Summer is here, and that means your risk of becoming a personal injury victim may be more elevated than at other times of the year. Summer in Southern California means a lot of things, but most of all, it means you can count on more people spending more time outside.
Not only is your risk of becoming injured in an accident greater, but certain types of accidents may also be more likely. Let’s go over a few of these accident types and why they can increase during summer.
Car Accident Injuries
Your risk of being injured in a car accident can rise during summer for many reasons. For instance, more people are traveling during this season, and a lot of them may be unfamiliar with our roads or traffic laws. Because school is out of session, there can also be more inexperienced teenage drivers on the road, too. As a final example, people might be using rideshare drivers more often than usual, which can elevate the number of drivers engaging in risky behavior.
The best thing you can do is engage in defensive driving at all times, avoid using drugs or alcohol before getting in your vehicle or someone else’s, make sure you get plenty of sleep before driving and obey all traffic laws. Even if you are an excellent driver, though, that doesn’t fully protect you from becoming injured by a reckless or negligent driver. That’s when you may need an experienced attorney to help you recover compensation for your injuries.
Motorcycle Injuries
If you love long days of riding your motorcycle during summer, your risk of becoming injured in a motorcycle accident may be elevated.
With more vehicles on Southern California’s roads, motorcycle riders are particularly vulnerable to accidents caused by other drivers’ recklessness and negligence. This is due to the motorcycle’s smaller width and shorter profile, which can make it more difficult for drivers to notice and respond to in time.
Also, motorcycle riders should avoid lane splitting during summer. Although this riding technique is permitted in California, doing so with such a high volume of other vehicles only increases the risk of a collision. Even very skilled riders can become involved in a collision when traffic is particularly thick.
Watercraft & Boating Injuries
Just as more people are on the roads than usual, summer means more people are out on the water than usual, too. Whether you’re on a kayak, paddle boat, jet ski, motorboat, yacht, or something else, the risk of injury is always present. You may be injured when your vessel is struck by a negligent boater, or you may be injured as a passenger on a vessel with a reckless operator.
In any case, boating accident injuries can be just as severe or lethal as any that occur on the road. Should you be facing medical bills or the loss of a loved one due to a boating accident, a personal injury attorney can help you take legal action against the parties responsible.
Dog Bite Injuries
Summer can also mean an increased risk of dog bite injuries. Summer gives people the time and occasion to go on more walks with their dogs and take them to outdoor spaces more frequently than usual. Unfortunately, this can elevate the risk of someone becoming the victim of a dog bite injury – especially when a dog is poorly trained or handled by an inexperienced owner.
You can avoid a dog bite injury by giving dogs and dog owners a wide berth when passing them on the sidewalk or street. Dogs may feel threatened by your close presence and react defensively to what they think is hostility. Even so, it’s not unheard of for very aggressive dogs to seek out and pursue people who attempt to flee. If you are attacked by a dog, fight back and call for help, then seek immediate medical attention.
Once your wounds are properly addressed, get in contact with a lawyer who can help you hold the dog’s owner accountable for the incident.
Contact Us for Legal Help
If you are injured this summer due to someone else’s negligence or recklessness, contact our team at the Law Office of Robert J. Kaiser for help. We can help you identify legal options that may be available to you to pursue compensation for your injuries.
If you need to recover damages to help you move on from an accident, we can guide you through this process.
For more information about getting help with a personal injury, contact us online .