The Barnes Firm

The Painful Impacts Of Bumper To Bumper Crashes

• January 5, 2017
• Sandy

LOS ANGELES- It’s time to face the cold hard facts: the Southland is synonymous with traffic and traffic means accidents can and will happen. The question is, when will the next accident happen?

Los Angeles County’s section of the Pacific Coast Highway is known for its car crashes. In Malibu alone, the PCH averages 1,000 accidents per year. About nine of those incidents are fatal.

According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, rear-end collisions account for around 30 percent of all crashes in America. Most of these types of crashes are not deadly because vehicles are built with “crumple zones” and have built in safety measures, like bumpers, to absorb the impact of a crash.

However, drivers and passengers most often suffer lasting and life-altering injuries after a bumper to bumper accident.

“We see cases of whiplash all the time and it’s a very serious injury. Even at low speeds, the force of an impact can cause major spine and head trauma and these crashes are documented in Los Angeles,” car crash lawyer John Sheehan said.

Every year, there are more than 90,000 car accidents in Los Angeles County. Nearly 30,000 of those crashes were rear-end collisions. Of those rear-end crashes, 20 to 25 percent of crash victims report pain and soreness lasting weeks.

“That’s around 7,500 injuries every year, in Los Angeles County alone,” Sheehan said. “Crash victims will often tell us their soreness never really goes away, even years after the accident.”

The Pacific Coast Highway Study aims to reduce accidents and injuries along the Southern California corridor. Recommendations to change traffic patterns or introduce safety strategies will be reviewed by a steering committee before safety commissions introduce the potential changes to Malibu City Council.

The Barnes Firm 1-(800) 800-0000