California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Ventura House Fires Destroy Homes and Injure Four

November 6, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A multi-house fire in Ventura, California, caused injures to four people and destroyed two homes. According to KEYT 3 News, the fire occurred at just before 1:00 a.m. The Ventura fire department received several calls about the house fires in Cabrillo Village in East Ventura, even Oxnard residents could see the smoke.

By the time firefighters arrived, two homes were largely consumed, and a third home had caught fire. Several cars near the homes also caught fire. Because the blaze was so large, firefighters had to use large diameter hoses which are usually used in commercial structure fires.

The four victims of the fire were in the home that initially caught fire. The victims were immediately taken to the hospital—two victims were in critical condition, and the other two had moderate injuries. In addition to those injured, 15 people were displaced as a result of the fire. At this point, firefighters are not sure how the fire started and the fire will remain under investigation by the Ventura Fire department.

Woman Helicoptered to Hospital After Southern California Amtrak Accident

November 1, 2018 | by Robert Walch

An Amtrak train accident in Chatsworth, Los Angeles occurred on October 18, 2018 when a woman was struck by the train. The train was on its way from San Diego to San Luis Obispo when the accident occurred.

According to ABC 7 News, the woman was on the tracks when she was hit by the Amtrak passenger train near a tunnel along the 10300 block of N. Shadow Oaks Drive. Emergency personnel responded to the scene and the woman was “hoisted by a helicopter and transported to a hospital in unknown condition.”

At the time of this Los Angeles train accident, there were 107 people aboard the train. Train officials reported that there were no injuries to the passengers on the train. The accident caused Ventura County trains to experience significant delays.

Simi Valley Crossing Guard Hit BY SUV

October 29, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A local crossing guard was hit by an SUV while standing in a crosswalk outside Madera Elementary School in a Simi Valley pedestrian accident. Just moments before the crossing guard was hit, a female pedestrian had been crossing the street. The 57-year-old crossing guard, Bob Belanger, pushed the woman out of the way to safety, taking the hit from the vehicle himself.

FOX40 reported that Mr. Belanger has been working as a crossing guard for the past three years. The accident happened around 7:30 a.m., so there were many parents dropping their kids off at school. Police responded to the incident and closed the roads around the school. Because the driver of the SUV stopped at the scene, police are not treating this incident as a hit-and-run accident.

It does not appear the driver, who was also in his 50s, was intoxicated at the time of the collision, but police are still investigating the cause. Mr. Belanger was rushed to the hospital with possible life-threatening injuries. The woman pushed out of the way was not injured thanks to Mr. Belanger’s heroic act. We wish Mr. Belanger a speedy recovery.

Placentia Car Accident Sends 2 Cars into Goodwill Store, Injuring 6

October 26, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A multiple vehicle accident at a Placentia strip mall left at least 6 people injured, including one shopper and five people who were inside the vehicles involved. The accident occurred when two vehicles collided and crashed into a Goodwill store.

According to ABC 7 News, police believe the two vehicles initially collided in the parking lot in front of the store. The force of the collision then sent the vehicles slamming through the wall of the store. Video of the scene showed a tan SUV entirely in the store, and a white SUV with the front end inside the store.

An 88-year-old female driver of one vehicle involved in the incident was taken to a local hospital for her injuries. Police stated that all other victims involved in this multi-car accident suffered only minor injuries.

Private Charter Bus Accident in San Fernando Valley Leaves Dozens Injured

October 22, 2018 | by Robert Walch

KTLA News reported that a “multivehicle collision on the 405 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley sent dozens of people to the hospital.” The large crash occurred around 1 p.m., on October 14, 2018. Apparently, a large private charter bus traveling northbound on the 405 Freeway crashed into several vehicles.

After the initial hits, the bus crashed through the concrete center divider and into oncoming traffic. The bus hit several more vehicles on the southbound side of the freeway. Emergency personnel responded to the scene and evaluated 40 people. 25 people involved in the accident were transported to the hospital by ambulance because of their injuries—5 of those victims were considered to be seriously injured.

The bus was a private charter bus carrying 37 people from a church event. Due to the large number of injuries and heavy traffic caused by the accident, even ambulances struggled to get to the scene. Footage of the accident showed debris from the center divider all along the freeway, as well as the damaged cars, which closed the freeway for hours. At this time, officials are not certain what caused the bus to collide with the other cars in the first place. Continue Reading

Limo Crash Kills 20 People

October 19, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A supersized limousine crashed in upstate New York this week, killing the 18 people inside, as well as 2 pedestrians. The limo was headed to a brewery for a 30^th birthday party for one of the passengers. According to the Los Angeles Times, the limo “ran a stop sign at a T-shaped intersection at the bottom of a hill and slammed into an unoccupied SUV.”

