Wrongful Death

Man Killed in Simi Valley Motorcycle Accident Wrongful Death

March 9, 2012 | by Robert Walch

A Simi Valley motorcycle accident on Wednesday night caused the wrongful death of the male motorcycle rider and caused serious injuries to the female passenger of the motorcycle. The motorcycle crash apparently occurred when the motorcycle, driven by a Chatsworth resident, struck a Honda CRV that was making a left turn from the eastbound direction of Cochran Street to the Northbound direction of Stearns.

Both the man and woman were thrown from the motorcycle. The man died at the scene and the woman was taken to Los Robles Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. The woman suffered serious neck, rib, pelvis, and head injuries. We wish her the best in her recovery from these motorcycle accident injuries.

According to the Ventura County Star, police said the driver of the Honda CRV did not appear to be impaired at the time of the Simi Valley motorcycle crash. It is also unlikely that the Honda driver suffered injuries, but it is possible.

There are many possible causes to this Ventura County motorcycle accident. One possible cause is that the driver of the CRV did not see the motorcycle coming and made the left turn in front of the motorcycle, causing this accident. In this case, the driver would be responsible for the motorcycle accident wrongful death damages. However, the driver of the CRV may claim that when he started the left turn it was safe, but the motorcycle was speeding and unable to stop, which caused the collision.

Camarillo Car Accident Kills Passenger

March 8, 2012 | by Robert Walch

A female passenger in a car making a left turn was killed in a Camarillo car accident on Monday. The victim, Antje Curphey, a 69 year old Fillmore resident, died from her injuries from the crash. The Camarillo crash happened at around 6:30pm when Richena Curphey, the victim’s daughter, allegedly made a left turn onto Carmen Drive, when it was struck by a truck crossing through the intersection.

The truck struck the passenger side of the victim’s Honda, leading to a direct impact where Antje Curphey was seated. The crash caused the truck to flip over and land on its roof. Both drivers were taken to hospitals, but their injuries were described as non-life threatening. The Camarillo Police Department is currently investigating what caused this Camarillo truck accident. If the truck driver bears any responsibility for the crash, the victim’s family may seek Camarillo wrongful death damages. The Camarillo Acorn reports that police do not expect that alcohol or drugs played a part in causing the Camarillo accident.

Left turn accidents occur all the time throughout Ventura County and the greater Los Angeles area. Usually, there is a presumption that the vehicle making the left turn is at fault for causing the crash. However, there are instances when the driver going straight is at fault or shares liability. Sometimes, the driver going straight is speeding or runs a red light, causing the collision. However, if a person attempting to make a left turn suspects that an oncoming vehicle is speeding or may run the red light, it is best to wait for the vehicle to pass and for the intersection to be clear before attempting the turn.

Burbank Pedestrian Accident Wrongful Death

February 20, 2012 | by Robert Walch

An unidentified pedestrian was killed on Saturday in a Burbank pedestrian accident near the entrance to the Bob Hope Airport. According to the Los Angeles Times the victim of the Burbank accident died at the scene. The pedestrian accident wrongful death occurred at around four o’clock in the afternoon on Empire Avenue in Burbank, California.

Investigators with the Burbank Police Department will have to determine how this pedestrian accident happened and who was at fault. Many pedestrians are hit by cars when the car runs a red light, does not stop at a stop sign or makes a right turn while only looking to the left for oncoming traffic, not thinking about the possibility of pedestrians or cyclists coming from the right. Other types of pedestrian accidents happen when the pedestrian thinks it is safe to cross a street, sometimes miscalculating the speed of an approaching car.

In this Burbank accident, the driver of the car was apparently tested and not found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Many times, when a pedestrian is hit by a car, the driver of the car will leave the scene without stopping. In these instances, police are often unable to determine if the driver was under the influence of any substances. However, if the driver is located, he or she will face felony hit and run charges as well as civil liability for the injuries or death to the pedestrian.

