Residents and commuters that travel through Sherman Oaks, California will all tell you that it has become a traffic nightmare. With a permanent population of just over 52,000 residents and thousands more commuting to, from or through Sherman Oaks, for an area of only 8 square miles, it’s not surprising that rush hour traffic has become a problem. Residents have been complaining to city officials for years to do something to improve the traffic flow and to prevent the mounting car accidents. City officials have finally instituted a pilot photo enforcement program. They have set up a red-light camera in an attempt to catch red light violators at one of its busiest intersections on Ventura Boulevard. While that may be a step in the right direction, more may need to be done to prevent yet another tragic accident from being added to the recent list of major accidents.
Less than a year ago, in March of 2009, a Jeep Cherokee entered the fast lane of the Ventura Freeway heading the wrong way in the eastbound lane. Almost immediately, the drive of the Cherokee collided with a Chevy pickup truck. Not surprisingly, the driver of the Cherokee was sent to the hospital with major injuries sustained as a result of the crash. As is frequently the case in interstate accidents, within minutes after the first accident took place, another vehicle that was heading eastbound on the freeway rear-ended the Chevy truck. The accident took almost and hour to clean up and blocked three lanes of traffic – adding to the already congested Sherman Oaks traffic. The drivers of the other two cars were more fortunate that the driver of the Cherokee and sustained only minor injuries.
That same month, another devastating accident in the 3750 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard, sent a 2-year-old girl and four people to the hospital. The head-on car collision shut down Sepulveda in both directions as police, firefighters and paramedics extracted two victims trapped in their vehicles and cleared the wreckage. Unfortunately, accidents like these are become more and more common in Sherman Oaks and with the population continuing to grow, the traffic conditions are not likely to improve without city officials taking a pro-active approach.
If you have been involved in a car accident, seek the advice of an experienced California car accident attorney immediately. If you have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, then they may have to compensate you for any damages you have suffered. Only an experienced car accident attorney can evaluate the facts of your accident and tell you whether you have a valid personal injury claim. If you would like to sit down and discuss your case with an experienced car accident attorney, call the lawyers at Ledger Law at 1-800-300-0001 or visit us online at ledgerlaw.com for more information.
