Speeding is a dangerous factor in many accidents around Bakersfield. Not only does going faster make accidents more likely, but it can also increase the severity of a frightening T-bone, rear-ender, sideswipe, or head-on collision.
An accident caused by a motorist going too fast on a busy route like Highway 178 might leave you with a stack of medical invoices and a wrecked SUV. And when you must miss work with an injury, you have little chance to pay your bills and get a vehicle fixed.
In California, you are empowered to seek help with your recovery costs, but in some cases, unhelpful car insurers make you fight for fair compensation. You need to follow some important steps to protect yourself from the blame game and from insurers who downplay your injury.
Do I Need a Lawyer After Getting Hit by a Speeding Driver?
If you have serious injuries from a car accident caused by another motorist, it’s a good idea to talk over your options with a skilled Bakersfield car accident lawyer. Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield offers a free case consultation to all Kern County accident and injury victims. There’s no obligation, but it’s a great way to find out what your injuries are worth.
Accident Hazards Caused by Speeding Drivers
Speeding is a dangerous choice on the crowded thoroughfares in Bakersfield. Increased velocity makes every move a driver makes that much more risky. Changing lanes requires more attention and precision. A focus on traffic jams and lights changing to red must be observed.
Unfortunately, people who blow past the limit often combine the choice with distracted driving and even aggressive behavior.
There will always be collisions on busy California streets and highways, but the goal is to make sure everyone can walk away from the wreckage unscathed or able to make a full recovery. That’s the scary thing about crashes involving speeding cars. The crashes are more severe, and the consequences for injuries go up.
These are just a few of the reasons it’s so important to take speeding out of the equation in local accidents:
- Giving up control. A faster-moving car is harder to steer and keep in the lane. It’s more difficult to stay on the right side of a yellow line when in a curve. The speed cuts down the reaction time necessary to avoid collisions.
- Increased impact force. Fast-moving cars carry more force into collisions. That force is transferred into the people inside, putting them at increased risk.
- Cellphones and distractions become more dangerous. Speeding drivers who are texting while driving or setting up the next song to play travel much further in the lane without having eyes on the road. They can go several hundred feet before looking up to see a red light or a construction slowdown.
- Less braking time. Speed only reduces the time and space victims have to brake to come to a complete stop and avoid a massive impact.
- More serious accidents. The impacts deliver more blunt force trauma to people riding in the cars. In a head-on collision, the impact force is doubled, combining the speed of both cars, resulting in a force multiplier for those inside the vehicles.
- Drivers engaged in street racing on Bakersfield streets aren’t watching for other cars and won’t be able to brake properly to lessen the effects of an impact with a vehicle, a pedestrian, or a cyclist.
It’s often up to a lawyer to help victims make sure suspects are held accountable for their choices. A lawyer may have to help victims prove that a driver was being reckless at the time of the collision. Once liability is proven, the insurer must be held 100% liable for medical bills, lost time at work, and car replacement costs. Victims should also receive support for the pain their injuries cause and the emotional trauma they must deal with after a frightening encounter with a speeding driver.
How Many Accidents in Bakersfield Involve Speeding
Taking a look at the speeding accident statistics in Bakersfield over the past few years highlights the intense dangers that good drivers face on each trip.
In 2024, there were 289 accidents involving injury in Bakersfield that were caused by unsafe speeds. There were at least 2 people killed in those collisions. In 2023, there were 304 serious accidents and at least 6 tragic fatalities blamed on speed. That’s according to data from California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS).
The term “unsafe speed” is used here because drivers can break the speed limit even if they are under the speed limit posted on the nearest street sign. The speed limit sign shows the limit if traffic conditions are normal and the weather is clear.
When it rains or Highway 99 construction has lanes dropping from 4 to 1 lane, drivers are expected to adjust their speeds. They must travel at a speed that allows them to avoid an accident in any situation. So victims might be doing 55 in a 55 mph zone, but if there’s backed-up traffic or there’s a spill on the road, they must slow down accordingly, or risk being considered a speeder.
This fact may be an important factor in an accident. An at-fault driver may have only been doing 40mph, but conditions called for a much slower speed. They could get a speeding ticket and be declared financially responsible for the consequences suffered by victims.
What Should I Do After Getting Hit By a Speeding Driver in Bakersfield?
The actions you take after an accident can make or break your accident claim. You’ll want to take steps to ensure you don’t receive unfair blame in your collision. You also want to have medical evidence ready if an insurance company tries to question how badly you are hurt.
Right after a collision on a Bakersfield street, see to everyone’s safety first. Call 911, get an ambulance on the way if you or someone else is hurt. Then, if the scene is secure and you feel up to it, try to scour the scene for important details.
Get Photos: Show the damage to the vehicles, the debris, and any visible injuries you have. Show any skid marks the other driver’s speeding caused and any roadside structures their vehicles took out.
Talk to Witnesses: Find out what witnesses observed and secure their contact information so your attorney can reach out ot them for testimony.
See Your Physician: Get your injuries documented by your doctor, even if you’ve already been treated by a paramedic or emergency room staff. Get all wounds documented and tell your doctor about any pain that suddenly emerges a day or two after the collision.
Contact A Lawyer: Your lawyer can help solidify your case and prove who was truly at fault. Your lawyer can obtain an accident report from Bakersfield PD or the CHP to show who was going too fast. Your lawyer can request video evidence from surveillance cams or dash cams before the footage is erased. Cameras might have caught the speeding driver.
Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers also utilizes data from accident reconstruction teams when necessary to show how fast vehicles were going when an impact occurs.
We Back Your Case with Powerful Evidence and Fight to Earn You More
If you have a serious injury, and a careless driver caused your accident, contact Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield to schedule a free consultation. It’s a confidential, no-obligation review of your case with a real Bakersfield car accident attorney.
Your full recovery becomes our number one mission. We don’t stop fighting until you are 100% healed and have the money you need to restore your normal life.
If you end up needing our help to prove a driver was speeding and caused your accident and injuries, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll afford a great lawyer. We don’t charge anything up front, and we only get paid if we win your case for you. Then our attorney’s fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurance company writes for you.