San Mateo Personal Injury Blog

As a pedestrian, you often think about the steps you can take to avoid trouble, such as being struck by a motor vehicle. Even if you do your best to remain safe, another person could make a mistake that results in serious injuries.

Understanding the most common causes of pedestrian accidents will go a long way in helping you adjust your approach when walking, jogging, running or bicycling.

• Distracted driving: If a person is not paying attention to the road, clearly, there's a greater chance they'll cause an accident.
• Speeding: The faster a person drives the more difficult it is to stop in a timely manner in the event of an emergency.
• Disregard for weather conditions: Certain weather conditions call for a change in driving style. For example, wet weather leads to longer stopping times. Sun glare makes it difficult to see the road ahead and pedestrians.
• Driving under the influence: Drugs, alcohol and prescription drugs can all impair a person's ability to drive safely.
• Disregard for traffic conditions: During rush hour, for instance, there may be more people crossing the road. Drivers should adjust their driving style to enhance the safety of pedestrians.

San Mateo residents see large trucks and commercial vehicles every day on the freeway. They may rattle past smaller vehicles at speeds that do not even seem safe for their massive loads and may haul multiple cargo holds at any given time. While big trucks like semis are a necessary part of moving goods through the country to support business and commerce, they can pose dangers to individuals when their drivers fail to exercise proper care.

One way that a truck driver may be negligent is driving without the right training or experience. Truck drivers must obtain special commercial licenses to legally drive large vehicles and the process of obtaining this license requires them to understand the challenges that managing a large truck can present. A driver who is not prepared to operate a large rig may cause a serious and life-threatening motor vehicle accident.

If you are thinking of moving your run from the treadmills at the gym to the roads of San Mateo, then you will have to take certain precautions. Running on the road or sidewalk has its benefits, such as changing scenery and the exhilarating fresh air. However, you will have to contend with hazards that are not present in the gym. For example, you will have to maneuver around other runners and walkers and perhaps dodge the occasional loose dog or other wildlife. Another danger you will encounter by moving your run outside is traffic.

In general, people operating cars and trucks are not looking for pedestrians. They tend to be on the lookout for what other drivers are doing. This means that you should always make your safety a priority when you go for a run or walk and the following safety tips can help you with just that.

From stubbed toes to minor cuts and bruises, it is easy to disregard the little mishaps that people suffer when they try to do too much too fast or when they suffer from simple clumsiness. These little, self-imposed injuries are part of everyday life and do not allow individuals to seek the recovery of their losses in court.

However, when individuals suffer harm through no fault of their own, their legal options may be very different. This is because individuals generally owe a duty of care to each other to act reasonably and to avoid inflicting injuries on one other. When a person fails to meet their standard of care and breaches their duty to act reasonably to another person, they may commit negligence in their actions.