California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

BOBCAT KILLED BY HIT & RUN MOTORIST ON OLD TOPANGA CANYON ROAD, CALABASAS, CALIFORNIA – REMINDER TO DRIVE CAREFULLY

August 27, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A beautiful young bobcat was tragically struck by a hit and run car on Old Topanga Canyon Road in Calabasas, California, on Tuesday, August 26, 2014, at about 8:20 a.m.
The bobcat was crossing the street when a white car, traveling in a general northbound direction at a good rate of speed, hit the bobcat, knocking it near the center turning lane. Even though the impact made such a loud noise that a guard in an enclosed guardhouse across the street heard it, the driver of the white car never stopped.

It is unknown if the driver of the white car actually knew it hit an animal, as the driver never stopped to see what had occurred.

A member of our law office witnessed this incident, saw that the bobcat was badly injured and immediately asked the guard to call Animal Control. The guard first thoughtfully put a large red warning cone in front of the injured bobcat to prevent it from being struck again or causing an accident, then immediately called Animal Control. Shortly thereafter, the bobcat died and was moved out of the street. While extremely sad that the bobcat died, we are relieved to know that it passed shortly after the collision occurred, thereby minimizing its time in pain. Animal Control, after being advised the bobcat died, did not arrive for several hours.

Man Suffers Serious Injuries in Calabasas Gas Station Accident

August 22, 2014 | by Robert Walch

According to the Los Angeles Times, a man suffered serious leg injuries today when a 1,000 pound sign fell on his legs at a Mobil gas station in Calabasas. The Calabasas gas station accident apparently occurred when he was working on a sign installation when it fell on him and seriously injured his legs. The man was rescued by local firefighters and airlifted to a hospital.

In this particular Calabasas accident, the injured man will probably make a worker’s compensation claim, as he was injured while working. However, it should be analyzed by an experienced personal injury attorney to see if there is any potential liability against any third parties for contributing to the cause of this particular accident. If a third party is responsible for the premises liability injuries, there may be more of a financial recovery available to compensate this man for his injuries.

Young Girl Tragically Killed in El Monte Milk Truck Accident

August 14, 2014 | by Robert Walch

According to the Los Angeles Times, a milk tanker truck apparently caused a serious accident on the 60 freeway today in El Monte. The big rig truck accident, which involved eight cars and three big rig trucks, killed a five year old girl. In addition, at least 12 other people suffered injuries in the El Monte truck accident.

The milk truck crash occurred early this morning, before 6am, when the milk tanker truck collided with other vehicles and then landed on the center divider of the freeway. The resulting damage and milk leak caused authorities to have to shut down both sides of the 60 freeway. The closures caused massive traffic delays for commuters.

In addition to the crashed vehicles and massive spill, two cars caught on fire and had to be extinguished by firefighters. A hazardous materials team from Los Angeles County was also called in to help with the milk spill.

We offer our sincerest condolences to the family of the young girl who was tragically killed in this tanker truck accident and wish a speedy recovery to those who suffered injuries.

WEST L..A. / UCLA WATER TRUNKLINE BREAK CAUSES LOSS OF MORE THAN 20 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER AND SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY DAMAGE, BUT FORTUNATELY NO LOSS OF LIFE

August 1, 2014 | by Robert Walch

While early reports indicated the water loss was 8-10 million gallons of water, updated reports put the loss at in excess of 20 million gallons of drinkable water.

The water loss increased significantly because the L.A. DWP could not simply turn off the broken trunkline. Instead, first it had to find the right valves then turn them off slowly to prevent too much sudden pressure causing more breaks. Then, it was reported some valves would not completely close, causing thousands of gallons of additional drinking water to be wasted every hour. Thursday morning, July 31, 2014, it was reported that the valves finally were completely closed so repair work could commence.

Clearly the damage to land, structures, including famous Pauley Pavilion at UCLA, and hundreds of water logged cars and other vehicles parked in the flooded UCLA underground parking structures will be in the millions of dollars, and the loss of so much drinking water during our Los Angeles water drought is immeasurable.

Driver Injured When Car Struck by Train in Los Angeles

July 15, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A train collided with a car in the Little Tokyo area of downtown Los Angeles this morning, causing a serious hip injury to the driver of the vehicle. According to the Los Angeles Times, the train that hit the car was an LA County Metro Gold Line train.

Fortunately, nobody was killed in this downtown Los Angeles train accident. It is not yet clear what exactly caused this particular collision. It is possible that the car was making a turn and did not see the train coming or that the car stalled while on the tracks. Investigators will also have to look into whether all appropriate safety and warning measures were taken by the gold line train.

As we continually see, whenever trains, buses and commuter cars are operating in the same areas, there is potential for disaster, especially in cases of human error. This is why it is necessary for the operators of trains and other common carriers to exercise an additional level of safety and precaution while operating. It is also imperative that all appropriate warning and safety measures be taken to prevent pedestrians or cars from being struck by trains and buses. This means clearly marking the areas where a train or bus may be passing and operating at slower speeds when going through busy areas.

