This week’s question comes from Hal in Berkeley, who asks: “I went to a personal injury lawyer because I was in an accident. My lawyer told me that he had opened a claim with the other side’s insurance carrier. I got medical treatment and when it was done he told me he made a demand for settlement. He then told me he had settled my case, but he never asked me if that amount was OK. Then he never gave me any of the money, saying that it all went to pay him and my medical bills. I asked him for my file and a breakdown of where the money went. Now he won’t answer my emails or calls. What are my rights?”
Driver Critically Injured in Webster-Posey Tube in Alameda
A driver fleeing police caused a head-on crash in the Webster-Posey Tube in Alameda early Tuesday morning, seriously injuring one person and blocking traffic for more than seven hours. According to Alameda police, the suspect was fleeing from a routine traffic stop when he entered the tube in the wrong direction, causing the head-on collision. The police have not released the name of the injured driver or of the suspect, who was apprehended fleeing from his car following the accident.
California Cities Debate Traffic Accident Fees
Californians are about to have a new cost added to their embrace of car loving lifestyles: a “first responder/accident responder” fee that would charge motorists responsible for car accidents the cost to the Fire Department for cleaning up the wreckage. San Francisco is the first major city in California to pass such a fee, and the SFFD expects to begin collecting on it within the next week. The fee would charge motorists up to $500 for cleanup associated with a crash and is expected to raise up to $626,000 a year. Meanwhile, other cities around the state including Sacramento, Modesto, and Fresno are all considering passing similar fees.