California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
New details have emerged in the case of the woman who was killed when her car was struck and crushed by a falling tree in Newport Beach. The Daily Pilot has tried to obtain the investigation results from the City of Newport Beach, as to the cause of the tree falling. The city has refused to share the results of its investigation into the cause of the Newport Beach accident.
The victim of the Newport Beach wrongful death accident was Haeyoon Miller, who was driving on Irvine Avenue when the blue gum Eucalyptus tree crushed her vehicle. According to the Los Angeles Times, the family of the Newport Beach wrongful death victim is waiting to decide if it will take legal action, which would likely include a Newport Beach wrongful death claim.
According to John Canalis, editor of the Daily Pilot, the city was in charge of maintaining the tree. Theories as to why the tree fell include the possibilities that it was affected by roadwork that had been done in the area, that there may have been an earthquake the day before, or that roots from the tree were previously removed by city workers. It is suspected that the city’s failure to release the findings of the investigation may point to something being covered up.
If the tree falling was not preventable or foreseeable, and was merely caused by nature, the family of the victim may lose in their California wrongful death claim. However, if it can be proven that the tree collapsed due to human error, the City of Newport Beach may be liable for wrongful death damages. The family of the victim should make sure to contact an experienced Newport Beach personal injury lawyer to help guide them. Our California personal injury lawyers help victims of accidents in Newport Beach and throughout California.