Actor Tracy Morgan Suffers Critical Injuries in Wal-Mart Truck Accident

June 7, 2014 | by Robert Walch

Tracy Morgan, a well known comedian and actor, who often performs in Los Angeles, suffered very serious injuries in a Walmart truck accident this morning. The accident happened in New Jersey, when a Wal-Mart truck driver apparently lost control of the truck and struck a limousine that was transporting Tracy Morgan, as well as others. Tragically, another comedian, James McNair, knows as Jimmy Mack, who was with Morgan in the limousine, was killed by the Wal-Mart truck.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the driver of the big rig truck, Kevin Roper, may have been dozing while driving, which allegedly caused this tragic big rig truck accident. Bill Simon, the President and CEO of Wal-Mart, expressed his condolences and said that if it is determined that the Wal-Mart truck driver caused the accident, WalMart would take full responsibility.

Morgan and the rest of the passengers were apparently riding in a chauffeured sports utility vehicle limousine that was hit by the WalMart big rig truck. The full extent of Morgan’s injuries is not yet known, but it is reported that his family is with him at the hospital.

4 Dead and Many Injured in Riverside, California Bus Accident

May 21, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A Riverside bus accident today, involving a big rig truck and other vehicles, has resulted in the deaths of four bus passengers. The bus was operated by El Paso-Los Angeles Limousine Express Inc. In addition to the bus accident wrongful death victims, the 30 other people on the bus were taken to local hospitals for their bus accident injuries. According to the LA Times, the accident occurred early this morning on Interstate 10 in Riverside, California.

It appears that this chain reaction bus accident in Riverside may have been initiated by a big rig truck that lost control on the freeway, hitting the center divider and spilling the pipes that it was carrying. Eventually, the bus, on the other side of the freeway, crashed and rolled off of the freeway.

Whenever there is a big rig truck accident in the early hours of the morning, there is always a possible issue as to whether the truck driver was taking appropriate rest stops and had slept enough prior the collision. This information should be obtainable by a California truck accident lawyer, including through depositions, subpoenas and written discovery. Fortunately, big rig trucks normally are covered by a commercial insurance policy, which we hope will have enough coverage for the wrongful death damages and to cover the injuries suffered by the other passengers.

Los Angeles Woman Injured by Metro Train

April 29, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A woman was hit by a Metro Expo Line train in Los Angeles on Sunday. Fortunately, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the train accident injuries, while not defined, were not considered to be life threatening. The train versus pedestrian accident occurred near downtown Los Angeles, on Vermont, near the University of Southern California.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles train accident resulted in a track closure of only about one half hour. Investigators have not yet disclosed the cause of the train accident in Los Angeles. The woman who was hit by the Metro train, who was taken to the hospital, will have to be interviewed by police so that they can put her side of the story into the report that will be produced.

After a train accident like this, involving injuries to a pedestrian, an investigation is always conducted to determine what caused the accident. In our experience with working on train accident injury cases, we have seen incidences where the train conductor is negligent, sometimes for not checking his or her side view mirrors before leaving a platform. In other incidences, there may be a safety procedure that is ignored or a safety mechanism that does not function properly, leading to a train crash. We also have seen situations where pedestrians have attempted suicide by stepping in front of a moving train.

Anaheim School Bus Accident Causes Critical Injuries

April 24, 2014 | by Robert Walch

An Anaheim school bus accident earlier today caused serious injuries to two students and the driver of the bus, when the bus crashed into a tree. According to the Los Angeles Times, the school bus was carrying eleven students at the time of the bus crash and other students sustained what were described as “minor” injuries when the bus hit the tree. Fortunately, according to officials from the local fire department, the critical injuries suffered by the two students do not look like life threatening types of injuries.

According to one student, Solymar Colling, a 14 year old sitting in the bus, the bus kept accelerating and did not slow down before hitting the tree. She said that students in the bus were screaming prior to the bus crash. Another student, who was in a nearby car, said he saw the bus swerving prior to the crash.

The driver of the bus, who has worked for the Orange Unified School District since 2010, who had to be taken out of the bus by the fire department, has not yet been identified. The California Highway Patrol, who are investigating the cause of this bus crash in Anaheim, will be interviewing the driver in the hospital.

Update: 10 Killed in Orland, California Bus Accident

April 11, 2014 | by Robert Walch

CNN is reporting that a total of 10 people have passed away due to the Fed-Ex big rig truck crash with the bus in Orland, California yesterday. The fatalities from the Northern California bus crash include the drivers of both the FedEx truck and the bus that was carrying students to visit Humboldt State University.

In addition to the drivers, five high school students were killed in this tragic accident, as well as three people who were chaperones for the students. Reports indicate that the students were in a program designed for disadvantaged high school students, from families with low incomes or would be first generation college attendees. Some of the students on the bus were from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The California Highway Patrol has not yet determined what caused the Fed-Ex big rig truck to cross over the highway median on I-5 and crash head on into the passenger bus. In addition to the fatalities from this California bus crash, over 30 people were taken to hospitals with truck crash injuries.