California news reports that a Sacramento man has died in an Elkgrove motorcycle collision. The accident occurred when the 63-year-old man riding the motorcycle collided with the side of a minivan at the intersection of Elkgrove Boulevard and Bradshaw Road. The man died at the scene from injuries sustained in the motorcycle crash. The driver of the minivan, a woman, received minor injuries in the accident. The children who were passengers in the van were not injured. While the motorcycle accident remains under investigation, no indication exists that alcohol or any other substance was a factor in the collision.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a California motorcycle accident or other type of motorvehicle crash, it's a good idea to consult with an experienced Sacramento accident attorney right away. A skilled Sacramento personal injury lawyer can begin an investigation into all of the factors surrounding a particular incident and ensure you receive all of the compensation you are entitled to. Even where an injured party is partly at fault for an accident, under California's comparative negligence law it may be possible to recover damages.

This accident serves as a tragic reminder about motorcycle safety and precautions all drivers and riders should keep in mind. Statistics reveal that more than 100,000 motorcycle accidents occur each year. Further, more than two-thirds of deaths from motorcycle accidents involve motorcycle collisions with another car on the road - often because the car doesn't see the motorcycle at all or is unable to avoid the crash once they do see the motorcyclist. Whether the minivan didn't see the motorcyclist is certainly an issue raised by this accident.

Sacramento news reports that a Sacramento man died following a fatal car vs. bicycle accident on West Capitol Avenue in West Sacramento early last week. According to reports, both the vehicle and the bicyclist were travelling eastbound along the 2000 block of West Capitol when the collision occurred. The bicyclist swerved to avoid a large puddle and veered into the number two lane of traffic. The Sacramento man was then hit by a car. The bicyclist suffered major head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene. Although the accident remains under investigation, weather conditions have been cited as a possible contributing factor whereas speed and alcohol do not appear to be involved.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Sacramento bicycle accident, it is important to seek the advice of a Sacramento bicycle accident lawyer right away. Many times, it may be possible to recover compensation for your injuries. Types of damages include medical expenses, lost past and future wages, pain and suffering and emotional distress. An experienced Sacramento bike attorney can review your case and provide critical advice concerning your next steps.

While not all bicycle accidents and injuries from bicycle accidents can be avoided, several tips exists that may help improved the safety of California's roadways.

Some of these tips include:

For Bicyclists

• Always wear a helmet. Your chances of sustaining a life threatening injury or serious brain injury significantly decrease if your head is protected.

• Obey the rules of the road. Light signals and traffic signs apply to bicyclists as well as motorists. Use signals to alert motorists to your movements.

• Be on the look out for cars in driveways, cross streets and parking lots.

• Ride as if you're invisible. In other words, ride in such a way that motorists won't hit you even if they don't see you. By riding in such a way that a car has to see you to take action to avoid hitting you (e.g., by their slowing down or changing lanes), then that means they will definitely hit you if they don't see you. But if you stay out of their way, then you won't get hit even if they didn't notice you were there.

For Motorists

For their part, motorists need to learn to share the road with bicyclists and to do their best to anticipate bicyclist's movements. In car v. bicycle accidents, generally bicyclists sustain the most significant injuries. To avoid substantial injuries, drivers must use common sense and provide sufficient room for bicyclists to maneuver.

While not all car/bike accidents can be prevented, with care on the part of motorists and bicyclists California's roads can become safer for all.

For more information or if you or a loved one has been injured in a Sacramento bike accident, contact the top Sacramento bike attorneys at the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette for an immediate consultation.

Sacramento news reports that two California teens died over the weekend as the result of a rollover car crash. According to reports, three teens were riding in a 203 Acura when they approached a roadway curve. The driver could not control the car as he maneuvered around the bend. The car left the roadway, hitting a utility and tree before flipping over. Two passengers were killed, and the driver sustained moderate personal injuries. Alcohol was not considered to be a factor in the car accident.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, it's important to seek the advice of an experienced Sacramento personal injury lawyer right away. Although the severity of car accidents varies - rollovers are some of the most serious. Rollovers typically occur as the result of drivers trying to over-correct to avoid a roadway hazard, or adjust to the curve of a roadway. However, when a driver maneuvers too quickly he or she may cause the car to flip. This may be a result of driver error, or in some cases roadway design. A roadway design like the angle of a decline, the absence of appropriate barriers or improperly designed shoulders may create a condition that makes rollovers more likely. If an entity designed a road that is unreasonably dangerous, it may be held liable for negligence.

