California teems with wildlife, and often either wild animals or domesticated animals stray onto the roadways causing car accidents. When any kind of an animal wanders onto a highway or freeway, the result can be a major and catastrophic collision—often involving multiple vehicles.
If you suffered injuries due to a car accident involving an animal crossing the street, contact our legal team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 794-0444 to learn how a Los Angeles animal crossing the street accident lawyer may be able to help you receive compensation for your losses.
Types of Animals That Cause Car Accidents
According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), over one million car accidents occur every year due to animals in the roadways. The FHA studies further show that up to 10% of collisions with animals ultimately result in injuries, totaling approximately 26,000 every year, including an estimated 200 fatalities annually.
Many kinds of animals may wander onto the roadways in California causing motorists to swerve to avoid hitting them, causing accidents. Some of the types of animals that may stray onto the roads include dogs, cats, deer, opossum, raccoons, and rabbits, among others.
If you are involved in an accident caused by an animal crossing the road, you may find it beneficial to call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm and receive a free case evaluation from a member of our team.
Avoiding Animal Crossing Accidents
While some accidents involving animals crossing the street are simply unavoidable, there are some ways to attempt to keep the car accident from becoming catastrophic—or perhaps avoiding it altogether.
Stay Alert
Never drive while you feel distracted, or text and drive. One momentary glance away from the road could be the exact moment an animal decides to cross the roadway, resulting in a serious collision. Make sure never to drive while fatigued or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Pay attention, especially at dawn and dusk when many animals are particularly active.
Never Tailgate
The driver in front of you may need to stop suddenly to avoid directly hitting an animal crossing the street or in the roadway. If you always keep a safe and appropriate distance between you and the car in front of you, you avoid the additional risk of a rear-end collision.
Hit Your Brakes
If you are the driver that sees the animal crossing the roadway, try to slow down as much as possible. Try not to stop too suddenly, or you may have the driver behind you rear-end your vehicle. Try to stop slowly and evenly if possible.
Never Swerve
In some cases, a driver may feel tempted to swerve to avoid the animal crossing the street; however, this is one of the worst decisions a driver can make. The reason is that the driver may then hit another vehicle, cause a multi-car pileup, or swerve off the road into a tree, ditch, or ravine.
Slow Down
During dawn, dusk, and at night, many animals are much more active, specifically wildlife. Taking extra precautions to slow down may prevent an accident. Additionally, if you see any yellow road signs that indicate animal crossings, always take time to slow down to ensure that you do not hit an animal in a well-known route of wildlife. Slowing down will also help you look for the reflection of your headlights in the eyes of wildlife and possibly avoid an accident. Finally, if you see one, expect more. Most animals travel in packs and groups, so if you see one wild animal, slow down even more, as there are likely more to follow.
Honk Your Horn
If you see an animal is already crossing the road and the roadway is not extremely busy, you may consider honking your horn. This may scare off the animal in the road and alert other motorists that there is some sort of danger ahead.
Wear Your Seatbelt
While this point will not help you avoid an accident involving an animal crossing the street, it may help save your life or reduce the severity of your injuries related to an accident.
For a free legal consultation with a Animal Crossing The Street Accidents Lawyer serving Los Angeles, call (800) 794-0444
Results of Car Accidents Involving Animals
Any animal that wanders onto a road can cause several different types of accidents. In many cases, the driver simply does not have enough time to avoid hitting the animal directly. These accidents can result in severe damage and injuries, especially if the animal is larger, such as a deer, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
In other scenarios, an animal wanders onto the roadway and the driver has enough time to avoid hitting it by swerving, which is often a natural impulse and reaction. However, when a driver swerves on the roadway, they may collide with another vehicle, lose control leading to a rollover accident, or swerve off the road into a ditch or ravine. Any of these accidents can easily result in severe injuries—or even death.
Los Angeles Animal Crossing The Street Accidents Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
What to Do if You Hit an Animal Crossing the Street
If you happen to hit an animal crossing the street, stay calm. Call 911 if you can do so, and do not move from your vehicle if you feel you are severely injured in any way. However, if you are not injured, you may consider moving your vehicle from the middle of the roadway to avoid additional collisions with other vehicles.
Make sure you seek immediate medical attention if you suffered injuries. Contact your insurance company to let them know that you suffered injuries or property damage due to a car accident. If the animal that crossed the street was a domesticated animal, there is a chance that the owner of the animal could be responsible and liable for your injuries and property damage.
You will want to act as soon as possible to preserve your legal rights. In California Courts, the statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits generally is two years from the date of the accident. You may find it worthwhile to discuss your case with a Los Angeles animal crossing the street accident lawyer and explore your legal options.
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Consider a Los Angeles Animal Crossing the Street Accident Lawyer
If you suffered injuries due to an accident involving an animal crossing the street, you may want to consider contacting our legal team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today at (800) 794-0444 to learn how we can help you understand your legal rights. Our Los Angeles animal crossing the street accident lawyers may be able to negotiate with insurance companies to possibly get you compensation for your injuries and property damage.
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