San Francisco news reports that 3 people have died following a car crash with a taxicab. Several sources indicate that the driver of the car was speeding and doing donuts before it eventually ran into a taxicab at the intersection of Brannan and 9th streets. The force of the collision caused the car to burst into flames. Two victims inside the car were badly burned; a third victim was ejected onto the street. All were pronounced dead at the scene.
The taxicab driver suffered minor injuries to his head and was taken to San Francisco General Hospital.
According to reports, before the crash a police officer had seen the white Chevy involved in the accident driving recklessly, and had attempted to pull the driver over. However the car continued on, subsequently running several red lights. The California Highway Patrol officer (CHP) stopped the pursuit after determining that it was too dangerous.
In general, victims of car accidents and their families may pursue compensation for injuries sustained against the driver of the car, and the owner of the car. Further, in California, you can recover compensation from any other at-fault party, regardless of the degree of your own fault. However, under California comparative negligence laws, any compensation you recover will be reduced by your percentage of fault. Although passengers generally are not considered at-fault for injuries sustained in car accidents, in some instances fault will be assessed such as where a passenger encourages reckless driving.
One caveat however, is that if you are related to and living in the same household with the driver, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to bring a claim against that driver's liability insurance policy.
For more information or if you or a loved one has been injured in a California car accident, please contact the San Francisco personal injury lawyers at Bostwick & Peterson, LLP for an immediate consultation.