Other times, rollovers occur due to negligence in the manufacture of a car or its parts. This may be due to a defective auto-part or tire manufacturer design. In some cases, the type of vehicle may make it more likely that a vehicle will flip - such as an SUV. Many times, it may be possible to file a negligence lawsuit where the design of a vehicle is unreasonably dangerous or has a defective design or part.

Rollover accidents lead to many different types of injuries including, but not limited to:

 • Neck injuries

 • Head injuries

 • Traumatic brain injuries

 • Broken bones

 For more information or if you or a loved one have been injured in a California car accident, please contact a top Sacramento personal injury lawyer at the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette for an immediate consultation.

The manufacturer of a helicopter part alleged to be defective has just agreed to a settlement in the helicopter crash that occurred seven years ago killing two Sacramento County sheriff's deputies. Turbomeca S.A. has agreed to pay the county $1.5 million for damages resulting from the crash. The negligence lawsuit alleges that the French company supplied defective parts that caused the helicopter to run into a hill near Lake Natoma.

The third party lawsuit was filed by the county against the manufacturer to recoup damages it paid to the families of Deputy Kevin Blount and Joseph Kievernagel and Deputy Eric Henrickson.

Allegedly in the early evening of July 13, 2005, mechanical problems caused the helicopter Kievernagel was piloting and transporting Blount and Henricskson to crash into the side of a mountain. According to the lawsuit, the company was aware 4½ years earlier of the mechanical problem that caused the crash but did nothing to warn those flying the craft.

Specifically, the product liability lawsuit alleged "two months before the crash, Turbomeca was "aware of more than 10 instances of failure of the (defective part) because of an inadvertent inside-out installation, causing ... total loss of power and requiring emergency landings" of at least six helicopters, and at least four incidents involving helicopters on the ground." Further, despite being aware of the manufacturing defects "the company chose not to alert and inform its customers and regulatory agencies because it did not want to pay for a recall of over 300 engines" the lawsuit alleged.

On July 20, 2004, the company issued a service bulletin recommending that a newly designed part be installed during the next engine overhaul.

The settlement is not an admission of fault or liability.

In many situations when an individual is hurt or killed on the job, the injured party or his/her family's recovery may be limited by California worker's compensation laws. However, certain instances exist where a civil lawsuit may be filed. Typical situations where "third party" lawsuits may be filed include situations like this - i.e. where a manufacturing defect is alleged to be the cause of an injury. In these cases, an employer and family member or injured party may bring a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer of the defective product.

Other types of work place accidents that may lead to civil negligence lawsuits include:

• Traffic accidents

• Exposure to toxic substances

• Negligent actions by other third parties on site

Contact an experienced premises liability lawyer or personal injury lawyer to learn whether your case has the possibility of a third party claim.

For more information please contact the top Sacramento workplace accident lawyers at the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette for an immediate consultation.

San Francisco news reports that a 54-year-old man died in a motorcycle crash after the rider collided with a car while driving through San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The accident occurred as the motorcyclist was negotiating a curve in the road and hit the car next to him. The man was thrown from his motorcycle and was killed. While the accident remains under investigation, the driver of the car is not expected to be charged in connection with the crash.

According the US Department of Transportation, in 2006 more than 100,000 motorcycle accidents occurred in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that over two-thirds of motorcycle fatalities involve a motorcycle and another vehicle. Often another car on the road doesn't see the motorcycle at all, or is unable to avoid a crash once they do see the motorcyclist. Further, crashes often occur as the result of car and motorcycle drivers responding to the same road conditions in different ways, making it difficult for each to anticipate the other driver's actions.

This weekend's tragic accident serves as a reminder about motorcycle safety and the need to take precautions to avoid serious accidents. Motorcycle accidents may occur for a myriad of reasons including, but not limited to, driver error, roadway negligence and defective motorcycle design. If you have been in a motorcycle accident, it's important to seek the advice of an experienced Sacramento motorcycle lawyer right away. In many instances, it may be possible to recover damages for your injuries. In the event of a wrongful death, a family may be able to seek compensation for medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.

Driver error may include actions such as a reckless or drunk driving on the part of the motorist, or the motorcycle driver. It's important to remember that even if a motorcyclist is partly at fault for his or her injuries, if another party is also responsible, the injured party may still be able to recover damages.

Roadway negligence refers to defective or faulty roadway design. This may be the lack of appropriate signage, too tight of curves in the road, too steep inclines, or the failure to have sufficient shoulder room. Negligent roadway design refers to any situation where how a road is designed or maintained contributes to an accident.

