Common Swimming Pool Accidents and Injuries

If you've been in a serious car accident, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed and unsure about what to do next. Many people wonder, “Should I call my insurance company? What’s the next step?” Let me walk you through the process—because, in those moments, your focus should be on your health and well-being first. The most important thing to do after an accident is to take care of yourself. If you’re in significant pain or think you might be seriously injured, don’t hesitate—call 911 and get medical help immediately. Don’t try to downplay your injuries or tough it out—that can lead to long-term issues or permanent damage. If first responders suggest you take an ambulance to the hospital, listen to them. Your health comes first. If you have family or friends in the car, check on them as well. Ensure you get the help you need because you don’t want to worsen the symptoms, so don’t avoid help when needed. In many cases, the adrenaline and shock from an accident can mask pain. It’s common for people to feel fine at the scene, decline medical help, and then realize hours or days later that something is wrong. In this situation, the first thought should still be about yourself. If you notice pain later, don’t ignore it—go to an urgent care, see your primary doctor, or visit the emergency room. Your well-being is the priority. What about the insurance company? Most people assume their insurer will guide them through the process—but that’s not the case. Rather than making sure you get the care you need, insurance companies will work to minimize your claim and protect their profits. They may try to play down your injuries, delay your lawsuit, or offer you a lowball payment. That’s why I advise my clients to prioritize their health and get medical attention when they feel pain or discomfort. Once you’ve addressed your immediate medical needs, contact an experienced attorney. You’ll want to ensure you know your rights before speaking to the insurance carrier, as it may affect the value of your case or the compensation you deserve. At my firm, we offer free consultations —and when you call, you will be able to speak directly with me, not a case manager or someone without legal experience. Whether you choose to work with us or not, I prioritize ensuring you understand your rights before talking to the insurance company. Insurance companies have teams of lawyers working to protect their interests—you deserve someone just as experienced fighting for you. My job is to give you the knowledge and support you need to navigate this process and ensure you get the compensation you deserve.

It’s not just about representing local individuals—it’s about standing up for people everywhere who need someone on their side. Early in my career, I had the opportunity to work at a firm that represented big corporations, government entities, and other large entities, but I quickly realized—that wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to be part of a massive corporate machine. I wanted to fight for the little guy—the people who find themselves going up against powerful institutions through no fault of their own. When someone is injured in a car accident, it might seem like they’re just facing another individual. But behind that person is a billion-dollar insurance company calling the shots. Most people don’t realize this, but the person who caused the accident has little to no say in how things are handled. The insurance company drives the settlements and decides what they think someone’s pain and suffering is worth. For those who’ve experienced a catastrophic injury or the devastating loss of a loved one, the legal battle isn’t just a business decision—it’s their life. At the same time, these businesses are focused on protecting their bottom line by having their adjuster and attorneys bring all they have to the table. I wanted to be an advocate and stand with those individuals who were struggling to navigate the overwhelming legal process while already dealing with pain, stress, and uncertainty. They shouldn’t have to face billion-dollar corporations, nickel and diming them and playing hardball all alone. I’m here to take that burden off their shoulders and fight for the justice they deserve. I want to be in my client's corner as they go up against Goliath. I love this community; many of the people I represent are from here. But my work goes beyond local borders—I’ve helped clients across California, from Southern California to Northern California. No matter where they are, my mission is to ensure every individual has a voice and someone in their corner willing to take on the big insurance companies.

