Los Angeles Information

The Ventura (101) Freeway Closed Saturday Overnight, October 1, 2022-October 2, 2022, to Demolish Walking Bridge in Encino

September 28, 2022 | by Robert Walch

All lanes of the Ventura 101 Freeway located in Encino will close for approximately 12 hours, from about 10pm Saturday evening to about 10am Sunday morning from White Oak Avenue to Balboa Boulevard, according to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

This one-mile stretch of the Ventura 101 Freeway crossing Encino will close for approximately 12 hours while construction crews demolish a pedestrian overpass that is considered too close or low to the Ventura Freeway.

In fact, one reason for this bridge demolition is to prevent taller vehicles from hitting this overpass, which reportedly has occurred in recent years. That obviously creates an unreasonable risk of harm and an unsafe and dangerous condition, exposing those government entities involved to exposure for huge monetary claims and lawsuits, including for personal injuries, wrongful death and property damage, both physical property damage and diminished value.

Consumer Protection – New Scam – Buy Gold Bullion and Make Thousands or Millions Consumers Beware! Do NOT be Tricked!

September 9, 2021 | by Robert Walch

Receive an intriguing unsolicited message from an unknown sender via an app, such as Whats App, respond to it and be drawn into an interesting conversation. Before you know it, the supposed woman on the other end wants to celebrate because she invested some money in gold (or some other precious metal, commodity or cryptocurrency) and made a huge profit in a short time, with little to no risk.

The person on the other end may even send an official looking graph or statement that appears to show this huge profit. That’s right – she bought gold bullion via a trading company then sold it just 15 to 20 minutes later and made a huge profit, perhaps even over a million dollars. Sound tempting? Too good to be true? Yes of course!

Then, a few days later this incredible investment opportunity occurs again. By the third time she has lured you in so that you either request to be included or she convinces you to do it. She suggests you transfer money to start to open the new required “trading account” then her teacher/mentor/relative, who supposedly works with or used to work with a famous brokerage or company and has many special contacts or insider information, will advise when to buy and sell. They claim they will do this for you because you are now a “good” friend of the scammer.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

January 29, 2021 | by Robert Walch

Corona Virus Vaccination Appointment Information for L.A. County

VACCINE UPDATE: LA County is actively vaccinating health care workers, staff and residents at long-term care and skilled nursing facilities, and residents ages 65 and older.

To book an appointment and learn more about vaccine distribution in LA County, please visit VaccinateLACounty.com or call (833) 540-0473 from 8:00 AM to 8:30 PM 7 days a week.

THE DODGERS ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS! Our Los Angeles Dodgers Defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to Win the World Series in Six Games

October 28, 2020 | by Robert Walch

“The Dodgers are World Series Champions.” Six (6) words repeated by Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke on the front page of the main section today. Plaschke also colorfully wrote, “The 31-year drought is over, the heavens have opened, and all over Los Angeles its raining blue.

I was fortunate enough to be at the games in 1988 (the last time our Dodgers won the World Series), and this time during the coronavirus pandemic my father and I watched together at his home. This year the World Series was played at a neutral field, Globe Life Field, a huge new stadium with a retractable roof, 1400 miles away in Texas, before a socially distanced crowd limited to only 11,437 fans.

We wondered at the choice of Tony Gonsolin to start the game, as we (and many others) wondered about many pitching decisions of Dodger manager, Dave “Doc” Roberts, during their most recent three (3) World Series, including losses to Houston and Boston.

COVID 19 VIRUS UPDATE: OUR PERSONAL INJURY AND WRONGFUL DEATH LAW OFFICES ARE OPEN AND OUR LAWYERS CONTINUE WORKING ON BOTH NEW INJURY ACCIDENT CASES AND OUR CURRENT INJURY ACCIDENT CASES, SOME STAFF MEMBERS WORKING REMOTELY FROM THEIR HOMES, SO THERE IS NO INTERRUPTION IN THE LEGAL SERVICES YOU NEED AND EXPECT DURING THIS CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

August 7, 2020 | by Robert Walch

Throughout this pandemic, our California personal injury and wrongful death law offices continue to take new car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident and dog bite injury cases that occurred anywhere in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and California.

UPDATE: This morning the Los Angeles Times reported as its lead article that the Covid19 surge in California has been spurred by these two (2) causes: the re-opening of the California economy, which may include the opening of dine-in restaurants and other businesses, allowing the coronavirus to spread, especially among low-wage earners, including Hispanic workers, some of whose employers have been accused of not following the announced infection control rules, and many large summer celebrations by younger adults, including the recent YouTube star Jake Paul gathering in Calabasas (reportedly followed by an FBI / SWAT team raid executing a search warrant, with officers carrying weapons from the home) and USC fraternities linked to over 45 cases.

