Pedestrian Accidents

Glendale Pedestrian Collision and Wrongful Death Possibly Caused by Texting Driver

December 21, 2010 | by Robert Walch

Ani Voskanian has been arrested and charged with gross vehicular manslaughter for allegedly texting while driving, running a stop sign and colliding with an 80 year old man in a Glendale pedestrian accident. The man, Misak Ranjbar, later died from head trauma in Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

Ms. Voskanian’s attorney claims that she was not texting, the sun was in her eyes and that Mr. Ranjbar hit her car, causing this Glendale pedestrian collision. However, the district attorney’s office said the case was filed based on a careful review of the evidence (which might include cellular phone records from the time of the accident or an eyewitness account of the incident).

According to the Los Angeles Times, Glendale Mayor, Ara Najarian, has said that distracted driving has reached “epidemic” proportions in Glendale. Distractions, which are sometimes illegal, depending on the jurisdiction, should always be avoided, and can include talking on a cell phone, texting, eating, putting on makeup, caring for children in passenger seats, looking at a navigation system, etc.

Pedestrian Killed Crossing Street in Los Angeles

December 20, 2010 | by Robert Walch

A Lawndale, California resident, Maria Castaneda Núñez, was killed Saturday when she was struck by a vehicle, and possibly hit by a bus, in a Los Angeles pedestrian accident.

According to the driver, after his pickup truck collided with the victim, a Metro bus struck her as well. According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (who frequently deny claims made against them), it is unclear if a Metro bus was involved in this Los Angeles pedestrian collision. The MTA said it inspected five buses that could have been in the area and sent the video footage from their cameras to the police.

Traffic Accidents – Some Tips To Help Avoid

November 30, 2010 | by Gary Walch

There are so many ways to get into car, truck, motorcycle and bicycle accidents in congested Los Angeles, including Hollywood, Inglewood, Culver City, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Woodland Hills, Canoga Park and Calabasas, so we want to provide a couple of useful reminders to share with your loved ones and friends to try to avoid getting into a preventable accident.

Turning right – When turning right, how often does someone look right, then left and then turn, without checking again for oncoming cars, bicycle riders, skateboarders and pedestrians suddenly coming from the right. Always look right again before turning right.

Turning left — Never turn unless you can see all oncoming cars and you know it is clear. Ignore the honks from the person behind. That person won’t be around to pay your damages or increased insurance rates if you make an unsafe turn causing a collision (Yes, your insurance rates will go up if it is a chargeable collision – that is, if it is decided by your insurer that you contributed more than 50% to causing the collision. More about that in a future blog).

Happy Thanksgiving From Your Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorneys

November 25, 2010 | by Robert Walch

We, at Gary K. Walch, A Law Corporation, your Los Angeles personal injury attorneys, would like to wish all our family, friends, clients and colleagues a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Throughout the year, and for over 30 years, we have been helping injury victims obtain recoveries for their losses. Recently, we have helped and obtained settlements for a wide range of injury victims, from people who have had an auto accident in North Hollywood, a slip and fall accident in Woodland Hills, a dog attack in Van Nuys, a burn injury in Encino, and many more injury claims throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

We recently obtained a very favorable settlement for a woman who was hit by a car in San Bernardino. Despite the insurance company originally treating her unfairly, after we filed a lawsuit on her behalf, we were able to get her the recovery she deserved for her injuries, pain, suffering and loss of earnings.