I’m Brian Azemika from the Law Office of Brian P. Azemika. I want to give you a little background on how I got to where I am today, where I proudly call home, and where I have the privilege of helping clients daily. I was born and raised in the Bay Area, but I moved to Kern County while in the latter years of high school. I met my wife while in high school in Bakersfield, California, and following high school, we both moved to Sacramento to go to college and law school. I went to UC Davis, and she went to Sacramento State. After graduation, she became an elementary school teacher and I went to law school at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California. After graduating from law school, we moved back to Bakersfield due to the economy and job market, which is where I started my career as an attorney. It wasn’t long before I realized how much I missed Northern California. I convinced my wife—born and raised in Kern County—to leave everything behind, including her family, and move north with me. We built a life we truly loved in Northern California. We appreciated the balance of a small-town feel with big-city amenities and loved being close enough to visit San Francisco whenever we wanted. We eventually decided that this was where we wanted to raise our family. Our oldest daughter was born in Sacramento while living in the Natomas area. When she was ready to start kindergarten, we moved to Roseville, where our second daughter was born. Both of our girls are essentially Sacramento-Roseville natives, and this region has become a core part of our identity. My wife is a teacher in the Natomas area, and I’ve been actively involved in the Roseville community through coaching soccer. I started as a recreational coach for my oldest daughter when she was in first grade and eventually transitioned into coaching competitive soccer. Now, I coach both of our daughters—one in rec soccer and the other in competitive soccer—and I sponsor the Roseville Soccer Club. Recently, I became a corporate sponsor for the Roseville Iron Rose, a semi-professional women’s soccer team, further deepening our roots in the community. We consider Roseville and the greater Sacramento area our home. Our friends here have become our chosen family since most of our relatives are still in Southern California. Our community extends across the region—from Loomis to Elk Grove to Amador County. We gather together often, and our kids have grown up alongside each other, creating a strong, supportive village. When people ask where we’re from, we proudly say Northern California—specifically, Sacramento and Roseville. This is home. It’s where our lives are rooted and where we plan to stay. I love this community and am here to support it daily through my work. The people here aren’t just clients—they’re my neighbors, friends, and extended family, and I’ll always be here to stand by them and fight for what they deserve.

California law requires that drivers involved in collisions immediately stop their vehicles. Fleeing the scene is a criminal offense, and those charged could face time behind bars. What do you do if you were hit by a motorist who fled the scene? At the Law Office of Brian P. Azemika, we have negotiated many settlements for hit-and-run victims, and we know what steps can strengthen your legal claim. Below, our car accident lawyer provides his best tips. At The Scene You should remember to do the following: Immediately stop your car. You can’t flee the scene at the same time as the other driver, otherwise, you have also committed a crime. Identify as much of the license plate as possible. Try to get even one number or letter. Anything helps with identifying the vehicle that struck you. Remember other key details. You can share with the police information about the car’s make and model, as well as its color. If you saw the driver, also note the likely gender, as well as hair color, glasses, etc. Call the police. You should report the accident to the police. Share any details you have about the car or license plate number. Speak to witnesses. They can prove critical later. Many insurance companies wrongly believe hit-and-run victims crashed their own vehicles. Witnesses can help establish that another motorist really did hit you. Document physical evidence. A car that slams into yours might leave pieces behind. Look for pieces of glass or plastic. Also, there should be paint smears on your own car, which will help us identify the color of the vehicle. After the Accident A key consideration is whether you can receive any compensation for a hit and run. The answer depends on the type of insurance you have. If the police catch the driver, we can sue them or make a claim on their insurance. Otherwise, you might be left with seeking compensation from the following insurance: Medical payments. This is optional insurance in California. It pays for medical treatment for any car-related injuries, regardless of fault for the crash. Collision coverage. This insurance pays to fix your car up to the policy limit. It’s optional, but most car lenders require that you get it so long as you have a car loan. This is also no-fault insurance. Uninsured motorist coverage. This insurance covers accidents where the driver who struck you lacked liability coverage. It is optional insurance, but you can use it for a hit-and-run to pay compensation for bodily injuries. An insurer must offer this coverage when they sell you a liability policy. Unlike med-pay and collision, this insurance is fault-based. Remember to hang onto medical bills and any car repair bills. You will need to submit these to your insurers. Call Our Car Accident Lawyer in Sacramento This is a key step. Many motorists find that their insurer is not eager to pay for a hit-and-run crash. We might need to negotiate with them to get them to cut a check. Please call our law firm today to speak with a lawyer.