California health officials warn that some wild parties and other large social gatherings like weddings, birthday parties and other celebrations may threaten the progress California has been making.

Los Angeles City Settles Studio City Sink Hole Incident for $4 Million

December 11, 2019 | by Robert Walch

Los Angeles City Settles Studio City Sink Hole Incident for $4 Million

In February 2017, a woman driving on a Studio City road was injured when a massive sinkhole opened up and her car plunged in. The shocking incident occurred around 8pm in the evening, when the road gave away leaving a large hole. The woman was initially trapped in the hole in her car and remained there until fire crews were able to pull her out—crews were able to get her out “just before [a] second car fell into the massive sinkhole.”

As a result of this incident, the woman was taken to the hospital for her injuries. According to ABC 7 News, she “suffered a concussion and blurred vision in the incident.” Now, two years later the woman is seeking compensation for her injuries and losses. It appears the sinkhole was caused by heavy rain and sewer failure. The Los Angeles City Council has come to an agreement for a settlement and have agreed to pay up to $4 million to the woman for her injuries.

Los Angeles Driver Posts Dashcam Video of Near Accidents

October 16, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A person with the username “habloconleche” recently posted a reddit video of some of the things seen, including many near car accidents, while driving around Los Angeles. The short video, which can be seen on laist, is shot from a dashcam in front of the vehicle and shows some of the many dangerous and unsafe maneuvers that many Los Angeles drivers attempt on the roads and freeways.

Sometimes these cars, vans and trucks are driving in emergency lanes to save time and others are changing lanes or doing other unsafe turning movements without properly signaling their intent to other drivers. This video shows some of the risky behavior of certain drivers and why it is always necessary to be on alert when driving around Los Angeles.

After watching the video, it is amazing that none of the dangerous and often illegal maneuvering directly led to any Los Angeles car accidents occurring in front of this driver. The driver does note, however, an intention to keep videotaping and posting videos of these dangerous actions.

WEST L..A. / UCLA WATER TRUNKLINE BREAK CAUSES LOSS OF MORE THAN 20 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER AND SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY DAMAGE, BUT FORTUNATELY NO LOSS OF LIFE

August 1, 2014 | by Robert Walch

While early reports indicated the water loss was 8-10 million gallons of water, updated reports put the loss at in excess of 20 million gallons of drinkable water.

The water loss increased significantly because the L.A. DWP could not simply turn off the broken trunkline. Instead, first it had to find the right valves then turn them off slowly to prevent too much sudden pressure causing more breaks. Then, it was reported some valves would not completely close, causing thousands of gallons of additional drinking water to be wasted every hour. Thursday morning, July 31, 2014, it was reported that the valves finally were completely closed so repair work could commence.

Clearly the damage to land, structures, including famous Pauley Pavilion at UCLA, and hundreds of water logged cars and other vehicles parked in the flooded UCLA underground parking structures will be in the millions of dollars, and the loss of so much drinking water during our Los Angeles water drought is immeasurable.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day – Enjoy Responsibly

March 17, 2014 | by Robert Walch

In our Los Angeles personal injury law practice, we help many victims of accidents involving intoxicated drivers. We know that many people will be celebrating St. Patrick’s day with some beer or whiskey. Please remember not to drink and drive. Not only will there be many police checkpoints, but the damages caused by drunk drivers can be catastrophic.

If you are planning on drinking today, make sure you have a designated driver who will stay sober. If not, go somewhere within walking distance or use a ride sharing service like Uber or Lyft. They can usually pick you up all over Los Angeles and the prices are very reasonable.

Please make sure not to be a drunk driving statistic and have a happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Motorcycle Lane Splitting – Not Illegal – CHP Guidelines

March 8, 2013 | by Robert Walch

Contrary to the beliefs of many people in California, it is not illegal for motorcycles to lane split, meaning to pass between cars in adjoining lanes of a roadway. According to the Los Angeles Times, a survey found that 78% of motorcyclists admit to lane splitting. In order to help prevent California motorcycle accidents, the CHP has issued guidelines for motorcycle riders to follow when lane splitting.

First, the most important thing is that any lane splitting be done safely. Then, when lane splitting, the motorcyclist should not exceed 10 miles per hour over the speed of the traffic he or she is passing. Next, when traffic is flowing at more than 30 miles per hour, the motorcyclist should not split lanes. Finally, the motorcyclist should use the area between lane number 1 and lane number 2 when splitting lanes.

It is important to note that the above guidelines are not the law. Motorcyclists may get a ticket if they are deemed to be driving recklessly, even though they are following the CHP guidelines. Steve Guderian, of ABATE, the American Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education, argues that lane splitting should be called “lane sharing” and when driving in traffic, a lane splitting motorcyclist is actually less likely to get into a California motorcycle accident, by a rate of over two to one, compared to vehicles that are not lane splitting.