Man Killed in Hit and Run Fontana Pedestrian Accident

February 9, 2012 | by Robert Walch

A pedestrian accident in Fontana, involving a hit and run driver striking a pedestrian, has resulted in the wrongful death of a Fontana man. According to the Los Angeles Times, a sixty-one year old man was crossing the street near the Fontana Gardens apartment complex when he was hit by a car. The driver of the car did not stop and dragged the man one hundred and fifty feet before stopping, which released the man from the car. The driver then left the scene of the collision.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the car involved in the hit and run pedestrian collision was a Lincoln Navigator, which was champagne colored. The victim passed away due to his injuries from the Fontana pedestrian accident. Anyone who has any information about the driver or owner of the vehicle involved should immediately contact the CHP.

Unfortunately, we see many serious hit and run accidents throughout California, many involving pedestrians who suffer serious injuries. Many drivers think that they will not get caught after causing such accidents. It is important to remember that it is illegal to leave the scene of a car accident without exchanging information with the other people involved.

3 Killed in South Los Angeles Car Accident – Driving Without a License

February 7, 2012 | by Robert Walch

The Los Angeles Times reports that a South Los Angeles car accident has caused the death of three women. The single car accident occurred when the driver of the vehicle, Tenina Calhoun, a resident of Moreno Valley, crashed into a tree near the intersection of Normandie and West Florence Avenue in South Los Angeles.

Ms. Calhoun had five passengers in the vehicle, all of whom suffered serious injuries in the South Los Angeles car wreck. Five of the occupants of the vehicle were ejected from the car and three of the women died as a result of the accident. The driver of the vehicle was reportedly driving without a license and police said they found alcohol in the vehicle.

This wrongful death car accident highlights the debate over what to do when police stop unlicensed drivers. Some argue that it should be mandatory that the unlicensed driver’s vehicle be impounded for thirty days. They argue that statistics show that unlicensed drivers are involved in more car accidents than licensed drivers. Opponents of this rule argue that it is unfair to illegal immigrants, who cannot obtain a license to drive. The L.A. Times writes that a police commission will be hearing a debate on this issue on February 14, 2012.

Other recent accidents involving unlicensed drivers include a Panorama City pedestrian accident in December that caused the death of a 60 year old woman who was struck by a sports utility vehicle and a Jefferson park car accident last week where two LAPD officers were injured and had to be hospitalized.

Orange County and San Bernardino Accidents Caused by Elderly Drivers

February 2, 2012 | by Robert Walch

Two serious California car accidents this week were caused by elderly drivers whose ages seemed to have played a large part in causing the incidents. First, on Monday afternoon, in an Orange County accident, a ninety one year old lady apparently accelerated in reverse into the patio area of a doughnut shop, causing injuries to three people. Then, on Tuesday, an eighty five year old woman, driving in the wrong direction on Interstate 15, caused a San Bernardino car accident that killed her and another man.

According to the Los Angeles Times, in the Orange County car accident, three men sustained injuries and were treated at hospitals. All three injuries were considered minor. After hitting the patio area of the doughnut shop, the woman then shifted her vehicle into drive and drove forward and collided with a wall for a residential property. There do not appear to have been injuries to pedestrians in the second collision.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the I-15 accident, near Bear Valley Road in San Bernardino County, occurred when the elderly woman drove the wrong way on the freeway and struck a Cadillac Eldorado in a head on collision. The woman and the sixty seven year old male driver of the Cadillac both died from their injuries in this collision. The woman was from Victorville and the man was from Hesperia.

These Orange and San Bernardino car accidents, as well as many others in the past, must cause us to ask the question whether the California Department of Motor Vehicles is doing enough to insure that California drivers are qualified to be on the road. We often hear stories of people in their twenties and thirties, with no histories of problems on the road, having to pass vision and other tests to renew their licenses, while other elderly drivers are able to renew their licenses without any tests.

