Bellflower Speed-Related Crashes: How Speed Evidence Can Win Your Case
When you look at the circumstances leading to a Bellflower car accident, you’ll often find speed as a contributing factor. Bellflower has heavy traffic on streets like Artesia Boulevard, Rosecrans Avenue, Bellflower Boulevard, and several exits leading onto I-605. You’ll see drivers in a rush to get home from work or speeding to try to beat a yellow light. When another driver’s speeding leads to a preventable accident, it is crucial to discuss your next steps with a California car accident attorney.
Your choice of attorney matters when you’ve been seriously injured by a reckless driver. Robin D. Perry, Esq. has spent his career advocating for clients, both in negotiations and in the courtroom. Because he’s been in practice for decades, he’s seen firsthand how speeding can devastate families and leave victims with serious injuries. Find out how our car accident law firm in Bellflower can help you seek justice. Call us at 562-216-2944.
Why Speed Matters So Much in California Accident Claims
Speed has a dramatic impact on both crash severity and the likelihood of a collision occurring. Speeding played a role in 29% of all traffic deaths in 2023. We cannot ignore the fact that speeding is dangerous and completely avoidable. When a driver is speeding, they are more likely to collide with another vehicle. This is because the faster a vehicle is moving, the longer it takes them to come to a complete stop. A speeding driver may not be physically capable of stopping their vehicle in time to avoid a sudden obstacle.
Speeding also plays a role in accident severity. A speeding vehicle has a greater force of impact, which translates to a heightened risk of traumatic brain injuries, spinal damage, internal injuries, and other serious injuries.
If you can prove that another driver was speeding when they struck you, you may have a better chance at proving their liability and securing the fair compensation you are owed. There are several ways your car accident attorney may use evidence to prove that the other driver was speeding.
The Event Data Recorder
Everyone knows that planes have a “black box” that can be mined for evidence when a crash occurs. However, almost all modern vehicles have a black box, more formally referred to as an Event Data Recorder.
This device captures critical data in the moments leading up to a collision, including:
- Vehicle speed
- Use of brakes
- Throttle position
- Seatbelt use
- Airbag deployment
With the right analysis, you can find out if a driver was speeding, if they attempted to evade a crash, or if they were engaged in other dangerous behaviors right before the collisions happened.
What makes EDR evidence so valuable is how objective it is. While it does need to be interpreted and analyzed, it isn’t automatically skewed to benefit one party or the other. It just lays out what happened.
You typically need to move quickly to get this type of evidence, as totaled vehicles may be scrapped or sold after a collision.
Dashcam and Surveillance Footage
Video footage of a collision can go a long way in proving that a driver was speeding and that their speed contributed to a collision. Dashcam or surveillance footage may show a driver making rapid lane changes, speeding up randomly, failing to brake when a crash is imminent, or ignoring traffic signals. One of the main benefits of this type of evidence is how clearly it shows a speeding vehicle’s speed in relation to other vehicles.
As is the case with EDRs, video footage may only be available for a short period of time after an accident. Footage may be overwritten in a matter of days or weeks.
Road Design and Traffic Engineering Evidence
While speeding is never safe, there are also ways that street design and traffic engineering can contribute to unsafe driving choices. For example, an intersection with short yellow-light timing may put drivers in a position where they have to either speed to make a light or slam their brakes on and risk a rear-end collision. Limited sight lines, poor lane markings, and poorly planned merge patterns near highways can also contribute to accidents.
Depending on what this evidence turns up, your car accident lawyer may also recommend pursuing a claim against the government.
Hit by a Speeding Driver? Find Out How Our Bellflower Car Accident Attorneys Can Help
Our car accident law firm is committed to helping injured victims pursue compensation after a collision. Speeding can kill close to 12,000 people per year. It is crucial that we hold unsafe drivers accountable. Schedule a consultation now by contacting us online or calling us at 562-216-2944.
Attorney Robin D. Perry has been part of the Long Beach Community for over 25 years handling business litigation, employment litigation and advising, criminal defense, personal injury and code enforcement defense for businesses.
