Chain-Reaction Wreck Kills One, Injures One

Two pedestrians, a 26-year-old woman and an 8-year-old female child, were struck by an out-of-control car in south Los Angeles. 

According to investigators, a car was exiting a private property near the intersection of 83rd Street and Western Avenue when it struck a vehicle heading south on Western. The car that had been struck then collided with two pedestrians on the sidewalk. The woman died at the scene. Emergency responders rushed the child to a hospital, where she remained in critical condition.

The driver of the car that initiated the chain of collisions, a 58-year-old man, was hospitalized in stable condition. Police said it wasn’t clear if alcohol or another intoxicant was a factor in the crash, but she added that detectives will take that into account as part of their investigation.

Pedestrian Injuries

These injuries are severe enough when a single car mows over a pedestrian. Unpredictable ping-pong collisions are even worse. They cause injuries like:

• Severe TBIs: The motion of a pedestrian collision often causes Traumatic Brain Injuries. When victims fall, their brains slam against the insides of their skulls, causing swelling and bleeding. The resulting brain damage is usually permanent, since dead brain cells don’t regenerate.
• PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, an injury that affects about 50 percent of vehicle collision victims, is a specific kind of brain injury. Extreme stress, like a car crash, alters brain chemistry. This imbalance causes symptoms like anger, hypervigilance, and depression. These symptoms could be life-threatening. Many PTSD victims have suicidal thoughts.
• Concussions: A concussion is a moderate Traumatic Brain Injury. An excessive number of concussions causes CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a condition that resembles advanced PTSD. Unmanaged CTE usually leads to dementia-like symptoms and suicidal tendencies.

Frequently, a pre-existing condition contributes to the risk and severity of these injuries, CTE is a good example. An excessive number of concussions causes CTE, but no one is sure of the exact number.

Pedestrian injury complexities don’t end there. These head injuries are also very hard to diagnose and treat. Many doctors mistake head injuries for accident shock, since initially, the two conditions have similar symptoms. Accident shock goes away on its own, and head injuries get progressively worse.

A Los Angeles personal injury lawyer connects victims with doctors who focus on head injuries and, in most cases, charge nothing upfront for their professional services.

Legal Issues in Chain-Reaction Wreck Claims

These claims are also complex in court, usually because they involve advanced legal issues of causation and responsibility.

Tortfeasors (negligent drivers) are legally responsible for foreseeable (possible) injuries. An out-of-control crash is certainly unexpected and unlikely, but it’s definitely possible. Any driver could strike any pedestrian at any time.

Multi-car collisions usually involve other complex issues as well, such as mandatory counterclaims. Basically, one driver blames the other one for causing the wreck. Such disputes usually don’t affect victims. They’re entitled to compensation. It’s just a matter of who writes the check.

We say “usually” because, in many cases, one driver is uninsured or underinsured. In these cases, it’s essential for a Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer to hold the fully insured driver fully responsible for damages.

These damages usually include compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.

Consult Our California Pedestrian Accident Lawyers Now!

Pedestrian accidents usually cause serious injuries. For a free consultation with California Pedestrian Accident Lawyers, contact the Law Offices of Eslamboly Hakim. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.