Bicycles and cars collide all the time, especially at intersections. It is tempting to always blame the motorists because they are driving a large vehicle that can cause serious injuries. However, under California law, we need to determine who was negligent, if anybody. Negligence is the failure to use reasonable care under the circumstances and can include violating the rules of the road. Depending on the facts, either the car driver or the bicyclist could be at fault for the collision. Or they could share the blame. Who Was Negligent? One misconception is that the person who hit the other is always at fault. So if a car struck a bicycle, some people will claim the driver “must” be at fault. That’s simply not the case, however. Instead, we need to closely examine what the driver and cyclist did in the moments leading up to the crash. A person is at fault for the crash if they did not use reasonable care. Did either one: Run a red light Fail to yield Cut the other off Go too fast for conditions These are all negligent acts. If a motorist runs a red light and cuts off a cyclist, leading to a crash, then the driver is at fault for failing to drive carefully. It doesn’t matter if the cyclist crashes into the car. Other examples of negligence include being fatigued or intoxicated or else distracted by a cell phone. An impaired driver will probably not control their vehicle in a safe manner. Other collisions happen because someone Is not watching where they are going, instead choosing to read a text message. This is true of both motorists and cyclists. Both Sides Can Share Fault California law recognizes that both sides are negligent in many accidents. That means both share fault for the crash. For example, a motorist might have cut off a cyclist, but the cyclist was distracted because she was looking at her phone. California’s law is a “pure” comparative fault system. You can be up to 99% responsible and still seek compensation so long as the other party is at least 1% to blame. In other states, victims are prohibited from suing if they are 50% to blame or greater. But that’s not the law in California. If you go to trial, a jury will apportion fault based on the testimony and physical evidence. However, most cases settle, which means that lawyers and insurance adjusters hammer out how to allocate fault. At our law firm, we always strive to learn as much about the accident as possible to minimize our client’s share of the blame. Call Our Personal Injury Lawyer Today The Law Office of Brian P. Azemika has handled many collisions involving cars and cyclists. Our car accident lawyer will review the facts to determine whether you can legally seek compensation for any injuries suffered in a collision. Please call our law firm today to schedule a consultation with our legal team. There is no risk or cost for doing so.

By one estimate, California has 950,000 registered motorcycles, so a collision between a car driver and a motorcycle is not unusual on our roads. But what is the settlement process like when one of the vehicles involved in a crash is a motorcycle? The answer is: not much different than if two cars had collided. At the Law Office of Brian P. Azemika, our car accident lawyer can explain the settlement process and answer any questions accident victims have. In most cases, we make claims on the at-fault motorist’s liability policy, and we will gladly take a look at the facts of your case to determine your rights. Motorcyclists Are Subject to California’s Financial Responsibility Law In California, you cannot register your car unless you can show financial responsibility. The easiest way to do this is to buy minimum liability coverage. As of 2023, the minimum coverage is: $15,000 per person for bodily injuries $30,000 per accident for bodily injuries to two or more people $5,000 for property damage Liability coverage kicks in when you are at fault for an accident. Anyone you end up hurting can make a claim on your policy for damages involving medical care, lost wages or income, and pain and suffering. If you were riding in a car when it was hit by a motorcycle, you can make a claim with the motorcyclist’s insurer. Similarly, any motorcyclist hurt by a negligent car driver can make a claim on the driver’s insurance. Put simply, the process for receiving compensation is not that different when a motorcycle is involved. Because California is a fault state, your attorney will spend considerable time analyzing all surrounding circumstances to determine who is to blame. How Motorcycle Collisions Differ Having said that, there are some unique wrinkles when motorcycles are involved in accidents. For one, motorcyclists tend to suffer much more severe injuries. This is understandable. There is no steel cage around the motorcycle offering protection. A biker can suffer a direct blow to the body or be catapulted off their bike. Injuries are gruesome: pelvic fractures, back injuries, head injuries, and road rash are some of the most common. Because injuries are serious, accident victims often seek larger sums of money to pay for their medical care and other out-of-pocket expenses. Serious injuries like concussions and spinal column damage warrant much more in pain and suffering. Consequently, a negotiated settlement could become harder to achieve because so much money is in play. Motorcyclists might also stand accused of driving negligently. Some insurance adjusters are prejudiced against bikers, wrongly believing that you take unnecessary risks out on the road. As a result, it is often harder to disprove comparative negligence. Call Our Car Accident Attorney We have helped many people injured while riding a motorcycle or in a car crash. Our law firm will provide a free case evaluation to help you better understand your legal options, including what will qualify as a fair and reasonable settlement. Call our firm today.