Investigators have yet to determine the exact cause of the accident. The crash left no visible skid marks on the road, which may mean the driver failed to brake. Investigators have uncovered several other negative details about the incident. As it turns out, the limousine had failed a safety inspection last month and the driver was not properly licensed.

Large-limo wrecks are typically uncommon. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were only “12 [limo crashes] nationwide between 2012 and 2016, compared with over 157,000 crashes involving all types of vehicles during that period.” However, crashes involving limos are often more severe. The state of California has not been immune to limo crashes. For example, in 2013 five women celebrating a bachelorette party were killed when their stretch limo caught on fire in Northern California.

Young Father in Coma After Rialto Hit-and-Run

October 15, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A young father, Andy Welch, was seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident in Rialto. The accident occurred while Andy was riding his bike towards Rosa’s Market on Bohnert Avenue to get something to eat. The vehicle struck Andy and then fled the scene without stopping to help.

According to ABC 7 News, Andy remained in the street for over a half hour, while other vehicles passed him by. He was severely injured, but conscious, and was eventually able to reach his cellphone and call his family for help. He was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center for surgery to repair intestines that were ruptured in the accident. He was then put into a medically induced coma. While originally Andy took a turn for the worse, he is now stable and breathing on his own, though he remains in the coma.

Sadly, far too often when a pedestrian or cyclist collision occurs, drivers think it is better to flee the scene rather than stay and face liability. However, this is not a good idea and leaving the scene of an accident can result in both a civil offense and criminal charges.

Van Nuys Woman Killed by Car While Walking Neighbor’s Dog

October 9, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A Van Nuys pedestrian accident this week caused the death of veterinary nurse, Pamela Ramos. According to ABC 7 News, 27-year-old Ramos was out walking her neighbor’s dog when she was fatally struck by a black Camaro.

The Van Nuys pedestrian accident occurred in the early morning hours, around 2:45 a.m. Ramos was crossing the street when the black Camaro, traveling north on Burnet Avenue, hit her. The driver called 911 and stayed at the scene to cooperate with officers. Officers at the scene said the neighbor’s dog was not hurt in the incident.

Ramos’ brother stated, “my sister was a very loving person, she loved animals, she would help others before helping herself, a very genuine person.” The investigation into what happened in this early morning accident is ongoing. At this point, investigators do not believe the driver was speeding or under the influence, however they will continue to work to determine the cause. We offer our condolences to the Ramos family for their loss.

Nine Children Injured in Orange County Car Accident After Van Brakes Fail

October 5, 2018 | by Robert Walch

According to the Orange County Register, on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 3, 2018, at around 3:19 p.m., a passenger van carrying nine students crashed into a tree, injuring the students inside. The van was taking the children to paddle board activity at Baby Beach as part of an after-school program, not connected with the school. As the van was coming down the Cove Road hill in Dana Point, the brakes on the van went out.

The driver of the van was uninjured but was extremely distressed about what happened. When the brakes gave out, she did her best to steer the van down the hill while honking at other drivers to avoid collision. The car finally stopped at the bottom of the hill when it hit a tree. The students in the car ranged from 9-12 years old and all nine suffered personal injuries in the collision. Five students in the van were seriously injured and were immediately taken to Mission Medical Center.

Luckily, none of the children suffered life-threatening injuries in this Orange County car accident. Currently, it appears that the cause of the accident was mechanical failure of the brakes. The families of the students who suffered personal injuries in this accident should contact an experienced personal injury lawyer immediately who can help them make a personal injury claim to receive compensation for their injuries.

14-Year-Old Student Killed in San Bernardino Hit-and-Run

October 1, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A young student walking to Pacific High School was killed after being hit by a speeding car in San Bernardino, California. The student, Jade Maldonado, was only 14 years old. The San Bernardino hit-and-run accident occurred in the morning before school, just after 7 a.m., as she was walking to class.

According to the San Bernardino Sun, Jade was crossing in a marked crosswalk when she was hit by a car that immediately fled the scene. The car was described as a Tan 2000-2004 GMC SUV. The vehicle was traveling approximately 40-50 mph when Jade was hit.

Jade was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center. Doctors performed surgery in attempts to save her, but Jade passed away later that day. The school district released a statement offering their condolences and letting parents and students know that school counselors are available to speak with students struggling because of this tragic accident. Police ask anyone with information about this hit-and-run accident to contact them immediately at 909-383-4247.