San Mateo Personal Injury Attorneys Blog | California Car Accident Lawyer

How do insurance companies quantify pain and suffering?

On behalf of The Law Offices of Vincent J. Scotto, III posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

When a person gets injured as a result of a car accident, the pain and suffering that they may be afflicted with tends to vary by the individual and severity of the accident. Insurance company adjusters use a multiplier method to account for this. It allows them to estimate the amount of compensation that a person is eligible for based on various components, including pain and suffering.

There many factors that insurance adjusters look at when estimating damages. Some of the primary ones include clear proof of the other driver's fault in causing the accident and how badly a motorist was hurt. Adjusters also look to see documentable proof of injuries and associated pain and suffering and how long the recovery time will be.

How can lawsuits help people injured in public spaces?

On behalf of The Law Offices of Vincent J. Scotto, III posted in Premises Liability on Tuesday, June 9, 2020.

If a business is welcoming you inside, they owe you more than a hello. Public spaces need to be safely accessible to the public, and the details of what "safety" means have changed over the years. For the most part, store owners and others are expected to keep pace with the changes.

How do these updates happen?

Moves to change these standards often start with small lawsuits that claim that someone was negligent about public safety and put their guests or invitees in danger. The burden of preventing foreseeable accidents is always on the party best able to take action -- like a shopkeeper.

What if someone was hurt because a public space was unsafe?

Workplace injuries can now happen in the home

On behalf of The Law Offices of Vincent J. Scotto, III posted in Premises Liability on Monday, June 8, 2020.

You may be reading this while you take a quick break from work. You may also be reading this at home while you're in sweatpants before you rummage through the fridge. Maybe you're doing both, because of a long trend that has recently become the norm.

Working from home is now commonplace for millions of workers in California and elsewhere in the United States. In fact, many jobs based in California may be done by people outside the state, taking pressure off local housing shortages. It also saves money and time since people don't have to go to the office.

How does someone contract rabies?

On behalf of The Law Offices of Vincent J. Scotto, III posted in Animal Bites on Wednesday, May 27, 2020.

One of the biggest fears that humans have when interacting with animals is contracting a potentially deadly disease such as rabies from them. This medical condition can result in serious neurological problems and even result in an individual's death. Rabies can be transmitted to a human anytime they come in contact with an infected animal's saliva, brain or nervous system tissue.

Individuals generally contract rabies from being bitten by rabid animals. There are, however, rare instances in which humans have contracted the deadly condition after they've been exposed to infectious tissue or bodily fluids through scratches, abrasions or open wounds though. Research has not yet shown that a person can contract rabies simply by petting an infected animal or by making contact with their blood, urine or feces.

How to help your teen driver learn lane control

On behalf of The Law Offices of Vincent J. Scotto, III posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, May 12, 2020.

One of the most difficult things for a lot of new drivers to master is staying within their lane. Fortunately, unlike when most of us were learning to drive, many cars now have lane departure warning systems that let drivers know when they're starting to drift over the line. However, that doesn't necessarily make it easier for teen drivers to maneuver their vehicles as well as more experienced ones can.

If you're taking your teen on practice drives ahead of their licensing test, there are some creative ways you can teach them to stay in their lane without even being on the open road.

Two potentially serious illnesses associated with cat attacks

On behalf of The Law Offices of Vincent J. Scotto, III posted in Animal Bites on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

It is safe to assume that most California residents fear dog attacks more than they fear cat attacks. While dogs can be large and appear aggressive, most cats just look too sweet to wage war on a human. Unfortunately, cats can attack people just like dogs can and sometimes the outcome of a bite or a scratch can be serious.

Anytime an animal bites you, it is wise to seek medical attention. This can protect you from illnesses as well as severe tissue damage. Below, you will find information about two potentially dangerous illnesses a cat bite can cause.

What if an unwelcome souvenir of your trip was bed bugs?

On behalf of The Law Offices of Vincent J. Scotto, III posted in Premises Liability on Monday, April 13, 2020.

When you check in to a hotel for a vacation or a business trip, you likely don't begin your stay by looking for bed bugs -- especially if you've never experienced them before. Even if you do look for bed bugs, they're very good at hiding. It's more likely that you'll find the droppings they leave behind.

By the time you discover during your stay that your room has bed bugs, they may already have made their way into your luggage, your clothing and your skin. You need to take a picture of what you find and report them to hotel management. They may offer you a refund of your hotel charges.

Beware: Drunk driving is illegal and it kills!

On behalf of The Law Offices of Vincent J. Scotto, III posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

An 18-year-old San Jose woman was arrested and charged with her friend's death after she was involved in a crash here in San Mateo County on Feb. 23.

Witnesses to the crash reported seeing the now-defendant traveling southbound along Highway 101 nearby its intersection with Whipple Avenue in the moments before the 3:15 a.m. crash. Witnesses saw the woman's 2018 Audi sedan travel off the side of the road near that Redwood City intersection before it veered off into an embankment and went airborne.

How to safely drive in a roundabout

On behalf of The Law Offices of Vincent J. Scotto, III posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

If it's been some years, or even decades, since you took driver's ed, you may feel some anxiety when you find yourself approaching a roundabout. While they've been common throughout the United Kingdom and Europe for many years, they've become increasingly popular in California and across the U.S.

These circular intersections have been found to reduce traffic congestion and decrease the number of serious accidents. They require less maintenance than traditional stop signs and lights, and they're better for the environment because vehicles use more gas when they have to stop, idle and then start up again.

Negligent or inadequate security can lead to premises injuries

On behalf of The Law Offices of Vincent J. Scotto, III posted in Premises Liability on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

Is the world in which we live more dangerous than it was in bygone days or do we just hear about dangerous incidents more often? As injury lawyers, we would not presume to answer questions like this. What we can say is that we, and other California law firms, see a lot of victims who suffered injuries from security incidents occurring on someone else's property

In many cases, a lack of proper security may invite the criminal element to enter these properties and wreak havoc. Perhaps they come to rob innocent citizens and cause an injury during the altercation. Other times, improperly secured premises make the ideal hunting ground for those who simply wish to harm other living beings.