California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

San Diego Wrongful Death Hit and Run

April 12, 2017 | by Robert Walch

A man driving a white SUV ran a red light at Pacific Highway in San Diego when he struck and killed 50-year-old Garold Crosbie. After killing Crosbie, the driver sped off, fleeing the scene. The driver was later identified as 21-year-old David Dominguez, after his passenger alerted police to the incident. This pedestrian accident occurred in the Little Italy area of San Diego.

According to Fox5 San Diego, Dominguez has been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI, and fleeing the scene. He is currently being held on $1 million dollars’ bail. If convicted, Dominguez could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

Crosbie’s mother, Betty Crosbie, said that her son had been “on a good path” and that his family was proud of him. She added that nothing in court could “make our loss go away.” In this situation, it is likely that Ms. Crosbie has a case for California wrongful death damages against Dominguez for negligently causing the death of her son. While Crosbie’s family would need to speak with a California wrongful death attorney to discuss the specifics, it likely has the right to seek compensation for Crosbie’s death.

Five-Vehicle Crash Kills Man in Bakersfield

April 7, 2017 | by Robert Walch

According to The Tribune, a semi-truck driver hauling grain mush from Firestone Walker Brewing Company was traveling east on Highway 46 around 2 pm on March 31st, when his truck began drifting onto the shoulder. The driver—Charles S. Celaya of Wyoming, tried to bring his truck back onto the road on a right-hand curve. As he did so, his big rig crossed over the divider in the center of the highway and clipped a Dodge Dakota. The clipped Dodge crashed into a Ford F-150 and a Honda Odyssey.

Apparently, the big rig then collided headfirst with a GMC Sierra that had been driving in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, according to police, the GMC driver—68-year-old Jesus Acebedo of Bakersfield—was killed from blunt force trauma in this big rig truck accident.

The police investigation appears to be ongoing; as of now, law enforcement does not believe that drugs or alcohol played a role in this accident. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the family of the GMC’s driver may be able to make a wrongful death claim against the operator of the big rig truck. We highly recommend that the family hire a California personal injury attorney who is familiar with handling wrongful death cases, to investigate the circumstances of the accident and determine whether such a claim exists.

DUI Crash Kills Wasco Woman and Injures Two Others

April 2, 2017 | by Robert Walch

Kern County Sheriff’s deputies in Wasco took a 50-year-old man into custody under suspicion of driving while intoxicated and failing to yield the right of way after he caused a wrongful death car accident that killed one woman and injured two others. Just before 8 pm on March 30, three cars collided near Prospect Avenue and Highway 43 in Wasco, California.

According to police reports, a man driving a Ford Ranger pulled out in front of a female driver, who was driving a Honda Civic. Sadly, the crash killed the woman. 23ABC News reports that the Kern County Coroner’s office has identified the victim as Carolina Vasquez of Shafter. A 20-year-old man driving a Ford Expedition then crashed into the victim’s Honda. He was injured but he survived the crash. The man arrested was identified as 50-year-old Erwin De La Pena. Authorities are continuing to investigate.

Although the police investigation is ongoing, it appears that the accident was caused by a driver whose blood alcohol content exceeded the legal limit for drivers in California. If it turns out that the driver was intoxicated and caused the crash, the family of the victim would be able to make a wrongful death claim against the driver. The victim’s family would need to hire an experienced California personal injury attorney to determine what types of claims exist and to represent them in pursuing those claims.

What To Do Following A Car Accident

March 23, 2017 | by Robert Walch

You never want to get into one. You drive to avoid them and are constantly on the lookout, but in many instances a car accident is unavoidable throughout your lifetime of driving. This is especially true in Southern California where you drive everywhere! At Walch Law, we work with individuals every day to help with the aftermath of their car accident. If you or a loved one has recently been in a car accident, make sure to give us a call to discuss how we might help obtain compensation for your injuries and the damage done to your car- even if the accident was partially your fault. Give us a call anytime to discuss your case further at 866 INJURY 2 (Press 1 after hours).

Knowing what to do following a car accident can not only help calm your nerves but can also help with your physical and financial recovery down the line.

Here’s a look at some top tips for handling a car accident (of course every situation is different and these are only some tips):

Take a breath: If you can, take a moment to compose yourself amidst the madness following even the most minor accident. With airbags going off and people coming around, you are likely to experience an adrenaline rush. Give yourself a moment to calm down and take inventory of what hurts, to better explain things to the police and paramedics if and when they arrive.
Stay at the scene: Staying at the scene of an accident until help can arrive and you exchange information is usually the best thing to do. You want to stay at the scene of the car accident until these important items are taken care of. This will also give your nerves a chance to calm down!
Exchange information: If you can, you will want to exchange all relevant information with the other parties to the accident. This information is important for your legal case down the line.
Evidence: Evidence is always best fresh so make sure that you talk to relevant witnesses (write down their contact information) and take pictures of all vehicles as soon as reasonably possible. This includes getting contact information, photos of the scene and other important details such as license plate numbers, drivers licenses, insurance information, registration, etc. You also want to take a moment and write down your recollection of the events. All these items will be valuable to making sure you get the financial recovery you deserve.
Call the Walch Law Firm: Give the experienced attorneys at the Walch Law firm a call as soon as you can. Not only can we handle every aspect of your legal case but we can also help put you in touch with medical providers to make sure you are getting the medical attention you deserve to get you back to where you were before the accident happened.