Santa Monica 405 Freeway Accident Kills One

February 1, 2012 | by Robert Walch

A Santa Monica 405 Freeway Accident on Tuesday resulted in the death of one person and possibly serious injuries to others involved. The three car collision occurred on the 405 Freeway near Santa Monica Boulevard, in Los Angeles, California.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the Santa Monica car accident and closed all of the southbound lanes of the 405 Freeway during its investigation. According to the Los Angeles Times, three cars were involved in the freeway accident and there was at least one death, implying there could be more people killed or seriously injured. As of the time of the report, the wrongful death victim had not yet been identified.

Once the CHP completes its investigation, the cause of the three car 405 freeway wreck will be clearer. If the person who died did not cause the collision, the legal heirs of the victim may be able to make a Los Angeles wrongful death claim against the party that caused the collision.

The family members of the victim should consult with a Los Angeles wrongful death lawyer to investigate the claim and determine the sources for recovery. Sometimes, the party who caused the collision will have little or no insurance coverage, in which case it is necessary to make an underinsured or uninsured motorist claim. For this reason, it is always advisable that all drivers have as much uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance coverage on their policies, to protect them in case they are injured by someone with inadequate insurance coverage.

Driver Dies in Cajon Pass Truck Accident

January 25, 2012 | by Robert Walch

A truck accident on the Cajon Pass today killed the driver of the big rig truck and may have injured occupants of another car. The California big rig truck accident allegedly occurred when the UPS truck, which was pulling two trailers, struck a car on Interstate 15, on the Cajon Pass. This impact caused the truck driver to lose control of the truck and careen off the side of the road.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the UPS truck accident occurred near Oak Hill Road and caused three lanes of the freeway to be closed by the California Highway Patrol, while they investigated the cause of the accident. It was originally believed that high winds caused this truck wreck, but it appears now that the initial impact with the car caused the truck to lose control.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of this collision, including whether it was the car or UPS truck that caused the initial collision. If the truck driver caused the collision, then the United Parcel Service may be responsible for any truck accident injuries suffered by the occupants of the car that was struck. If, however, the driver of the car is found to have caused the collision, the driver, and his/her insurance company, will be responsible for the wrongful death of the truck driver.

Man Killed in California Truck Accident

January 7, 2012 | by Robert Walch

Joseph Maier, a 48 year old man from La Mirada, California, was crushed to death by a delivery truck. The California truck accident occurred when the truck was apparently backing up to the loading dock when it struck Maier and pinned him against the dock.

According to the L.A. Times, Maier was working at the warehouse of Superior Grocers, in Santa Fe Springs, when he was hit by the truck and crushed to death. Paramedics transported Maier to the UC Irvine Medical Center where he later passed away.

Police did not arrest the driver of the truck, who may be accused of causing the big rig truck accident. Because Maier was working at the time of the accident, his heirs may make a workers compensation claim against the employer. Also, if the truck driver was negligent, Maier’s heirs may be able to make a truck accident wrongful death claim against the truck driver and trucking company.

This California wrongful death claim may be very complicated and it will be necessary to secure witness statements from anyone who may have seen the accident occur. Also, there may be video of the incident, which would help a California wrongful death lawyer determine if a wrongful death claim may be made.

Woman Killed in Long Beach Elevator Accident Wrongful Death

December 9, 2011 | by Robert Walch

An elevator accident in Long Beach, California on Wednesday, at the campus of California State University at Long Beach, resulted in the death of an employee of the school. Annette Lujan, a Huntington Beach resident, who worked for the university, died after being crushed by the malfunctioning elevator.

The elevator accident occurred after the elevator first became stuck in between the second and third floors. After an unrevealed period of time, Ms. Lujan apparently climbed out of the elevator. However, after she climbed out, the elevator began to move again and the 2,000 pound elevator car crushed her to death.

The cause of this elevator accident is still being investigated. It has been reported that the elevator was last inspected in April, 2011, and no problems were reported at that time. The Los Angeles Times also reports that officials have said that this accident shows the danger of trying to escape an elevator after it stops and becomes stuck.

Many people have fears that an elevator may break down while they are in it, and this causes anxiety in many people who ride elevators, particularly when they are crowded with people, it is a small elevator or it is in an older building.