Another potential sources of motorcycle accidents is the existence of a faulty or defective motorcycle part. In these instances you may be able to file a product liability lawsuit against the motorcycle dealer or manufacturer. For example, if the brakes or other motorcycle part doesn't function correctly, and this leads to a serious accident, you may be able to recover damages from the responsible party.

For more information about motorcycle accidents or to learn about motorcycle safety tips to prevent motorcycle accidents, please contact the top California motorcycle accident lawyers at the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette for an immediate consultation.

The family of an Oakland man killed in a bicycling accident while speeding down a hill in Berkeley's Tilden Park has filed a negligence lawsuit against a well-known bicycling website, Strava. According to reports, William "Kim" Flint died after trying to keep his time record for racing down the hill. Flint was biking down the hill at about 40 miles per hour. He was fatally injured after he suddenly braked to avoid a car and flipped over.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a bicycle accident, its important to seek the advice of an experienced Sacramento bicycle attorney right away. If you have suffered serious personal injuries, it may be possible to recover damages for your harm. Typical bicycle injuries may include:

• head and neck injuries

• spinal cord injuries

• brain injuries

• broken bones

• road rash

In the event of a fatal accident, a surviving family member may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit. Negligence and wrongful death suits are based on the legal concept that the careless or reckless conduct of anther person or entity lead to another person's harm, or in this instance, death.

Here, the family has filed a negligence claim against the Strava website based on its actions in encouraging bicyclists to bike too fast. The Strava company hosts virtual races and rewards winners who use a GPS system that track their own time and that of competitors. Flint died after he learned someone on the site had beat his time, and he went out to try to reclaim the title. However, Strava failed to inspect the courses or otherwise ensure that they are safe. A representative noted, "They assume no responsibility. They don't put cones out. They don't have anybody monitor and see whether a course, or a specific segment, is dangerous."

If Strava knows or should have known that the course was dangerous but failed to remove it from the site, they may be held liable.

Even if Flint is held partly responsible for his death, his family still may be able to recover damages for his injuries. California is a comparative law state, which means that an injured party (or in this instance the surviving family members) can recover damages for harm caused - even if they are partly to blame. The amount recovered would be reduced by percentage of the injured party's fault.

This bicycle accident is not the only high profile bicycle accident case linked to Strava. Strava has also been implicated in the recent Castro pedestrian death. According to sources, the cyclist who hit the pedestrian was tracking his time on Strava.

For more information about negligence or wrongful death lawsuits, or if you or a loved one has been injured in a Sacramento bicycle accident, contact the top Sacramento bike accident lawyers at the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette for an immediate consultation.

News from Martinez, California reports that a woman has received a $2.5 million jury award in a negligence lawsuit filed after the women choked on a chicken bone. The woman was eating at a Round Table pizza restaurant and choked on a 1.2 inch bone left in her barbecue chicken pizza. As a result of the incident, she required more than 11 surgeries and spent several months on feeding tubes and liquid diets.

If you have suffered any injury that you believe may be the result of another's negligence, it is important to speak to a Sacramento personal injury lawyer to determine your next steps.

Lawsuit based on negligence arise out of the general premise that people, companies or even governmental body should exercise reasonable care in their actions. If they fail to exercise reasonable care and their actions cause foreseeable harm, then the may be held responsible for any damages caused and be required to pay compensation.

A Contra Costa County jury determined that the franchisee for the South San Francisco Round Table, Foster Poultry Farms and Pizza Bytes, was negligent in allowing bones in the chicken. Reports indicate that between 2005 and 2010, more than 200 customer complaints were issued about bones in the chicken strips.

$2 million of the award is for pain and suffering and $500,000 is for past and future medical expenses. 

For more information about negligence lawsuits or if you believe you have been injured due to another person's negligence, please contact a top Sacramento personal injury lawyer at the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette for an immediate consultation.

California news reports that a jury has awarded a Fresno teacher has been awarded an $11.5 million personal injury verdict as the result of injuries she sustained in a freak car accident. Susan Reyes, a Fresno schoolteacher, was hit in the head by a "hunk of iron" that flew off of a truck on Highway 99. Reyes incurred significant brain injuries as the result of the truck accident including short-term memory loss and severe headaches. She also suffers from chronic seizures. According to the personal injury lawsuit, Reyes has lost her drivers' license and was unable to continue working as a special assignment teacher with Fresno United school district.

