Wrongful Death

30 Year Old Man Killed in Glendale Car Accident

September 14, 2012 | by Robert Walch

A 30 year old man was killed this morning in a multi-vehicle freeway car accident in Glendale, California. According to the La Cañada Flintridge Patch, the Glendale car accident occurred on the 134 Freeway, at around seven o’clock in the morning. The California Highway Patrol reported that the man died at the scene of the Glendale freeway accident.

This multi-vehicle car accident caused the closure of three lanes of traffic on the Ventura Freeway and resulted in serious traffic delays from Monrovia to Burbank. The CHP is still investigating the cause of this Glendale freeway crash. Various witness accounts of the accident and of the aftermath have claimed that the car was overturned after the crash. A person who said she was in another car and witnessed the accident has claimed to have seen the deceased driver swerving before the collision.

It is always important however to look very carefully at witness statements. Sometimes, witnesses can have a bias. Other times, witnesses think that they recall something, but actually remember it quite differently from how it happened.

TWO GOOD SAMARITANS ELECTROCUTED TO DEATH IN VALLEY VILLAGE CAR ACCIDENT

August 25, 2012 | by Robert Walch

Two women were fatally electrocuted after a Valley Village car accident on Thursday, August 23, 2012, when the first went to help the injured driver of a car accident and the second when she went to help the first woman. Several others reportedly suffered less serious electrical burn injuries and are expected to make a full recovery.

Apparently, the driver, a 19 year old from Glendale, driving a sports utility vehicle (SUV), lost control of his vehicle, possibly due to high speed, when traveling through the intersection of Magnolia Boulevard and Ben Avenue, striking a concrete light standard and fire hydrant with such force to knock them both over. This created a dangerous and deadly combination as water quickly pooled into the intersection, causing the wrongful death of two good Samaritans and severe injuries to others who were electrocuted and burned.

One passerby, Irma Zamora, reportedly called 911 then rushed from her vehicle and ran to assist the driver of the SUV. Unbeknownst to her, the water in the intersection was electrified and when she stepped into the water she was immediately electrocuted to death. The fire department estimated that her wrongful death was caused by approximately 48,000 volts of electricity. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mrs. Zamora, age 40, of Burbank, Los Angeles County, was known as one to help others. According to family members, her selfless action was typical.

Another woman, not yet identified, also died when, as she tried to help Mrs. Zamora and touched her, she also was electrocuted to death. Reportedly, at least six (6) others, including the driver of the SUV and a Los Angeles police officer, were electrocuted, severely injured and required hospitalization.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa visited the Valley Village traffic collision site, praising the two good Samaritans as heroes. He also reminded others to carefully assess such situations before rushing into them and to wait for professionals to arrive.
One former resident of Valley Village who is very knowledgeable about car accidents and electricity, R. Freeman, advised that after a car accident one should never go near pooled water when there is a damaged electrical device, such as a damaged power pole, that could possibly electrify the pooled water and, in fact, one should move far away as quickly as possible and wait for the fire department to handle the situation.

2 Killed in El Monte Freeway Accident Wrongful Death

August 23, 2012 | by Robert Walch

An El Monte car accident today has resulted in the death of at least two people. According to the Los Angeles Times, an unknown number of other people were trapped in their cars after the El Monte accident on the 60 freeway. The freeway accident occurred on the 60 freeway, eastbound, where it interchanges with the 605 freeway.

According to the California Highway Patrol, three or more lanes of the 60 freeway eastbound were blocked off due to the El Monte car accident. This resulted in a large traffic backup for commuters. The interchange from the 605 south to the 60 east also became blocked due to this multi-vehicle freeway accident.

Official details on the cause of this car accident in El Monte are still pending. The California Highway Patrol would only release the fact that two people had been confirmed dead.

When more details as to the cause of this crash are revealed, the families of the deceased may be able to pursue an El Monte wrongful death claim against any responsible parties. As of now, it is unknown if other parties caused the deaths of these wrongful death victims. If another car is determined to be at fault, that driver’s insurance company may be responsible for wrongful death damages, to the heirs of the deceased.

