Sherman Oaks Car Accidents Caused by "Traffic Nightmare"

A number of Sherman Oaksa accident injury attorneys have noted that car collisions occur with alarming frequency in this urban district of San Fernando Valley, California. The area has morphed into a regional business, shopping and transportation nexus with rush-hour car collisions throughout the community and its adjoining 101 Freeway. In fact, a 24-year resident intimated that Sherman Oaks is "a total nightmare when it comes to traffic."

Wrong-Way Driver Creates Multiple Car Crash

In March of 2009, the driver of a Jeep Cherokee entered the fast lane of the Ventura Freeway (101) heading westbound--the wrong way--on the eastbound side and collided with a Chevy pickup truck. The 40-year-old driver was hospitalized for major injuries following the car crash. Two other people sustained only minor injuries. According to the California Highway Patrol, the car accident blocked three lanes of traffic. Sherman Oaks car collision attorneys admit that wrong-way car accidents can be particularly deadly.

Just three minutes after this wrong-way crash, a Ford Taurus heading eastbound rear-ended the Chevy pickup. The car collision closed all eastbound lanes for roughly 45 minutes while the drivers were extricated from their vehicles and treated for injuries. Luckily, the other two drivers had "buckled up" and sustained only minor injuries. The CHP admitted that wrong-way car collisions are fairly infrequent given the number of safeguards. Still, Sherman Oaks car crash attorneys have noted that despite multiple warnings, a few motorists will somehow manage to cause a wrong-way car collision.

Head-On Car Collision Sends 2-Year-Old Girl to Hospital

Another March 2009 car accident, this time in the 3750 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard, sent a 2-year-old girl and four people to the hospital. The head-on car collision shut down Sepulveda in both directions as police, firefighters and paramedics extracted two victims trapped in their vehicles and cleared the wreckage.

More Pro-Active Efforts Needed to Stem Sherman Oaks Car Accidents

In an effort to cut down the number of car crashes in the area, Sherman Oaks instituted a pilot photo enforcement effort. The community set up a red-light camera to catch red-light violators at one of its busiest thoroughfares--Ventura Boulevard.

In a city with this much traffic, any experienced Sherman Oaks car collision lawyer will tell you that sobriety checkpoints make streets safer. Local DUI Saturation Patrols can be effective in remove impaired drivers from city streets. Aside from citing careless drivers and arresting DUI violators, sobriety checkpoints also help educate motorists on the deadly consequences of drunk drivers.

Be on the Hit-and-Run Lookout

BISNAR | CHASE, in conjunction with WeTip, a leading anonymous crime reporting service and law enforcement advocacy non-profit organization, is launching a program intended to wipe out hit-and-runs in the state of California by offering rewards for tips leading to the arrest and felony conviction of hit-and-run drivers. See Hit-and-Run Reward for more details.

BISNAR | CHASE 2006-2010 Super Lawyers names outstanding lawyers from more than 60 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. BISNAR | CHASE has received this award for five consecutive years. Brian Chase was named one of the 2010 Top 50 Orange County Lawyers.