Turlock, California, Personal Injury Lawyer

Hello, I’m Ed Smith, a personal injury lawyer in Turlock. I’d like to welcome you to my website and my Turlock page. I want to tell you a little about myself and what to do if you are in an accident and need help. It is important to get legal assistance as soon as possible after an accident. While the first thing you should do is get medical help, going it alone when dealing with insurance companies or the cost of medical treatment and lost wages without an attorney makes your burden even heavier. Our goal is to  shoulder that burden, freeing you to concentrate on healing.

Turlock is a city of roughly 72,000 in Stanislaus County. It lies between Modesto and Merced and is intersected by State Routes 165 and 99. Incorporated in 1908, it is largely an agricultural area. Home to the California State University, Stanislaus, it prizes educational development. Recently, there has been a retail and housing boom in the area served by Highway 99, coinciding with population growth. Statistically, with an increase in population, roadway accidents increase, making the possibility of being involved in a motor vehicle crash higher.

Let’s look at the types of collisions, their severity, and any violations as well as environmental and other aspects associated with them in 2015, the last year complete data is available:

• Types of Collisions (top three)
  • Broadside collisions account for the largest group and are the cause of accidents 35.9 percent of the time
  • Rear-end collisions are the second largest cause of accidents in Turlock at 25.5 percent
  • Head-on collisions accounted for 10 percent of accidents in Turlock

• Severity of Collisions
  • Fatal collisions occurred in 1.7 percent of accidents
  • Severe injuries happened 3.8 percent of the time
  • Visible injuries occurred in 31.4 percent of all collisions
  • Injuries resulting in pain, by report, occurred in 63.1 percent of accidents

Now, let’s look at the types of violations seen with collisions in Turlock:

Most collisions happen on Wednesday (17.9%), with Friday a close second at 16.9 percent. The fewest collisions occurred on Saturday. In addition, most accidents occurred during daylight hours.

While the incidence of motorcycle accidents (4.5%) and bicycle accidents (5.9%) out of all collisions in Turlock occur less frequently, the damage and injury that result can be severe. Both bicyclists and motorcyclists have no protection as car drivers and passengers do. In addition, motorcycles and bicycles are often not visualized by motorists.

Motorcycle riders in California are able to split lanes, riding along the line both on highways and lesser roads. Car and truck drivers need to be on the outlook for this in order to avoid an accident. Bicyclists may not be visible, particularly in the dark if no bicycle lights are used. Special attention is needed on rural roads where lighting is not available.

My staff and I get to know our clients and remain friends with many long after their case are resolved. I strongly believe this is particularly helpful in the beginning of our relationship. Cases are not limited to the vehicles involved in a crash or the damage that is done. They are about the people whose lives were radically changed, at least for a while.

In a similar vein, I think that prospective clients might want to know a little more about me. I grew up in Brooklyn, a borough of NYC. It’s a place where inhabitants are straightforward, and that sense of transparency is still part of my professional and personal life today. I served in the Air Force during the Vietnam war and returned to the states in 1970 where I used the G.I. Bill to attend the University of California at Davis. After graduating, summa cum laude, I went to the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. After graduating and passing the California Bar, I opened my office in California in 1982. My son, Brant, was born the same year. Now, I am a proud grandfather.

I love the law and the work I do and the chance I have to help my clients during difficult times in their lives. While I specialize in serious, large accidents, if you were involved in a less serious accident, I can recommend another attorney in Turlock. Give me a call, and I will offer friendly, free advice no matter the size or complexity of your accident.

Negligence exists when an individual owes a duty to another, such as driving safely on the road, and breaks that duty and the other person is injured because of that. The injury usually has financial impact on the victim such as the cost of hospital and other medical expenses and lost wages at the time of the accident and in the future. It is an attorney’s job to prove negligence and deal with insurance companies to demand a just settlement. That does not always happen. The attorney must then be prepared to take the case to trial so that his or her client will receive maximal damages. In addition, it is important to make sure how the client responds to medical treatment and whether future care might be involved.

Wrongful death exists when, through the negligence of another, someone dies. It can occur after a car accident or surgery. Wrongful death is a special type of personal injury in that both are caused by negligence.

In wrongful death cases, medical treatment is not expected, although the decedent might have been treated between the time of the accident and the time of death. In this situation, the person might have suffered pain with the knowledge that he or she was dying. This is called a survival action and is part of a wrongful death lawsuit. The personal injury damages literally survive the person’s death.

One other way that wrongful death is different from personal injury lawsuits is in the way negligence is perceived. In these cases, the elements of a wrongful death case involve the death of someone due to the negligence of another with or without a purposeful intent to harm the individual. As a result of the death, family members suffer financial harm.

In both cases, someone needs financial help, either the victim of an accident or the family of the decedent. I pledge to use every tool at my disposal to make sure that the family or the victim will receive just damages.

I’m Ed Smith, a Turlock personal injury lawyer. If you have been injured, or if a family member has died due to the negligence of another person, call me at (209) 227-1931 or toll free at (800) 404-5400 24/7 for free and friendly advice.

Please take the time to look at my reviews on Yelp, Avvo and Google Plus.

I am a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a select group of attorneys who received case settlements of $1 million or higher.

Please take time to look at my previous case Verdicts and Settlements page.

Q. Where are the best places to have my car repaired?

A. My staff and I found the following repair shops in Turlock to have excellent reviews on Yelp:

E&M Auto Service
1744 McCormick St
Turlock, CA 95380
(209) 668-2222

Broadway Auto & Auto Body Repair
401 S Broadway
Turlock, CA 95380
(209) 634-8890

Q. Where is there a good rental car agency in town?

A. My staff researched this question for Turlock and found the following rental car company to have good reviews on Yelp:

Enterprise Rent-A-Car
1636 Carnegie St
Turlock, CA 95380
(209) 632-800

Pictures:

CSU https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSUSlake.JPG
Main Street: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Turlock_Main_Street.JPG

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