LACMTA Metro Blue Line Reports Increase In Train Accidents & Fatalities

August 7, 2012 | by Robert Walch

The Metro Blue Line, that runs 22 miles from downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach, has reported 22 train accidents and six (6) fatalities so far during 2012. Many are caused by collisions with cars, trucks and other motor vehicles.

The Blue Line is reported by the Los Angeles Times to be one of the busiest light rail lines in the United States and, unfortunately, is on pace to have more fatalities than any other year in its 22 year history. This statistic is even more significant given the fact that the Blue Line has a history of numerous accidents with cars, causing injuries and fatalities.
The Blue Line opened as Los Angeles County’s first light rail line in 1990. It currently has 26 million riders per year. It earned the undesired reputation in 1999 as California’s deadliest rail transit line when ten (10) people were reported killed and 40 others reported injured in 50 MTA Blue Line accidents that occurred during 1999. Most of these accidents involved collisions at street crossings with cars and other motor vehicles.

Although the Los Angeles County Metro Blue Line averaged almost 51 accidents annually during its first 12 years, since then its number of accidents has dropped to about 28 per year. During this time, the Metro took many steps to improve safety, including installing photo enforcement cameras at street crossings to deter drivers from attempting to race across intersections to beat passing trains. Metro officials claim such safety measures directly contributed to decreasing the number of MTA accidents each year.

Man Killed in Calabasas Bicycle Accident

July 14, 2012 | by Robert Walch

A bicycle accident in Calabasas resulted in the death of a male bicyclist, who is believed to be about 45 years old. The Calabasas bicycle accident occurred this morning, at about 9:20am, in the Santa Monica Mountains. According to the Los Angeles Times, the bicyclist apparently veered off of the road and ended up falling down a ravine.

The cause of this Calabasas bicycle accident wrongful death is still under investigation by the California Highway Patrol. At this point, it is too early to determine why this bicycle accident death occurred. Authorities will investigate whether the bike accident was caused by the negligence of the bicyclist, or if the negligence of a vehicle possibly caused the bicyclist to veer off the road and down the ravine.

In order to determine the cause of this California bicycle accident, it will be necessary to look for any witnesses who may have seen the bicyclist prior to the incident, or if they saw any speeding or recklessly driven vehicles at around the time of the bike crash. Investigators will also look for skid marks or any other indication of a vehicle contributing to the cause of this wrongful death accident.

Man Killed in 405 Freeway Motorcycle Accident

July 1, 2012 | by Robert Walch

This morning, a Los Angeles 405 freeway motorcycle accident, near LAX, resulted in the death of the 39 year old motorcyclist. The Los Angeles Times reports that the 405 freeway accident apparently occurred when the motorcyclist collided with the rear end of a pick up truck. The Los Angeles rear end accident caused the motorcycle and truck to spin out of control and the cyclist was thrown from the cycle.

The cyclist, who hit the median of the freeway, was pronounced dead at a Los Angeles hospital. The driver of the pickup truck apparently was not injured in the Los Angeles rear end collision. The California Highway Patrol is still investigating the cause of the motorcycle accident in Los Angeles.

If the driver of the pick up truck was at fault, the heirs of the motorcycle rider may make a Los Angeles wrongful death claim against the insurance company for the pickup truck driver. However, legally, it is usually very difficult to prove that the vehicle that was rear ended actually caused the rear end collision. This is because there is usually a presumption that the vehicle that was rear ended was struck because the vehicle in back was not keeping a safe distance.

2 Killed in California Bicycle Accident Wrongful Death

April 10, 2012 | by Robert Walch

The 17 year old driver of a Cadillac Escalade was allegedly driving erratically when he struck a family of bicycle riders, killing a father and his daughter in a tragic California bicycle accident wrongful death. The driver of the Cadillac sustained minor injuries in the Northern California bike accident.

