Wrongful Death

Hit-and-Run: Victim’s Rights After the Accident

September 23, 2017 | by Robert Walch

Recently, a vehicle struck two pedestrians on Foothill Boulevard in Rialto and kept going. One woman passed away from her injuries at the hospital, while the other is currently in critical condition. Police found what they believe is the subject vehicle at an apartment complex located on Beachwood Street. The car they found had damage to the front of the car. Police are still processing this case, and looking for the suspect that was driving the car at the time of the accident. We hope that the drive of the vehicle is located, so that he or she can be charged criminally for the hit and run, but also held responsible for the wrongful death and other personal injuries that were caused.

Penalties of Hit-and-Run Accidents

A hit-and-run accident can turn an everyday accident into a criminal investigation. Whenever you are involved in a car crash, you have a legal responsibility to stop at the scene.

Night Driving: How to Keep Yourself Safe

September 14, 2017 | by Robert Walch

One of the most dangerous times to be on the California roadways is nighttime. There’s a number of reasons behind why the darkness makes it inherently more dangerous. Did you know that when it comes to fatal wrongful death accidents, almost half of them happen at night, even though there are fewer people on the roadways at this time? It’s unfortunately true.

With that in mind, here are some tips to help you to be more aware of potential problems, and make you feel more confident about night driving.

Seatbelt: Too many people still ignore the need for their seatbelt. Your seatbelt is one of the first lines of defense against injuries and fatalities that can happen from a car accident. No matter the time of day or night, taking the step to buckle up your seatbelt can save your life.

Knott’s Berry Farm Injury Lawsuit One of Several

August 31, 2017 | by Robert Walch

A California personal injury lawsuit was recently filed against Knott’s Berry Farm for several individuals that have been injured while riding the log ride at the theme park. The suit claims that improper maintenance of the ride was the cause of the injuries. One of the individuals involved in this lawsuit is a six-year-old child that had fractured his eye socket on the ride when it came to an abrupt halt after the final drop. The lawsuit notes that this injury is not an isolated occurrence, but that this ride has caused similar injuries in at least 10 other theme park guests.

The Los Angeles Times reports that California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigated this particular log ride for nine injuries reported on the ride between 2010 and 2012. These reports include injuries to the passengers including cuts around the eye and teeth that have been chipped from the force. As a result of these reports, an investigation was performed in 2015 by the California Department of Industrial Relations that found that there was a device in the ride that was not working correctly. Typically this device would monitor the level of water in the ride. Due to this maintenance problem, the park had to make the necessary repairs and had to pay inspection fees.

Lakeside Crash Kills Motorcyclist

June 20, 2017 | by Robert Walch

Two motorcyclists in Lakeside, California were struck from behind and tossed off their Yamaha motorcycles around 9 p.m. on Saturday evening, June 10th. A driver of a sedan, heading north on Winter Gardens Boulevard, drifted off the road and directly into the area where the two motorcyclists had briefly stopped.

Fox 5 News reports that the 37-year-old female motorcyclist from El Cajon died at the scene. Her fellow rider, a 32-year-old male who was also from El Cajon, suffered injuries and was hospitalized. The driver of the sedan was also taken to the hospital for moderate injuries.

Although intoxication of the driver is not suspected, the California motorcycle accident wrongful death remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol (CHP). If, upon concluding its investigation, CHP determines that the driver negligently caused the accident—whether because he was texting, speeding, or otherwise at fault—then the family of the motorcyclist who was killed should bring a wrongful death claim against the driver of the sedan. Before taking any action, the victim’s family should contact a California wrongful death attorney to discuss details and determine the possibility of seeking compensation.

Suspected DUI Driver Kills Jogger in Vista

June 14, 2017 | by Robert Walch

The San Diego Union Tribune reports that on Friday, June 2, at around 6:30 p.m., the driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee jumped onto the sidewalk of Melrose Drive and crashed right into a couple out for their evening jog. Nanglee Vang—the father of five children ranging from toddlers to teens and a refugee from Southeast Asia—died at the scene of this California pedestrian accident. His wrongful death came just one day before his 41st birthday. His wife, 34 years old, was hospitalized with critical injuries.

Attorney Robert Bruce stated that, based on the circumstances of the accident, the other driver must have been traveling incredibly fast. A witness to the San Diego wrongful death accident stated that the Cherokee flipped several times before ramming into a light pole. Once the Cherokee stopped moving, the witness ran to the vehicle and held the driver’s hand until authorities arrived. The driver, who had to be cut out from his car and who also suffered serious injuries, was identified as Abraham Juarez Perea, aged 24.

Perea was charged with drunken driving and gross vehicular manslaughter. The Superior Court Judge ordered him to be jailed in lieu of $750,000 bail. On Tuesday, Perea pleaded not guilty.

Fatal Long Beach Accident

June 8, 2017 | by Robert Walch

Early on the morning of May 20^th, around 2:40 a.m., reports came in of a crash near Clark Avenue and Eagle Street in Long Beach. CBS News reports that the passenger in a truck was killed when the truck’s driver—suspected to be under the influence of alcohol—slammed the truck into a utility pole.