Wrongful death lawsuits compensate certain family members for losses they suffered after a loved one’s accidental death. But how much can you receive? And what losses qualify for monetary compensation? Our wrongful death attorney looks at the most common damages for accidental death claims. Lost Financial Contributions Losing a family member carries financial burdens. For example, your spouse might have been the primary breadwinner in the family. His death at age 40 deprives his wife of several decades of income. She can seek an amount of damages to compensate for this financial loss. Factors that go into this calculation include: Your loved one’s age His or her education Job history Earning history and potential Any medical conditions which would have shortened your loved one’s natural life Lost Household Services Our family members do more than contribute income. They often provide services to their spouses and children, such as: Cleaning Grocery shopping Cooking Childcare Elder care Transportation House maintenance For example, your wife might have done all the domestic chores and transported children while you worked. After her unfortunate passing, you will need to hire someone else to perform these services. In many cases, you can request compensation for the present value of those services. Lost Gifts or Benefits Family members often receive benefits like health insurance or life insurance, as well as possible gifts left in a will. You can request compensation to make up for these losses. Burial and funeral Expenses The average cost of a burial in California is a little over $7,000 for 2023. You can request compensation for reasonable expenses related to funeral and burial. Loss of Love, Support, Assistance, and Protection Our close family members provide invaluable support to us. A parent’s love, protection, guidance, and education are priceless. The same is true of companionship offered by a spouse or domestic partner. Although money can never make up for these losses, you can nonetheless request compensation for them. However, there is no standard market value for these types of non-economic losses. The Law Office of Brian P. Azemika has experience requesting reasonable amounts based on our firm’s experience with accidental death claims. Loss of Training and Guidance Children require the assistance of their parents. These non-economic losses are similar to those listed above. Loss of Sexual Relations A spouse can seek monetary compensation for the loss of sexual relations enjoyed with their spouse. Again, it is difficult to put a price tag on this type of loss, but our law firm will fight for the maximum amount allowable under the facts. What You Can’t Receive Compensation For Interestingly, California prohibits receiving money for your own grief or pain. That makes little sense, especially since the state lets you get money for loss of guidance, love, and training. The grief a spouse feels when her husband is accidentally killed directly flows from the defendant’s actions. We think it makes sense to let victims sue for their grief, but that’s not the law in California. Speak with Our Wrongful Death Lawyer Our lawyer offers compassionate legal representation to those in trying circumstances. Contact us to find out more.