According to the Los Angeles Times, witnesses reported that the driver of the Cadillac was speeding, passing cars and changing lanes erratically. The family was riding on the sidewalk when they were struck by the SUV. The deceased were Solaiman Nuri, a 41 year old man, and his daughter Hadessa Nuri, only nine years old. Another daughter sustained minor injuries in the bike accident in California.

The Concord, California police sergeant Matthew Morrissey said the driver of the Escalade was arrested and faces charges of vehicular manslaughter and may be charged as an adult. Further, authorities are investigating whether the teenager was using his cell phone at the time of the California bicycle crash.

This tragic auto versus bicycle collision should have been avoided. It appears from the facts that the driver of the sports utility vehicle was reckless and careless in the operation of his vehicle. The surviving family members of the victims of this California wrongful death bicycle accident should contact a California bicycle accident lawyer to help them recover the full amount of California wrongful death damages available to them.

Car Accident in Westminster Injures 2 and Causes 1 Wrongful Death

April 5, 2012 | by Robert Walch

A wrongful death car accident in Westminster occurred earlier today. A female passenger in one of the cars was killed in the Westminster crash. Two other people were seriously injured in the auto accident. The female passenger died at the scene of the accident and the other two injured people had to be extricated from a vehicle by firefighters.

According to the Los Angeles Times, one of the vehicles was traveling north on Hoover and the other car was going south. Police did not say if this was a head on collision, but under the circumstances this seems likely. The two critically injured people were taken to local trauma centers in Santa Ana and Irvine.

The Orange County car accident occurred near the intersection of Hoover St. and Hazard Ave., at about five o’clock in the afternoon. Police are investigating what caused this fatal Orange County crash. These types of collisions, possibly a head on collision, can be caused by one driver’s inattentiveness or by a distraction such as a cell phone. Sometimes a driver tries to avoid an obstacle in the road or another car and ends up swerving into opposing traffic.

Hit and Run Accident Causes Los Angeles Wrongful Death

April 2, 2012 | by Robert Walch

Police have not yet apprehended the motorist who struck a pedestrian in a Los Angeles wrongful death pedestrian accident on Sunday. According to the Los Angeles Times, a man was crossing the street, in a crosswalk, at the intersection of Normandie Ave. and W. 5th Street, in Koreatown, when he was hit by a car making a right turn. The driver of the vehicle involved in the Los Angeles pedestrian accident was going east on W. 5th Street, turning onto Normandie, when he struck the man crossing the street.

The suspect in the Los Angeles hit and run accident then left the scene without providing aid and without identifying him or herself. Police said the pedestrian was deceased at the time first responders arrived at the scene of the Koreatown accident.

Anyone with information as to the car or driver of the vehicle, no matter how insignificant the information may seem, should call the Los Angeles Police Department and give the information to investigators. Oftentimes small tips add up to enough information to locate the suspect.

Woman Killed in Oxnard Car Accident

March 13, 2012 | by Robert Walch

An Oxnard car accident on Tuesday resulted in the death of a woman who apparently drove her car into oncoming traffic. According to the Ventura County Star, the woman, Jill McDonald, an Oxnard resident, apparently caused the collisions when her BMW, going south on Victoria Avenue, went over the dirt median and into the opposing lanes of traffic. There, it had head on collisions with two other vehicles.

Oxnard police said it was not yet clear why McDonald crossed the median and went into oncoming traffic. According to Oxnard police, Roberto Ramos, the driver of one of the vehicles struck by McDonald, suffered a leg injury and also experienced chest pain in the car accident in Oxnard. The other car struck by McDonald, driven by Donna Leitte, also had four young children inside. Fortunately, according to police, the children and Leitte only sustained what were described as minor injuries in the Oxnard accident.

This is a complicated legal situation. Those who were injured in these collisions should contact an Oxnard personal injury lawyer to investigate the cause of the crashes and why McDonald went into oncoming traffic. There are numerous possible reasons why McDonald could have crossed over the median. Possible explanations include avoiding a hazard, a sudden health incident (such as a stroke or heart attack), a tire blowout or a suicide attempt. The coroner’s office should be able to determine the cause of death and whether McDonald died before or after the impacts.