I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. Our laws are supposed to make sense. And, most of the time they do. There’s an old law, not quite in these words, that says “You break it, you bought it.” As children we learn to be careful around precious things. And what is more precious than our loved ones? The same principle applies in car crashes. Here’s a few recent examples. A few months ago, a car crashed into a California condominium complex, hitting a gas main and setting the entire building on fire. It’s pretty clear that the driver and/or his insurance company is going to have to pay for this. He broke it, he bought it. A driver crashes his car into a gas station, setting the gas pumps on fire. Again, I think the simple rule [...]

Our laws are designed to protect all of us – our general safety. To ensure our rights against abuses by other people or institutions. Many times, after an injury the insurance company will try to pay as little as possible to protect their profits. Isn’t this upside-down logic? Our laws are meant to protect injured people first over insurance profits. In our system of justice, we don’t let criminals set the penalty for the crime. The same principles should apply in civil cases. Negligent drivers should pay the price for the injuries that they’ve caused. You deserve lawyers who will work to get you paid nothing less than every dime you deserve. If you’ve been injured in a car crash, call us at Hackard Law – 916 313-303[...]

I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. It’s been over 40 years since I represented my first client injured in a car crash case. The rules that applied over 4 decades ago still apply today. California’s system of compensation is simple. Damages are recovered when a defendant was negligent, a plaintiff was harmed, and the defendant’s negligence is a substantial factor in causing the plaintiff’s harm. Negligence is the failure to use reasonable care to prevent harm to oneself or to others. The most common car crash negligence cases are rear-end collisions, single vehicle crashes, T-Bone or Cross-Traffic crashes, clipping other cars when merging, and low speed accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identifies[...]

I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. All of us worry about traffic safety. For our families, friends as well as ourselves. Frequent Sacramento Area commuters, like me, experience and can predict common areas of traffic congestion. Congestion is one thing, but Sacramento’s deadliest highway stretches are another. It’s always good to be careful and it helps to know which driving areas are particularly dangerous. Sacramento’s deadliest highway corridors are US Highway 50 from the I-5/US Route 50 Interchange east to just beyond Bradshaw Road and the 14 miles from the US Highway 50/CA Highway 99 Interchange south on State Highway 99 to just beyond Grant Line Road. Auto accidents involving cars, trucks and other motor vehicle crashes[...]

For many years there was nothing that we as attorneys could do. Calls from childhood victims of sexual assault often ended with unwelcome news that the claims were time barred. Now the law is different. California’s new age limit for filing childhood sexual assault claims is 40. Just as important, there’s a 3-year look-back window for previously time barred claims – even for people over 40. This 3-year window of justice closes at the end of 2022. We know it’s hard to break the silence. But, if ever there was ever a time to talk, it’s now. We’ll listen. We’ll share what we know. And, if we take your case, we charge contingency fees, which means you owe us nothing until we win or settle your case. Call Hackard Law[...]

We all know that experience is a great teacher. And, there are many experiences that we’d rather avoid. One of these is traumatic brain injury or TBI. TBI is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury. Falls are the leading cause of TBI and are the leading cause of death for persons 65 years of age or older. Overall, motor vehicle-traffic injury is the leading cause of TBI-related deaths. It’s estimated that 50,000 people in the United States die from TBI each year. I understand TBI for several reasons. I’ve represented people with TBI injuries for a long time. I personally had a brain tumor and brain surgery over 20 years ago. I know what it feels like to have symptoms stemming from brain trauma. An[...]

Hi, I’m Stephanie. I’m working at Hackard Law while going to college. I’ve learned a lot here over the last couple years, and there’s something important I want to share. How often have you heard ‘I wish I knew then what I know now’? Let’s go back in time to a few years ago. I was a sophomore in high school. Class was over, and I was waiting outside for my ride home. I heard the sound of a car crash. A motorcyclist flew off his bike and the motorcycle swerved toward me. It slammed into me and my books went flying. I was tossed clear onto a driveway. I didn’t know what happened. Everything hurt. I was in shock. It’s hard to describe the feeling, it was almost unreal. I picked myself up off the driveway as my rid[...]

“All that glitters is not gold; often have you heard that told:” Shakespeare wrote that in The Merchant of Venice. I’m not a Shakespeare scholar, though. I’m a trial lawyer. And, I know that lawyers and insurance companies usually differ over case values. I’m Dave Jones, a trial attorney with Hackard Law. I tried my first case in 2005. I loved it. It’s what I wanted to do. And, it still is. I spend most of my days preparing our cases for trial. I’ve not forgotten who I am. I’m committed to the jury system – to representing and obtaining justice for the injured. I know that our firm’s willingness to go to trial is often a driver toward pretrial settlements. Not all personal injury lawyers are the same. S[...]

It doesn’t take much driving experience to see that the Bay Area has some of the most dangerous roads in Northern California. One study says that Interstate 280 is the riskiest place to drive at any time of the day. The San Mateo Bridge can be a disaster. Highway 101 has more traffic in all directions and a higher number of collisions than 280. Major Bay Area truck routes go through cities that have heavy passenger vehicle traffic congestion. This is a dangerous mix with a high number of accidents. A passenger car weighing 5,000 lbs., is no match for an average semi truck with a loaded trailer weighing 80,000 lbs. I handled my first catastrophic injury 18-wheeler truck case over 40 years ago. Times have changed. There are more tr[...]

It doesn’t take much driving experience to see that the Sacramento Valley has some of the most dangerous roads in Northern California. Highway 99 is narrow and aging. It’s not a modern roadway. Highway 80 over the Sierras is beautiful. It’s also incredibly dangerous in winter – icy, wet roads, and limited visibility make driving perilous. Interstate 5 is considered one of the most dangerous roads in the country. It’s a major truck route through Northern California cities that have heavy passenger vehicle traffic congestion. This is a dangerous mix with a high number of accidents. A passenger car weighing 5,000 lbs., is no match for an average semi-truck with a loaded trailer weighing 80,000 lbs. I handled my first c[...]