Considering how much time drivers in Southern California spend in standstill traffic, it’s ironic that one of the most common traffic violations in Murrieta and the surrounding area is speeding. Nearly 80 percent of drivers admit to speeding at least occasionally despite measures by lawmakers, government agencies, and law enforcement to set and enforce posted speed limits and educate people on how dangerous it can be! Considering motorists’ willingness to confess their bad behavior, it’s no surprise car accidents are daily occurrences. Unfortunately, speeding is not a harmless offense; it’s one of the most common factors in injury and fatality accidents. Over 9,000 people lost their lives in the United States to speed related accidents in 2018. Improper use of excessive speed by a driver can be a negligent behavior that makes them responsible for injuries they cause in an accident. If you were hurt in a car accident involving excessive speed, check with an experienced Menifee Speeding Collision Attorney to see if you may be entitled to compensation.
Does Speeding Really Increase the Risk of Accidents in Menifee?Speed limits are set and enforced in order to keep drivers and their passengers safe on Menifee’s road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the faster a driver goes, the more dangers they and others on the road face. Both the speeding driver and their vehicle suffer negative effects from traveling too fast, and it shows – 31 percent of all fatal crashes have speeding to blame as a contributing factor. Not only does speed decrease a driver’s reaction time and increase the possibility they’ll lose control of their vehicle, it decreases the time a driver has to observe upcoming hazards on the road and take either evasive or defensive measures to avoid a collision. Also, once a driver realizes they need to brake, the faster they are traveling the farther the distance they need to stop their vehicle. If the driver cannot stop and a collision does occur, the increased vehicle speed results in a greater force and increased energy generated in the crash, which usually corresponds to more severe injuries and more damage.
Risk Factors for Speeding Collisions in MenifeeMenifee, a town of over 93,000, has experienced a population boom as people have left dense urban areas like Los Angeles for more a more affordable, suburban lifestyle. Many of those transplants have kept their jobs in larger cities and continue to commute back and forth to jobs in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties on the busy 15 and 215 freeways. The large commuter population driving long distances on heavily traveled freeways with elevated speed limits, in combination with the heavy commercial truck traffic in and around Menifee, and the general dependence of Southern Californians on cars for their daily transportation needs around town mean motorists on these roadways risk accidents and injuries from speeding drivers every day. In 2016 alone, Menifee saw 110 speed-related injuries and fatalities according to California’s Office of Traffic Safety, and earlier in 2019 one man was killed and another injured due to a collision involving excessive speed at the intersection of Menifee and Newport Roads.
How Do I Win My Case?Victims of Menifee speeding collisions commonly try and recover damages for their injuries by filing a personal injury lawsuit arguing someone else is responsible for their injuries due to their negligence. If you have evidence the other driver was speeding, such as:
- Observation by law enforcement,
- Skid marks,
- Eyewitness accounts, or
- Damage to a vehicle,
then you can usually establish a driver’s negligence per se for a traffic violation. If someone in California was in violation of a law, rule, or regulation when they caused an injury, they are presumed to have acted negligently. This includes posted speed limits.
If you are unable to prove the defendant was speeding, you must show they were guilty of ordinary negligence. To establish this, you must show it’s more like than not the defendant:
- Owed you a legal duty of care,
- Breached that duty through an act or omission, and
- Caused you harm due to their breach.
What Can I Recover for My Injuries?Victims injured by a speeding driver’s negligence may be entitled to receive damages. Though no amount of money will undo your experience in the accident or your injuries, compensatory damages are a legal attempt to make you whole for the harm you’ve suffered. A victim may receive compensation for both concrete, measurable damages as well as more abstract injuries stemming from physical, emotional, or psychological trauma related to the accident. It’s common for victims to suffer:
- Medical expenses
- Property damage
- Lost Wages
- Funeral expenses
- Pain and suffering,
- Permanent disability, scarring, and/or disfigurement,
- Mental anguish,
- Loss of consortium, and
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
In some circumstances, a victim may be entitled to an additional damage award to punish extremely bad behavior by the defendant. Punitive damages are entirely up to the judge or jury involved, and you must satisfy a very high burden of proof to be eligible for consideration. The complicated nature of establishing tying causation to a breach for negligence, as well as the difficulty of satisfying differing burdens of proof, make consulting with a skilled Menifee Speeding Collision Lawyer helpful for avoiding legal missteps.
Contact an Attorney TodayIf you or a loved one were involved in a car accident due to another driver’s excessive speed, speak to the skilled Menifee Speeding Collision Attorneys at Walton Law, APC to have someone look out for your best interests and get the best possible outcome from a bad situation. Our attorneys have years of experience providing personalized, dedicated representation to victims just like you and delivering results; we’ve recovered millions of dollars in compensation on behalf of our clients to help with their injuries. Contact us today to schedule your risk free, no obligation case evaluation. We are available 24/7 at (866)-338-7079 or through our online Contact Page. The initial case review is free, and you pay nothing until we win your case. Our attorneys look forward to reviewing your unique case and fighting for you to get the outcome you deserve from an unfortunate situation as soon as possible.