San Francisco Injury Lawyer Blog
One of the first and most important parts of working with a new client in our injury law firm is listening to the client’s story. We recognize that this can be difficult and that telling the story often means reliving some of the most terrifying moments in the individual’s life. In other cases, telling the story means relating (and imagining) the final moments of a loved one’s life. Some of the scariest car accident stories we hear involve crashes where one or more of a vehicle’s occupants is ejected from the automobile. Ejection accidents are always serious and often fatal. Our San Francisco ejection accident law firm is committed to representing the victims of these crashes. This includes helping our client win money for the pain and suffering caused by these terrifying collisions whether the client is the injured victim or a loved one imagining the final moments of a deceased relative.
Vacaville Accident Leaves One Dead, One Seriously Injured
In the early morning hours of Saturday July 13, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, an accident claimed a life in Vacaville, a city is located on I-80 between Sacramento and San Francisco. According to Officer James Evans of the California Highway Patrol, the accident occurred shortly before 5 A.M. at the intersection of Foothill Drive and Pleasants Valley Road. Responding officers found an overturned 1994 Chevy Camaro with one person trapped inside and another partially ejected from the vehicles. Evans noted that one victim was pronounced dead at the scene while the other, he did not know which, was transported to UC Davis Medical Center with major injuries.
Ejection Statistics 
While discussing data on seat belt use, the Center for Disease Control also comments on the danger of ejection. Looking at crash data, the agency found that victims who were unbelted were 30 times more likely than to be ejected during a collision than those wearing seat belts. Another figure makes this statistic even more meaningful – more than 75% of those who are ejected from a vehicle during a crash die from their injuries.
A report by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (“NCSA”) titled “Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities by Restraint Use and Ejection Status, 2003” further examines the link between fatal accidents, restraint use, and ejection. The study notes that being unrestrained leads to a greater risk of serious injuries and also a greater risk of ejection. Examining fatal accidents, the NCSA found that only 6% of belted passenger vehicle occupants were ejected (either partially or totally) while 44% of the fatally injured unbelted occupants were ejected (again, either partially or completely). Looking at vehicle types, SUVs had the highest rate of fatally injured unrestrained victims who experienced ejection.
The CDC and NCSA data make two points clear: 1) Ejection crashes are dangerous and often fatal; 2) Seatbelts provide protection against ejection. Using a seatbelt to prevent ejection is particularly key for occupants of SUVs because those vehicles have a greater ejection risk. The fact that seatbelts save lives is not new information, but the risk of ejection is one additional reason to buckle up during every vehicle trip.
A Reminder About the Law: Real Plaintiffs May Not Be Perfect
We always encourage safety. However, we know that none of us our perfect; the law does not expect us to be. In both personal injury and wrongful death cases, we can help clients recover money damages even if the victim was not wearing a seat belt. Call our San Francisco car accident law firm to discuss your ejection case or any other serious car accident case where the victim was injured due to someone else’s negligent or wrongful acts in Northern California.
See Related Blog Posts:
San Francisco Accident Attorney on Danger of Rollover Accidents
Head-On Collisions: Less Common, But More Dangerous, Than Many Imagine
(Photo by “infinity” via stock.xchng)