with pure comparison negligence insurance laws. These laws require injury victims to prove another driver’s liability for the accident so the at-fault driver’s insurance will cover their damages, like medical expenses, lost wages, and compensation for pain and suffering. Proving liability requires gathering evidence of the cause of the accident and each driver’s percentage of fault from 0-100%, depending on the circumstances. Proving liability requires demonstrating the following:

• The at-fault party owed a duty of care to others on the road to take all reasonable measures to prevent causing an accident and injuries
• They breached their duty through careless or negligent actions
• Their breach of duty directly caused injuries to someone else
• The injury victim suffered significant economic and non-economic damages from the injury

In comparison, in negligence insurance states like California, insurance adjusters often assign an unfair burden of fault to an injury victim to lower the amount of compensation they have to pay by the injured motorist’s percentage of fault.

How Can a San Diego Highway Accident Attorney Help?

Insurance companies are not on your side, despite their compassionate ads. After an accident, it’s always best to hire an experienced car accident attorney and direct the insurance company to communicate only with your personal injury lawyer.

Call the San Diego car accident attorneys at Haffner & Morgan so we can investigate your accident, document evidence to present a compelling case, and obtain the highest possible settlement or court award for your damages.