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Sacramento Has Fatal Traffic Accident Hotspots Despite Overall Accident Decline

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in
fatal-traffic-accident-hotspotSacramento has seen a decline in fatal traffic accidents in recent years. However, areas throughout the city are known as fatal accident hotspots, because residents are more likely to perish from drunk driving, speeding, or car-and-pedestrian accidents in these locations. Over the past twenty years, Sacramento’s population has grown by over one-hundred thousand residents, yet the number of people who have died from traffic accidents has dropped by nearly six percent. The drop in fatalities is largely accredited to an increase in seatbelt use, better child restraints, and fewer young drivers on the roads. Despite the overall decrease in vehicle-related deaths, fatal traffic accident hotspots around the city are a concern.

Sacramento Traffic Fatality Hotspots

In 2014, nearly 170 people lost their lives in car crashes in Sacramento. Many of these deadly accidents took place at one of the following traffic fatality hotspots:
  • U.S. 99 between Florin Road and Fruitridge Road
  • Power Inn Road near Florin Road
  • The intersection of I-80 and the Capitol City Freeway in West Sacramento
  • The Capitol City Freeway near Arden
According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), these fatal accident hotspots contributed greatly to Sacramento’s current traffic fatality rate of 7 per every 100,000 residents. The NHTSA data also included detailed statistics regarding Sacramento’s traffic death hotspots, such as:
  • 34 percent of the fatal accidents were alcohol-related
  • 31 percent of the fatalities were caused by reckless driving
  • 21 percent of the accidents involved the death of a pedestrian
While Sacramento has not seen more than 200 traffic-related deaths per year since 2007, the growing number of fatalities at the city’s hotspots has region officials looking for ways to improve traffic safety in these locations. If someone you love was killed in a car accident at one of Sacramento’s traffic fatality hotspots, or if you or a loved one were injured in a car accident elsewhere in Sacramento, contact the Arnold Law Firm to speak with a skilled Sacramento auto accident attorney today. A personal injury lawyer from our law firm can help you get the justice and financial compensation you deserve.

Call (916) 777-7777 or fill out our FREE Case Evaluation Form.

Settlement - $3,767,000

Truck Accident

A 20-year-old man who had been married for just 12 days left home on his way to work. He was driving on Pleasant Grove Road in Sutter County in the early morning when he came upon a slow-moving truck. As he pulled out to pass the truck, the truck driver turned left in front of him. The young man attempted to steer back into his lane but his vehicle struck an un-flagged piece of metal extending from the back of the truck. He died in the resulting crash.

Expert witnesses brought in by the Arnold Law Firm proved that the truck, owned and operated by a hauling firm, should never have been on the highway that morning. Specifically, the rear and side turn signals did not work and the rear-view mirror was in a poor state of adjustment at the time of the collision. As a result, the driver, who had failed to properly inspect the vehicle before setting out that morning, couldn’t see the young man’s vehicle as it attempted to pass.

The poor condition of the truck, its lack of maintenance and the manner in which it was operated were found to be substantial factors in causing the collision that killed the young man. The testimony also established that the man had been making a lawful pass at the lawful speed limit and acted reasonably when he attempted to avoid the collision.

The man’s 20-year-old widow was awarded $3,767,000.77, his parents were awarded $185,131 and the family was reimbursed $11,899 in funeral expenses. Though money is a poor substitute for a young man’s life, this verdict demonstrates that drivers who endanger the lives of others will be held accountable for their actions.