When an auto accident occurs, families are left to deal with the aftermath. If the accident results in the death of a loved one, many families are severely affected in every aspect of their life, from the pain of the loss to the costs incurred and the life-long lasting memories of the event. After the occurrence of a fatal car crash, families often seek answers and assistance in putting a new version of their lives back together.

What Happens to the Families

Accident numbers have been on the rise in the last couple of years. In California alone, over 3,000 fatal car accidents were reported in 2013. Not only is a family likely reeling from an unexpected loss of a significant portion of their life, they then are forced to make a quickly pull together a funeral, make necessary repairs, and attend doctor’s appointments themselves. If the victim earned the primary source of income, the family may also face:

Many workers, including construction workers and factory workers, face safety risks on the job. Even when factories and plants take all necessary precautions and follow all regulations, workers can still become victim to tragedies such as power equipment accidents and injuries or injuries involving other factory machinery. Any San Jose workplace attorney knows of these dangers.

Such a tragedy recently struck a California tuna processing plant. One employee was killed when he was locked inside the oven that cooks the tuna. The employee was a 62-year-old man who had worked at the tuna processing plant for 6 years. The company did not comment, but one of its competitors stated that it has a standardized procedure when cooking tuna that ensures that no worker is locked inside the oven. The tuna plant involved in this accident has not received any citations from the regulatory body, Cal-OSHA.

Food factories in California have enjoyed a relatively clear safety record in general. According to Cal-OSHA, there were 326 deaths related to workplace accidents in 2010, and of those, eight were in the food industry. However, industries like the construction industry have higher rates of injury and death.

Over the weekend a party bus based out of Santa Cruz was involved in a fatal accident on Highway 17. The investigation of the fatal bus accident led to a review of the bus company, and two years ago the commercial bus company was fined for a number of safety violations. Commercial vehicles are subject to safety regulations to prevent commercial truck and bus accidents. Safety violations may show whether the operator of the bus and bus company provided due care to passengers.

This past Friday night, fans of the country singer Brad Paisley attended his concert in Mountain View. Before and after the show commercial transportation companies provided rides to concert-goers. After the show, one group of 12 to 15 fans got a ride from a party bus headed to Los Gatos. While the party bus was traveling on Highway 17 near Los Gatos two women began to fight and the somehow fell out of the bus as it was moving. The party bus ran over the 25-year-old woman while the 20-year-old was not hit. Tragically, the 25-year-old died during the accident. The 20-year-old woman was treated and released from a nearby hospital.

Commercial vehicles like commercial buses and semis are subject to certain federal and state regulations, and the regulations are meant to help ensure the safety of passengers and others on the road. The California Highway Patrol investigation of the bus accident revealed a number of safety violations committed by the operator of the party bus involved in the accident. In 2010, the party bus company was fined nearly $5,000 for multiple violations including operating with a suspended license, failing to test employees for drugs, failing to enroll employees in a state substance and alcohol certification program and other incidents. In 2009, the company also failed to maintain daily reports of bus inspections and the company failed to report the driving records of its drivers.