Commerce Wrong-Way Driver Accident Kills Three

March 21, 2017 | by Robert Walch

Early on the morning of March 12, 2017, at approximately 5:20 am, a Mini Cooper entered the freeway in Commerce driving the wrong direction. According to the California Highway Patrol, it then ran head-on into a van. According to KTLA, just prior to the accident, individuals had made reports of a wrong-way driver. At the time of the crash, the Highway Patrol had been on their way to the scene.

Sadly, three victims were killed in this California wrongful death accident, including the wrong-way driver and a driver and passenger of the van. The van’s driver— and passenger, a woman and man, as well as the Mini Cooper driver, a man, were all pronounced dead at the scene. According to ABC News, the two males killed were 29-year-old John Perez from Downey and 53-year-old Quanlinh Phillips from Santa Ana. Law enforcement officials did not release the identification of the female van driver, nor did they provide clarification on which person had been the driver of the Mini Cooper. Investigations are still underway as to the cause behind the wrong-way driving.

Perris, California Woman Killed in Blythe Truck Accident

February 24, 2017 | by Robert Walch

A young woman from Perris, California who was injured in a truck accident on the I10 Freeway in Blythe on Monday, later died on Saturday, February 18, 2017. The Riverside County Coroner’s Office stated that Barbara Emard, just 28 years of age, died Saturday at 1:22 p.m. at the Desert Regional Medical Center in Riverside County. According to the Patch.com, last Monday evening Ms. Emard had pulled her 1998 Ford Expedition vehicle onto the shoulder of the eastbound I10 Freeway at about 11 p.m.

Ms. Emard allegedly was beginning to accelerate back into the traffic lanes of the I10 freeway when apparently the front tire of a nearby 2006 Freightliner semi truck blew-out. As a result, the truck apparently lost control, veered to its right and struck the Ford expedition.

Motorcyclist Killed in California Accident

February 20, 2017 | by Robert Walch

A motorcycle accident in Wonder Valley, California on February 9, 2017, has been identified as Nikos Lukaris. According to Z1077fm, Lukaris, a 43 year old man from Twentynine Palms, California, was riding his dirtbike without a helmet or lights on Amboy Road when he was struck and killed by a Ford F-350 Super Duty pick-up truck. The driver of the pick-up truck was also a Twentynine Palms resident, Patrick Candelaria.

Apparently, the F-350 driver was attempting to pass another vehicle when he struck the motorcyclist head on. The California motorcycle accident wrongful death occurred shortly after 6:00pm. The California Highway Patrol is in charge of the investigation into the causes of the motorcycle accident.

Father and Daughter Killed in Palmdale Accident

February 14, 2017 | by Robert Walch

Sunday evening, an apparent street race led to a violent crash and two people killed. The Palmdale car accident allegedly occurred when two vehicles were racing and one of the vehicles lost control and struck a traffic pole.

According to TheAVTimes, the two people killed were in a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro that was headed southbound on 25th Street East in Palmdale. The father was driving the vehicle and the daughter was in the passenger seat. The father, Manuel Paniagua, was 54 years old. His daughter, Vanessa Paniagua, was only 17 years old.

According to witnesses at the scene, the two vehicles were speeding and probably racing. The other vehicle possibly involved in the race drove away from the scene without stopping to render assistance to the occupants of the Chevy. The driver of that other vehicle faces possible criminal charges for being involved in a street race and for leaving the scene.

San Bernardino Wrongful Death Victim Identified

February 12, 2017 | by Robert Walch

On Saturday, February 11, 2017, Cesar Manuel Floriano Ortiz of Highland was killed in a single car crash that allegedly occurred at about 12:45 am, when he was riding as a passenger in the vehicle. Apparently, Brien Jesus Reyna of San Bernardino was driving the car when the driver lost control and struck a light pole on H Street in San Bernardino, California.

Cesar Manuel Floriano Ortiz of Highland was only 22 years of age.

Brien Jesus Reyna of San Bernardino was only 18 years of age.

Reportedly both the driver and passenger were killed in this tragic San Bernardino car accident.

Allegedly the men were driving eastbound on West Ninth Street at about 12:45 am early on Saturday morning on the 215 Freeway overpass when the driver lost control and struck the light pole located on H Street in San Bernardino.

6 Children Deceased In Bus Accident

November 23, 2016 | by Robert Walch

Sadly, a sixth child has passed away from the tragic bus accident in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The bus crash occurred on Monday when the students were being driven home from school. According to cnn.com, the driver of the bus, Johnthony Walker, went off the road and collided head on with a tree and turned over.

Surprisingly, blood tests on the driver did not find any drugs or alcohol in his system. In addition to the six children who were killed, another 12 suffered significant injuries, including serious head injuries and spinal injuries. Six of those 12 students are still hospitalized.

Apparently the bus was not on the regularly scheduled path and the driver was speeding. There are also reports that the bus driver asked the students if they were ready to die before the crash. This indicates that the bus driver may have intentionally caused this horrible crash.

Our sincerest condolences go out to the families of the young victims who were killed in this crash and we wish a fast recovery to those who suffered injuries.