Motorcycle Accidents

Warning: Drunk Driving Checkpoints Set Up to Prevent Los Angeles Accidents

August 19, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Starting this weekend, the Los Angeles Police Department, in an effort to prevent Los Angeles drunk driving accidents and injuries, will be setting up checkpoints throughout the city. The checkpoints, designed to catch drunk drivers before they are in a Los Angeles car accident, will be up from 8pm until 2am and this particular program will go through the Labor Day extended weekend.

According to the Los Angeles Times, there will be 100 police agencies involved and the checkpoints will be spread out throughout the Los Angeles area.

The L.A. Times cites the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which provides that in 2009, there were 10,839 accident deaths in car and motorcycle accidents where a driver was legally intoxicated. The most common age group for these fatalities was 21 through 24 years old.

2 Killed in Buena Park Motorcycle Accident

July 21, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A motorcycle accident in Buena Park has resulted in the deaths of the driver and passenger on the motorcycle. According to the Los Angeles Times, this was a one vehicle incident in which the motorcycle apparently hit a median, before skidding out of control and striking a pole.

The driver of the motorcycle, Johnny Carrillo, was an Army Ranger who had recently returned from Afghanistan. The passenger, a 31 year old female from Norwalk, has not yet been identified. The Buena Park motorcycle accident happened at about 2:00 a.m. this morning.

Los Angeles Motorcycle Accident Death in Cahuenga Pass

July 8, 2011 | by Robert Walch

According to the Los Angeles Times, a Van Nuys man was killed in a Los Angeles motorcycle accident early this morning. Los Angeles Police said that the driver of a 2003 Honda Accord, Maxime Desire, made a left turn in front of the motorcycle, causing the biker to be ejected from the motorcycle.

The motorcycle accident in Los Angeles is being investigated by the Valley Traffic Division of the Los Angeles police department. The motorcycle accident death occurred at Cahuenga and Barham, in the Cahuenga Pass. The California wrongful death victim of the Los Angeles motorcycle crash is a 41 year old man from Van Nuys, but his name has been withheld pending notification of his family.

Unfortunately, many Los Angeles motorcycle collisions occur when a car does not see a motorcycle and attempts to make a left hand turn in front of the bike. These motorcycle crashes are particularly dangerous because often the rider is unable to stop in time and is flipped over the car. Many witnesses to motorcycle collisions accuse the rider of excessive speed, which is normally due to the loud noise from a motorcycle engine, rather than the actual speed it is traveling. This often leads to traffic collisions reports, also known as police reports, which blame the motorcyclist, either in whole or in part, based on the witness’ mistaken recollection.

Possible Murder Charges in Reseda Motorcycle Accident Wrongful Death

June 15, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A car versus motorcycle accident in Reseda has resulted in the arrest and possible murder charges for Roberto Casillas, after his car hit a motorcycle on Monday. The victim of the Reseda car accident, Steve Josue Campos, was struck when Casillas allegedly made a left turn in front of Campos’ motorcycle.

Campos was transported to a hospital from the scene of the Reseda motorcycle accident, where he was later pronounced dead. The Reseda accident occurred near the intersection of Vanowen and Etiwanda, in Reseda, California.

It is unclear from the Los Angeles Times report why Casillas, who was taken to Van Nuys jail, is being held on suspicion of murder. Possible causes could include driving while under the influence or reckless driving.

1 Officer Killed, Another Critically Injured in Torrance Motorcycle Accident

May 27, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A Hawthorne police officer was killed and an El Segundo police officer was critically injured in a motorcycle accident in Torrance, California. The officers were taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, where their situations were first described as being in “extremely critical condition.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Torrance motorcycle accident occurred during a funeral procession for deceased Manhattan Beach Police Officer, Mark Vasquez, who died of cancer. The funeral procession was traveling from Manhattan Beach to Rancho Palos Verdes, and motorcycle officers were apparently being used to go ahead of the procession to stop traffic.

According to reports, the two officers on motorcycle collided with each other, causing the Hawthorne officer to be thrown from his bike into traffic, where he was hit by a vehicle on Hawthorne Boulevard. The California motorcycle accident is being investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Man Killed in San Bernardino Motorcycle Accident

January 27, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A high speed chase, involving a stolen pickup truck, has resulted in a motorcyclist getting killed in San Bernardino, California. The incident began when a man called police as he was following his car, which had been stolen.

