When a driver operates a vehicle recklessly or aggressively, they risk the lives of other people on the road. No one should have to suffer because someone was driving destructively. If a tragic accident should happen due to their negligent behavior, that driver needs to be held accountable for the damage and injuries that they cause.

Reckless driving in California is considered either a major traffic offense or an extremely dangerous driving violation. People often use the term reckless driving interchangeably with driving without due care, improper driving, or careless driving, any of which can lead to serious car accidents. Reckless drivers disobey traffic signals, ignore other motorists on the roads, and exhibit a blatant disregard for the rules of the roads.

If you are or a member of your family has been injured in a car accident and needs legal guidance from an experienced injury lawyer, call us at (916) 921-6400 for a free consultation.

In this article:

• California Reckless Driver Law and Reckless Behavior Definition
• Types of Reckless and Aggressive Driver Injuries
• Holding Drivers Who Commit Dangerous Actions Accountable
• Pay Attention to Time Limits to File Lawsuits
• Reckless Driver Accident Verdicts and Settlements

California’s reckless behavior definition from Vehicle Code Section 23100-23135 translates reckless driving on the state level as: “a person who drives a vehicle upon a highway with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving.”

• Driving beyond the speed limit
• Driving while intoxicated
• Tailgating
• Illegal lane changes
• Failure to yield right of way
• Distracted driving
• Drugged driving
• Failure to use turn signals
• Racing
• Running a stop sign or red light
• Driving too fast in inclement weather
• Passing on the wrong side of the road

All of these behaviors pose a serious risk to the safety of others on the roads, and penalties can include a fine and imprisonment while having one’s driver’s license suspended. I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento personal injury attorney who has fought for the injured victims of California for over three decades. If you or a loved one has been injured by a reckless or aggressive driver, contact me at 916.921.6400. I take on only the most serious personal injury cases. I have represented thousands of seriously injured victims. Reckless and aggressive drivers are not limited to smaller vehicles, either. Many catastrophic truck accidents have been attributable to reckless or aggressive behavior – and truck accidents are known to leave victims with life-altering injuries from which many never recover.

The list of injuries that reckless and aggressive drivers cause is endless. There is one similarity with all the injuries that happen. They could have been avoided. All of these injuries can have a catastrophic effect on victims, leaving them in financial despair and worrying about how they will pay their bills. For the victims who provide for families, the question of how they are going to continue to support them weighs heavily. Having a motor vehicle out of commission exacerbates the situation even more. I handle the following types of injuries:

• Brain/head injuries
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Amputations
• Bone Fractures
• Chest Trauma
• Chronic Pain
• Dashboard Knee injuries
• Diaphragm Trauma
• Facial Fractures
• Facial Lacerations
• Facial Nerve Damage
• Fractured skull injuries

If you have questions about your reckless driver accident, call me at 916.921.6400. You could also send me an email or fill out my online form to get in touch with me. I’ll try to answer all of your questions and inform you of your legal rights.

Thousands of people are put in harm’s way every day because of drivers who commit dangerous actions behind the wheel of their cars. I have been referred to as the “personal” personal injury attorney because I take the time to listen to your concerns, worries, the hardships you are enduring due to your injuries, and how your injuries have impacted your family. I thoroughly investigate the details of your car accident and gather all the crucial evidence to ensure that your personal injury claim is airtight. Not only will I pursue the maximum compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, I can also help you recover the property damage your vehicle sustained. I am here to make a positive difference in your life from the moment I take your case to the collection of your settlement or verdict – and beyond. Feel free to visit my biography page to read more about me. You can also visit my staff page to read about the amazing group of people I have surrounded myself with to help ensure my clients are treated like family and provided only the best legal representation.

I have seen people get so consumed with fighting their daily financial struggles while dealing with pain and insurance companies that they come close to missing the time limit California has imposed for filing personal injury lawsuits. While two years may seem like a long time, it goes by incredibly fast after a car accident, leaving some victims with little time to get the appropriate paperwork filed. It is crucial to contact a California reckless driver accident attorney as soon after you have been in an accident as possible.

I fight for my clients. In March of 2016, one of my clients was ecstatic to hear the jury return a verdict of $2,880,984 for her injuries. The negligent driver had failed to stop at a stop sign, crashing into our client, a young woman approximately 26 years old. She experienced immediate neck, back, knee, and leg pain. Her legs and knees were swollen, bruised, and painful when she was taken to the Emergency Room, and she continued to experience problems with her legs and knees as time went on. Our client also complained of neck and back issues, but the lack of medical insurance delayed treatment. Eight months after being injured in the collision, she obtained an MRI, which indicated that a disc herniation was blocking 80 percent of her spinal canal. Lack of medical insurance once again delayed the surgery that was recommended. Still, months later, our client had no choice but to get emergency surgery at the onset of cauda equina syndrome, leading to total paralysis. Although the negligent driver’s insurance company admitted liability for the accident, they argued that the herniated disc was unrelated and would not pay for the medical treatment. Regardless, I fought for my client to obtain a favorable outcome. I have a solid track record of winning large settlements and verdicts for my clients. Please look over my Verdicts and Settlements page if you are interested in reading about more of my clients and the verdicts and settlements I have won for them. If you are currently looking for a California reckless driver accident attorney to help you file suit, that is one of the crucial things to consider – their past verdicts and settlements.

If you are or a member of your family has been injured or suffered a wrongful death due to the negligence of another party, please give our Sacramento personal injury lawyers a call promptly at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 or free and friendly advice.

We’ve worked hard obtaining compensation for our personal injury and wrongful death clients since 1982.

We are members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.

See our client reviews on Avvo, Google, and Yelp and our past cases on our Verdicts and Settlements page.

Editor’s Note: This page has been updated for accuracy and relevancy [cha 8.31.21]

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