California is a popular destination for large trucks like tractor-trailers, which haul goods. Trucks originate from every other state in the union; some even come from Mexico. As California motorists, we must be careful of any large vehicle on the road regardless of where it came from. According to the Department of Transportation, California saw the following truck accidents and injuries in 2022: 13,570 crashes involving 14,616 trucks 481 fatalities 5,500 injuries Unfortunately, the Department does not break down which trucking company was involved in most of the accidents. Still, most large trucking companies come into California and are undoubtedly interested in many collisions. United Parcel Service (UPS) It’s no surprise that UPS experiences a high number of accidents. They are one of the country’s most famous shipping and receiving companies. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regularly updates crash statistics for the largest trucking companies, and from June 2021 to June 2023, UPS experienced the following: 2871 total crashes 1003 injury crashes 66 fatal accidents That works out to 5 fatal accidents every single month. Almost 100 people are injured every month in a collision with a UPS truck. We don’t know how many of these accidents happened in California. But since we see UPS “box trucks” all over the place making deliveries, many of them probably occurred in the Golden State. Federal Express Like UPS, FedEx is a popular shipping and receiving company with a significant presence in California. According to the most up-to-date statistics, FedEx has had the following accidents and injuries over the past two years: 817 total crashes 230 injury crashes 31 fatal accidents These numbers might be a little low since FedEx has multiple companies all reporting individual crash statistics under different names. We estimate that they are involved in more than 1,000 collisions a year. Swift Transportation Swift Transportation is one of the most popular trucking companies in the United States. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, their rigs are regularly on California highways. Swift Transportation has reported many accidents in the most recent two-year period: 992 total accidents 288 injury accidents 36 fatal accidents Werner Enterprises This trucking company is headquartered in Nebraska and runs its fleet all over the U.S. Over the past two years, they have reported: 904 total accidents 261 injury crashes 23 fatal crashes California Truck Accident Victims Have Rights Please call the Law Office of Brian P. Azemika today, regardless of which truck struck you. You can seek compensation from a truck driver and their employer. These companies have insurance, a prerequisite to haul into California. Whether you were hit by a big rig on the highway or clipped by a box truck downtown, you can seek compensation for your injuries. Call our law firm for more information about what steps to take following an accident. We can negotiate with a truck company and its insurer for favorable compensation. Call to schedule a case evaluation.

Dog attacks leave victims with puncture wounds, infections, and other serious injuries. Under California law, victims have the right to seek compensation. But who is responsible for the attack? Generally, the owner is liable in most cases, but you might sue other parties for not handling the dog properly. Our dog bite lawyer explains this in greater depth. When Owners Are to Blame The dog’s owner is usually responsible for an attack. This is certainly true if you are bitten on the owner’s property. For example, you might visit your neighbor, whereupon their dog bites you in the arm. The owner is liable under California’s dog bite statute for this injury, so long as you weren’t trespassing. The owner is also responsible if you are bitten in public. A dog might wander away from home and bite people in the park or on the sidewalk. Under the state’s dog bite statute, Civil Code § 3342 , you can sue the owner if you are bitten in a public place, regardless of whether the dog had a history of attacking people. Owners are also responsible for non-bite injuries when they are negligent in how they have handled or restrained their dogs. An owner must use reasonable care when restraining their animals. What’s reasonable will depend on the circumstances. But failing to follow a dog safety law, like a leash law, would certainly qualify. That means you could sue if a big dog rushed up to you in a park and jumped on your chest, knocking you backward. When Other People Are Responsible for an Attack In some situations, a non-owner is responsible for a dog attack. Because the dog bite statute only applies to owners, you would need to use negligence to hold non-owners responsible, for either bite or non-bite injuries. Here are some examples: A kennel could allow a dog to escape because they were careless in watching it, or their kennel was falling into disrepair, allowing the animal to escape. The dog then attacks or bites someone. A dog walker could be responsible for failing to restrain the dog properly while out on a walk, which allows the dog to lunge at someone. A landlord could be responsible if they voluntarily agreed to harbor the dog and feed it, or if they failed to restrain the animal because they let a fence fall down. Generally, it’s much harder to sue a non-owner. Still, it’s possible when they fail to exercise reasonable care to protect foreseeable victims. A Victims’ Comparative Negligence Comparative negligence applies in dog bite cases, even those under the strict liability dog bite statute. A victim’s own negligent or intentional behavior can limit the amount of compensation they receive. In some cases—where the victim is 100% at fault—they will receive nothing at all. Examples of negligence include: Throwing objects at a dog Pulling its tail Bumping into it Teasing the animal Failing to restrain your own dog, which causes a fight or attack Reach out to Our Law Firm Contact the Law Office of Brian P. Azemika today to discuss your injuries. We have secured compensation for many clients injured by dogs.