Police followed the 2001 Ford F-150 pick up truck until it entered the wrong way onto the exit ramp of Interstate 215. Police chose to no longer follow the pickup truck due to the risks involved. However, the truck continued and hit a motorcycle, driven by a 57 year old man from Riverside, California, who was killed in this San Bernardino motorcycle accident.

The assailant, described as a 5’6″ Hispanic male, approximately 25 years old, with average build and a shaved head, fled the scene on foot, and was not caught by police.

It will have to be determined if there was more that police could have done to prevent this tragic San Bernardino wrongful death accident. In the past, we have discussed how high speed chases, of non-violent offenders, have resulted in very serious and catastrophic injuries to innocent bystanders. If at all possible, when police see a car acting erratically to evade them, a helicopter should be called in to watch overhead until the suspect stops, rather than exposing the public to this risk of harm.

Walch Selected Personal Injury Attorney of the Year 2010

January 24, 2011 | by Robert Walch

We are extremely proud to announce that a member of our firm, Gary Walch, was selected Personal Injury Attorney of the Year for 2010 by the Editorial Staff of the Consumer Business Review.

Gary has been an attorney since 1975, graduating from UCLA summa cum laude (with highest honors) and then the UCLA School of Law.

During his legal career of successfully handling thousands of serious injury claims in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and San Bernardino counties he has resolved claims for many millions of dollars for his clients.

Newport Beach Crash Kills 3 – New Details

January 18, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Some new information has come in as to potential causes for the Newport Beach car accident that killed 3 people, and injured many more, this past weekend. It has emerged that the driver of the vehicle that allegedly caused the collision, Julie Allen, a 27 year old former high school track star, had possibly taken medication in the past for a possible mental health problem. Much detail is not currently available, but there are reports of a “serious episode” when Allen was in high school.

Friends and family have described Allen as a very cautious, religious person, who would not speed. At the time of the , since her car was allegedly traveling at such high speeds that it was airborne, possibly for more than 50 feet, before it crashed into other cars and a motorcycle.

The driver of the motorcycle was reportedly critically injured in the car accident. Two other motorists, Linda Burnett, who was from Santa Ana, California, and Christopher De La Cruz, from Laguna Niguel, California, were killed in the accident and their families will likely make Newport Beach wrongful death claims.

It has also emerged that another possible cause for the Newport Beach multi-vehicle collision could be a stuck accelerator, after investigators saw a web posting from Allen’s mom, regarding a prior incident in which her daughter’s vehicle had a stuck accelerator and could not control the speed. That incident ended safely and it is unclear if the web post was referring to Julie Allen or another sibling.

2 Killed 2 Injured in Orange County Motorcycle Accident

December 15, 2010 | by Robert Walch

Sadly, the Los Angeles Times reports that an off-duty Los Angeles police officer, as well as one other motorcycle rider were killed, and two other motorcycle riders were injured, in a motorcycle accident in Orange County.

The motorcycle accident happened near Irvine Lake in Orange County and apparently happened when the LAPD officer (for unknown reasons) veered into oncoming traffic and collided with another motorcycle.

The third motorcycle apparently collided with the motorcycle the LAPD officer hit, causing serious injuries to the male and female riders of the third motorcycle. Tragically, both the LAPD officer and the driver of the motorcycle he collided with, died in this Orange County motorcycle collision.

Successful Resolution of Motorcycle Accident in Reseda

December 1, 2010 | by Robert Walch

A motorcycle accident claim in Los Angeles can be very difficult to resolve for numerous reasons. One reason is the common misconception that the driver of the motorcycle was speeding at the time of the accident. This is likely due to the loud noise that motorcycle engines often make.

If you are involved in a motorcycle collision in Los Angeles, it is very important that you obtain non-biased witness information. If a witness is able to decipher between a loud motorcycle and a fast motorcycle, this will help your cause.

Another misconception some people have about motorcycle riders is that they are reckless and weave through traffic. While this may be true about some motorcyclists, as it is for some car and truck drivers as well, what matters is what the actual person was doing at the time of the accident. Motorcyclists do not have fewer rights than cars on the road and they should not be judged by this frequent misconception.