Car Accidents at the Airport

Sacramento International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in California. Also known as SMF, the airport is located in the northwestern portion of Sacramento County, CA. The main roads that serve SMF are Airport Boulevard, Aviation Drive, Alan Boyd Drive, McNair Circle, Lindbergh Drive, and Interstate 5. The transportation options include rideshare services like Uber or Lyft, SuperShuttle, Sacramento Regional Transit District (Sac RT) buses, and taxi cabs.

In 2018, there were over 6 million total passenger boardings at SMF. With countless air travelers being picked up and dropped off every year, getting in and out of the airport is especially dangerous if drivers fail to exercise due care. If you have been injured after a crash at the airport, our Sacramento car accident lawyers are ready to help you seek the financial compensation to which you are entitled to for your injuries and losses incurred.

There are many types of dangers when driving in and out of Sacramento International Airport. These include traffic congestion with shuttles, buses, and other cars, confusion about where to park or which way to go, distractions due to using the navigation in the Google Maps app, and texting or talking on a cell phone. Many pedestrians are getting in and out of vehicles or trying to cross crosswalks at the airport pick up and drop off areas, facing a high risk of being hit by motorists. Pedestrian accidents are common, just like rear-end collisions are at SMF.

As a driver, passenger, or pedestrian injured in a traffic accident, you may be able to recover personal injury damages from the motorist who crashed into you. This may be done by proving negligence on the part of the at-fault party. In other words, you must be able to prove four elements of negligence in a personal injury lawsuit, including:

• The driver owed you a duty of care
• The motorist breached that duty of care
• The at-fault party’s failure to exercise due care was the proximate cause of your auto accident injury
• Damages incurred as a result of the other driver’s negligence

Once negligence has been proven in a personal injury claim, a person who has been injured in an airport car accident may be able to recover economic and non-economic damages. Common types of damages in a personal injury accident claim include:

• Medical Expenses: The costs of medical care after a traffic collision can be staggering, depending upon the nature of the injuries sustained. Fortunately, California law allows people injured in motor vehicle accidents to recover past and future medical treatment and expenses, including ambulance rides, hospitalization, doctor’s visits, physical therapy, counseling, surgery, and prescription medications. This is possible so long as it can be proven that the medical care was reasonable and necessary.
• Lost Wages: Suffering accident injuries may often result in time missed at work to recover or attend medical appointments. In other cases, an injured party may not be able to return to work at all. In these cases, an injury lawyer can seek compensation for lost income and loss of future earning capacity related to the vehicular crash.
• Loss of Consortium: This type of damage in a personal injury case is intended to compensate an uninjured spouse for the damage done to their marital relationship as a result of a car accident. This includes loss of an injured spouse’s companionship, support, and society. It may also include compensation for the inability to conceive children due to the severity of injuries involved, such as a spinal cord injury.
• Pain and Suffering: Being injured in a motor vehicle collision at the airport can be both traumatic and stressful, to say the least. If the injuries cause emotional distress and physical pain, the injured individual may seek pain and suffering damages. Keep in mind that this type of non-economic damage is subjective and differs in value from case to case.

Factors may affect a car accident injury claim and its value. To learn what these are, watch the video below.

It is essential to investigate all factors contributing to a motor vehicle accident at the airport. In situations where a rental vehicle was involved, there may be state minimum bodily injury coverage or a commercial insurance policy for the rental car, depending on whether the driver opted in for car rental coverage or used their personal car insurance plan. If an Uber or Lyft vehicle was involved, the rideshare company should be notified and brought into a personal injury lawsuit since there may be commercial auto insurance available, whether it is through the defendant driver or if you are the driver or passenger of the Lyft or Uber vehicle. Most taxi cabs are owned by private companies, so a commercial auto insurance policy may also apply. Public transportation is regulated by the government, including RT buses. Government agencies generally do not have a traditional motor vehicle insurance policy and may not have limits on bodily injury liability coverage. In all types of personal injury cases at the airport, it is critical for a car accident lawyer in Sacramento to investigate whether parties, other than the at-fault driver, bear some liability for the injury incident. This includes the airport or government entity for any potential defects in the design or maintenance of their pedestrian crossings, parking lots and garages, and roadways.

Did the insurance company admit fault, or has your personal injury claim been disputed by an insurance claims adjuster? If there is a disagreement on liability for a traffic accident, you may seek the assistance of a reputable injury lawyer in your situation. When out of pocket expenses incurred as a result of an auto crash for medical care, lost income, and vehicle repairs, you will need legal assistance to recover these damages. Call the Sacramento auto accident lawyers of AutoAccident.com for a free consultation to discuss whether you have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.

I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident lawyer. Did you or a loved one suffer an injury after an accident at Sacramento International Airport? Call our legal team at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice. Our injury attorneys will evaluate the facts of your personal injury claim and determine your best options for recovery.

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In recognition of my work as a Northern California car accident attorney, I have been awarded membership into the Million Dollar Advocates and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.

The Law Offices of Edward A. Smith has been helping people injured or killed in accidents and their families since 1982. To see our history of personal injury accident case results, go to our Verdicts and Settlements page.

Image Source: By "MichaelGaida" via Pixabay

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