If you have been harmed in any type of personal injury accident, it is important to consult with an experienced California personal injury lawyer right away to answer your personal injury questions and determine your right to compensation. In many situations, more than one cause may contribute to an accident. A knowledgeable Sacramento accident lawyer can conduct a thorough investigation into all possible factors in order to ensure you receive the compensation you are entitled to.

Here, evidence at the trial revealed that Reyes was driving through Bakersfield and was following a big rig owned by Lion Raisins. The truck trailers had cables that held empty wooden bins in place. An accident investigations determined that after the truck's load shifted, a corner iron flew off the truck, likely hitting the pavement then catapulting through Reyes' windshield and into her "right skull and brain." As the result of the accident, Reyes lost control of the car and ended up in the median. She required emergency surgery to stay alive.

Reyes suffered a traumatic brain injury that has led to personality changes and "serious behavioral impairments."

The verdict represented compensation for past and future earnings, past and future medical expenses, and pain and suffering.

If you have been injured in any personal injury accident, including a car accident, bus accident or truck accident it is important to obtain the compensation you deserve. For more information, contact the dedicated Sacramento accident attorneys at the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette for a free, confidential consultation.

News reports that a Menlo Park man who suffered serious personal injuries in a drunk driving accident has sued Hobo Limousines, Inc. for it's role in providing a "party bus" that allowed minors to drink for 4-hours during a "booze-cruise." In February 2010 after a 21st birthday celebration aboard a party-bus, a minor - 19-year-old Brett Studebaker - got behind the wheel and crash into a car driven by Gregory Hinman. Studebaker died in the drunk driving accident and Hinman suffered permanent brain damage and broken bones.

As a result of the crash, Assemblyman Jerry Hill has proposed legislation making drivers, companies and riders responsible for preventing underage drinking on party busses.

In many situations, more than one party may be at fault for causing an accident. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident it is important to consult with an experienced Sacramento personal injury attorney to begin an investigation into all of the causes of a particular incident in order to ensure you obtain all the compensation you deserve.

Here, the parties dispute who is at fault for the underage drinking. The company asserts that the people onboard were drinking prior to getting on the bus, but not during the ride, and that parents signed a contract agreeing that minors wouldn't be drinking. Conversely, the parents of Brett Studebaker blame the company asserting that it's the driver's responsibility to ensure that no minors were drinking while on the party bus and that the driver added to the drinking by providing a bottle of champagne.

Because California is a comparative law state, each party who has caused or contributed an injury may be held responsible. Where more than one defendant is found to blame, each party may be held liable for a percentage of the total.

This accident is a tragic reminder of the dangers of drinking and driving. What was meant as a celebratory party ended in heartbreak for two families.

For more information or if you or a loved one has been injured in a car crash or any other type of personal injury accident, contact a dedicated Sacramento personal injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Frederick J. Sette for a free, confidential consultation.

As the result of negligence in allowing a wild-fire to burn unattended, the San Jose Mercury News reports that a former a jury has found a former schoolteacher and her relatives responsible for damages caused by one of Santa Clara County's biggest wildfires. The premises accident occurred after Margaret Pavese illegally began burning paper plates in a 55-gallon metal barrel. The Lick fire burned out of control, damaging 47.760 acres, destroying four homes and 20 buildings in the Henry Coe State Park Area. Also destroyed in the fire were papers a San Jose man - Dan Straus - had inherited from Albert Einstein, including calculations jotted down on onionskin and an envelope.

Pavese was sued for negligence as the result of allowing a dangerous condition to exist.

The concept of "premises liability" provides that owners or occupiers of land have a responsibility to keep their property free from dangerous conditions they knew of or should have known of and/or take reasonable precautions to warn of the unreasonably dangerous conditions.

Here, the jury applied a similar theory to determine that despite Margaret accepting sole responsibility for the accident, the duty to exercise reasonable care and the knowledge of the dangerous conditions created liability on behalf of the other family members. As noted by a representative - "Margaret lit the match, but we were able to convince the jury that the Pareses were all negligent. We really felt we lost a historical treasure."

Because each one of the members were found in some way to be responsible for the danger created, each of the individuals were found to be partly at fault.

Negligence involves the concepts of duty and responsibility. Here, where a duty is found to exist on one party, harm for damage caused by the failure to reasonably comply with that duty may be compensable.

For more information, or if you believe you have been harmed through the negligence of another, please contact the dedicated Sacramento personal injury and negligence attorneys at the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette.