Car Accidents

Multi-Vehicle Accident in Whittier Leaves 5 Injured

March 3, 2019 | by Robert Walch

A multi-vehicle accident in the Whittier area left five people injured, including two police officers. According to the Whittier Daily News, the accident occurred on the eastbound side of the 60 freeway around 2:50 a.m.

Police officers were pulled off on the side of the freeway assisting a driver of a stalled Mazda. All three were standing outside the vehicles when a Chevrolet Malibu ran into the patrol car. This hit caused a chain reaction—it pushed “the black-and-white into the Mazda before the Malibu struck the officers and the stranded driver. The Malibu, which ended up back on the freeway itself, was hit by a Honda Accord.”

In this incident, the driver of the Malibu was arrested after he was suspected of causing the collision because he was driving under the influence. Those injured in the accident included both police officers, the driver of the Mazda, the driver of the Malibu (who caused the accident), and a passenger in his car. All were taken to the hospital with minor to major injuries.

Driver with Suspended License Kills 3, Injures 3 in Oceanside Car Crash

February 18, 2019 | by Robert Walch

On Tuesday, February 5, 2019, an Oceanside family suffered a terrible tragedy when their Mazda was struck by a Toyota Tacoma. Around 1:00 p.m., the family members were driving together on the S. Coast Highway. The driver of the Toyota Tacoma ran a red light, smashing into the Mazda. The horrific car accident resulted in the wrongful deaths of Rufina Rodriguez, 74, Petra Arango, 40, and 56-year-old Eloina Arango—a mother and her two daughters.

The other family members in the Mazda included the family father and son-in-law who were sitting in the front seat and sustained serious injuries in the accident. The last passenger, a 13-year-old granddaughter, was ejected from the vehicle and seriously injured. These surviving passengers were rushed to the hospital for their injuries.

Perhaps the most tragic part of this story, is that this accident could have totally been avoided. The driver of the Tacoma, identified as 19-year-old Mason Fish, was driving under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the accident. Additionally, ABC 10 News reported that “according to DMV records, Fish’s driver’s license was listed as suspended or revoked on Jan. 26, 2019. Records also showed Fish had been involved in three prior crashes on Dec. 23, 2017; Jan. 25, 2018; and Sept. 5, 2018.”

Speeding Causes Deadly Los Angeles Car Crash—2 Killed, 4 injured

February 11, 2019 | by Robert Walch

Far too often car accidents are caused by a careless (negligent) driver who was speeding or driving recklessly on the road. This was the case in a recent Los Angeles car accident that resulted in the deaths of two people and left four others seriously injured.

According to ABC 7 News, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to an accident scene in Northridge around 2:00 in the afternoon, after a local resident reported the crash. Two adult men were driving in a custom-built kit car, when the driver lost control. The kit car veered into oncoming traffic and hit a sedan carrying four passengers.

Photos of the scene show both cars completely mangled by the collision. Both the driver and the passenger in the kit car were killed—the passenger died at the scene and the driver later died from his serious injuries sustained in the crash. The driver and three passengers in the sedan were trapped in their car. Emergency personnel pried open the car and rushed all four to the hospital in critical condition.

Don’t Text and Drive in 2019!

February 4, 2019 | by Robert Walch

2018 marked the 10-year anniversary of the enactment of hands-free cell phone and no-texting laws in California. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) this milestone showed a decrease in the number of citations issued for distracted driving and a decrease in the number of collisions caused by distracted driving. However, even with this decrease, the problem of cell-phone use and texting while driving still persists.

Texting While Driving is Distracted Driving

Texting while driving falls under the umbrella of “Distracted Driving.” There are many ways a driver can be distracted while driving—anything from eating or looking down to change the music station to looking at a passenger can dangerously take a driver’s attention from the road. However, cell phones continue to be a top cause of distracted driving accidents.

Storms Bring Snow to California Mountains – Tips for Driving in Snow

January 29, 2019 | by Robert Walch

Over the past few weeks the Southern California mountains have been hit by several winter storms. According to CBS 8, “The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory above 5,000 feet for the San Diego mountains.” While this is good news for ski resorts, the advisory states that drivers should expect slick road conditions.

From Mount Laguna to the San Bernardino and Riverside County mountains, the latest storms have brought 4-12 inches of snow. With all this snow, the National Weather Service is concerned about the impact it could have on Interstate 5. While traveling to the snow can be fun for recreational activities, it can be particularly dangerous for drivers, especially if you are unprepared. Because snow isn’t a typical part of Southern California life, if you plan to travel to or through snowy areas, make sure to use caution to avoid a Southern California car accident.

Although driving in snow can be dangerous, there are certain tips you can follow to stay safer even in icy and snowy conditions. To avoid a snow-related car collision be sure to:

1 Seriously Injured in Los Angeles Multi-car and Big Rig Crash

January 28, 2019 | by Robert Walch

A multi-vehicle car crash that involved a large Big Rig truck, left each of the driver’s with minor injuries, and one driver in critical condition. The crash occurred on Olympic Boulevard in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. From the photos of the incident, provided by ABC 7 News, the Big Rig over turned blocking the entire street. The photos show the truck completely on its side with two cars smashed into the trailer and one other car hit by the front of the truck.

Two of the people involved in the accident were trapped inside their cars. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and set to work extracting the victims. One of the extracted victims was in critical condition and was rushed to a nearby hospital. The other drivers were evaluated at the scene for minor injuries.

As of right now, no other information about the crash has been released. Investigators are looking into what caused the crash and what, specifically, caused the semi-truck to tip completely on its side.

Los Angeles Rainfall Causes Unsafe Conditions and Accidents Rain Forecasted to End!

January 17, 2019 | by Robert Walch

Los Angeles and Southern California have been hit by early January storms, causing many serious car and truck accidents, as well as significant rainfall and flooding. Downtown Los Angeles has sustained almost five (5) inches of rainfall, as per the report of 5:47pm, January 17, 2019, of the National Weather Service. See Los Angeles Almanac.

If you were involved in a car or truck accident in the rain, here are a few things to do: be sure to call 911 if you were injured or need other emergency assistance, and before moving any of the vehicles try to take detailed photos of all vehicles, their damage and the scene of the collision. Also, get all identifying information, including take photos of the other party’s driver’s license, insurance cards and vehicle license plates.

If you were not at fault, it’s wise to call the police and wait until they arrive (which, unfortunately, may take even longer when it’s raining) to get a written police report, usually called a “traffic collision report”, to help prove you were not at fault. If you were not at fault, we cannot emphasize enough how important and helpful a favorable police report can be to winning your case and also proving to your own insurance company that you were not at fault so your insurance rates will not go up!

Heavy Rain Makes for Dangerous Commutes & Causes Deadly Camarillo Accident

January 14, 2019 | by Robert Walch

Recently, heavy rain in Southern California has made for extremely dangerous driving conditions. The heavy rains have decreased visibility on already busy roads, which has led to several car accidents through Ventura County and its surrounding counties. The rain has been particularly problematic during commuting hours and CHP reported “there have been a lot of crashes [and] people hitting the guardrails.” Several drivers have reported losing control of their vehicles because of the slick roads.

One particular accident near Camarillo resulted in a deadly head-on collision. According to the Ventura County Star, a 65-year-old man from Oxnard driving a Nissan pickup lost control of his vehicle while traveling westbound. The car crossed into oncoming traffic, “for reasons that are still being investigated” and hit a Ford F-250 pickup driven by a 27-year-old man from Oxnard.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene of the accident and the Nissan driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The Ford F-250 driver was taken to the St. John’s Pleasant Valley hospital for his injuries suffered in the collision.

Driver and Passenger Killed After Car Collides into Hyde Park Building

December 30, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A driver of a black Lincoln and his female passenger were killed in a Hyde Park car accident December 16, 2018. According to KTLA News, around 9:00 in the morning, the car left the road just east of Crenshaw Boulevard, and smashed into an abandoned building.

The male driver was partially ejected from the car as a result of the impact. The female passenger was fully ejected from the car, and both were pronounced dead at the scene. Because of the collapse of the structure onto the car, police believe it will “require an extended extrication to recover the bodies due to safety concerns with building collapse.”

As of right now, the cause of the accident remains unknown. Police said speeding is very common on the street but are not certain that is was caused this crash. In a crash like this, that involves no other vehicles, there are many possible causes for the police to consider such as driving while intoxicated (either alcohol or drugs), driving while texting, or even drowsy driving. It is very important that a thorough investigation is conducted to determine the cause of the accident.

One Killed in Perris Freeway Accident

December 3, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A recent Perris car accident resulted in the death of 54-year-old William Shelton of Lemon Grove and left another motorist with minor injuries. The Press-Enterprise reported that three vehicles were involved in the accident which occurred on the Southbound side of the freeway around 7:20 p.m.

The accident caused one of the cars involved, a dark-colored sedan, to flip over and cross into the northbound side of the 215 freeway. Though it is not clear which car was driven by Mr. Shelton, it was reported he died at the scene. The accident closed two lanes on the southbound side of the 215 freeway for several hours causing heavy traffic on the freeway, as well as the Ramona Expressway as cars tried to exit.

California Highway Patrol officers are still investigating what caused this freeway crash. There are many possible causes for freeway accidents, especially on the busy Southern California freeways. Causes can include natural things such as rain or fog which cause poor visibility that can lead to accidents, or intentional things such careless choices by a driver to drive while intoxicated, texting, or while drowsy. When a car accident involves more than one car, like in this case, it is possible that one or more drivers could be at fault.