Once officers from the Long Beach Police Department arrived at the scene, they found two passengers still inside the truck. Officers pulled one passenger, who was unconscious, out of the truck and began administering CPR. Paramedics later arrived and pronounced the passenger dead at the scene. The other passenger was taken to the hospital.

Shortly after arriving at the scene of the Long Beach truck accident, officers also found the driver after a helpful witness identified him. He was walking away from the scene when the authorities caught up with him. He was also taken to the hospital with critical injuries. Authorities suspect that the driver was under the influence.

Semi-truck and Car Crash in Chino Kills One

June 2, 2017 | by Robert Walch

According to the Daily Bulletin, just before 2 a.m. on Saturday, May 27, 2017, a semi-truck drifted towards the shoulder of the eastbound 60 Freeway in Chino, California. The truck then hit several guardrail posts and slammed into the Mountain Avenue bridge cement wall.

A second vehicle then crashed into the truck and ended up on the bottom of the off-ramp. Both the semi-truck and the vehicle caught on fire. The driver of the vehicle was ejected from his car. Paramedics arrived at the scene and brought him to the hospital, but he unfortunately died from his truck accident injuries.

California Big Rig Crash Kills Four in Desert Center

May 31, 2017 | by Robert Walch

A tragic accident on Memorial Day killed four people approximately 20 miles north of Desert Center in Riverside County, California. A witness called in to report the accident at 3:11 p.m. According to an eyewitness who spoke to the Los Angeles Times, a car was traveling southbound on the two-lane Highway 177 when it crossed over the center line, seemingly in an attempt to pass traffic. It then slammed head-on into a big rig truck. Six California Highway Patrol officers and 11 Riverside County Fire Department and Cal Fire/Riverside firefighters were sent to the scene of the Riverside truck accident.

Officers found three individuals dead at the scene. A fourth person was extricated from the car and then airlifted to Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The crash had caused a large cloud of dust and debris to rise into the air and the spilling of diesel fuel all over the road. The eyewitness—Brian Mumey, a retired U.S. Army infantryman—said he treated the driver, who was the only person alive when he arrived. He noted that there was a group of trucks and RVs returning from Memorial Day events pulling boats, and that many cars were trying to pass them, including the car involved in the accident.

Riverside Accident Leaves One Dead and One Injured

May 27, 2017 | by Robert Walch

According to My Valley News, Early in the morning on May 19, 2017, around 12:45 am, several witnesses called 911 to report a crash at the intersection of Van Buren Boulevard and King Avenue in Riverside, California. Riverside Fire and Police Departments responded, and upon arriving at the scene, found parts of the vehicle spread across the road. First responders also found a white Toyota Avalon with significant damage to its front side.

The passenger of the wrecked Toyota was alive, albeit barely, and had suffered severe, traumatic injuries in the Riverside car accident. He was later identified as 21-year-old Prince Deavon Armony Franky Ketcha. The medics transported Mr. Ketcha to Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center, and within one hour, hospital staff pronounced him dead. The driver of the vehicle, who was seen walking after the accident, suffered only minor injuries.

California Highway Patrol Sergeant Eugene Norris said that the Toyota had been driving at a high rate of speed when it drifted to the right of the road and ran directly into a traffic signal pole. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and Sgt. Norris said that alcohol or drug intoxication have not yet been ruled out as contributing factors in the accident.

Mother’s Day Crash Kills Woman and Her Unborn Child

May 22, 2017 | by Robert Walch

According to NBC San Diego, a tragedy occurred on Mother’s Day when a Ramona woman was killed in a wrongful death car accident on San Vicente Road. The woman—Jessica Foderingham, aged 32—was eight months pregnant at the time of the crash. She had just gotten married last August.

Around 6:46 pm, Foderingham was driving a Dodge Dart when another car—a 2011 GMC Yukon—struck her from the back. The collision pushed Foderingham’s Dodge into a center divider area, where it then collided with a tree. She died at the scene as a result of injuries from the rear end crash.

The driver of the Yukon fled the scene. He was later identified by California Highway Patrol as 44-year-old Andrew Milonis. Milonis, after leaving the scene of the collision, parked his car and hired a Lyft. The Lyft driver, Kyle Gammon, noted that Milonis appeared distraught. The driver actually passed by the scene of the accident on his route. He asked Milonis if Milonis had crashed there, and Milonis denied it.

Milonis was dropped off by the Lyft driver at the Turkey Inn Bar, where officers then arrested him. He was booked into the local jail, where he was charged with driving under the influence causing death, felony hit and run, and vehicular manslaughter. NBC 7 later discovered that Milonis had been driving on a suspended/revoked license. His wife informed the news station that Milonis had suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2008, which may be a possible reason for his erratic actions.

Foderingham’s husband, a Marine, was overwrought with emotion, posting on Facebook: “My heart, my world, my best friend, was taken from me.”