California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Woman Killed in 405 Freeway Motorcycle Accident

January 22, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A woman was killed early this morning in a Los Angeles 405 Freeway motorcycle accident. The Los Angeles motorcycle accident occurred in the Sepulveda Pass. It is unclear at this time what caused the motorcycle crash, but the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the motorcycle and another car collided on the freeway and the female motorcyclist was killed. The woman who was killed in the crash, Fallon Naccarato, is from Newbury Park, California.

Due to this motorcycle accident fatality, the investigating officers closed all five lanes of the 405 Freeway, near the Getty Center. However, by nine o’clock in the morning, all lanes were open for traffic. Any witnesses to this motorcycle accident in Los Angeles should contact the California Highway Patrol and provide any information they may have.

Authorities will have to investigate whether the motorcycle or the vehicle caused this crash. Often, we see that the motorcycle rider is blamed, even when the driver of the car is actually at fault for the crash. This is often due to misconceptions about motorcycle riders, including that they speed, weave between lanes and drive recklessly.

Google Glass – Traffic Citations? Potential for Injury Liability?

January 17, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A woman in Temecula, California, who was wearing Google Glass eye-wear while driving, was found not guilty of distracted driving, according to the Los Angeles Times, after she was issued a ticket by California Highway Patrol. In this particular case, the judge determined that officers would have to be able to prove that the driver of the vehicle actually had the Google Glass turned on, rather than just on the driver’s head, to possibly prove the driver was distracted.

This driver was charged under California Vehicle Code Section 27602, which was written to prevent drivers from looking at a video type of screen while driving. Here, the argument would be that the Google Glass device does not provide any distraction when simply worn, but not turned on.

While Google Glass is only being used by a trial number of people at the moment, it is only a matter of time before the devices become more common and we will probably eventually see a Los Angeles car accident where a claim is made, possibly against Google, because of Google Glass distracting a driver. Without having too much knowledge of how Google Glass works, it appears to me that Google’s argument will be that drivers should not use the device while driving, just like drivers should not be texting or watching a DVD on a video monitor. Unless there is something about the Google Glass that encourages users to use it while driving, it is hard to imagine liability being placed on Google, when a user decides to use the product while driving.

Young Girl Killed in Tragic Uber Accident

January 2, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A pedestrian accident in San Francisco, involving an Uber driver, has resulted in the death of a young girl and caused serious injuries to her brother and mother. According to TechCrunch, an Uber SUV driver collided with the family as they were walking in a crosswalk. Apparently, the driver was not in the process of transporting an Uber rider, so Uber’s liability insurance may not apply to cover the California wrongful death damages.

This Uber car accident brings up many important legal issues that may not be addressed under current California law. Normally, with a common carrier, such as a taxi, there is a commercial insurance policy in place covering the taxi. The policy will cover the taxi if it causes an accident while transporting people or not. However, with Uber, the company may claim that its drivers are not working for Uber unless they actually are transporting the Uber customer(s) at the time of the crash. Uber’s argument would be strengthened by the fact that Uber does not own the vehicle and the driver is free to do his/her own thing when not transporting an Uber rider.

Victim’s rights advocates, like California personal injury lawyers, may make the argument that if the driver is available to Uber or in the process of picking someone up for Uber, that he/she is working for Uber and Uber’s insurance should apply to cover the damages caused by the accident.

New Study Shows Link Between Cell Phone Use and Car Accidents

January 1, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A new study published recently shows how cell phone use greatly increases the risk of car accidents, especially with newer drivers. According to the Los Angeles Times, one interesting note from the study was that talking on the cell phone did not prove as dangerous as other studies have shown. However, talking on the phone usually requires dialing and/or reaching for a phone, which increases the risk of an automobile accident.

This study showed that with younger drivers, the chance of a car accident or nearly missing a car accident was seven times higher when the driver is reaching for a cell phone or dialing. Surprisingly, text messaging proved to be less risky, with the chances of an accident or almost getting into an accident four times higher than when normally driving.

In the case of adults with approximately 20 years of driving experience, dialing on a cell phone increased the risk of an accident, but the effect of text messaging was not clear from this particular study.

Riverside Car Accident Results in Wrongful Death

December 27, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A wrong way driver caused a tragic Riverside car accident early Thursday morning when her vehicle struck another vehicle in a head on collision. The car accident in Riverside occurred on the 60 Freeway close to Day Street in Riverside County, California.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the CHP initially received reports that there was a Chevrolet Impala traveling in the wrong direction on the freeway. Shortly thereafter, the CHP found out that a crash had in fact occurred.

The man who was traveling the correct direction was killed and passed away at the scene of the Riverside crash. The woman who was driving in the wrong direction, Patricia Starr-Blanco, suffered serious car accident injuries. Her prognosis is not yet known. Ms. Blanco also had a passenger in her car who suffered injuries that were not described as life threatening.

Off Duty Police Officer Helps Save Man After Los Angeles Car Accident

December 26, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A Los Angeles car accident on Christmas day resulted in a vehicle fire on the southbound 405 freeway, near the interchange with the 101 freeway. After a car apparently collided with the center divider, an off duty LAPD officer who witnessed the crash stopped to assist. According to the Los Angeles Times, officer Thompson cut the victim’s seat-belt and attempted to free him from the burning car, before Thompson himself was overcome by the fire and smoke.

Fortunately, two other people stopped and helped and pulled Thompson and the other victim from the burning car. The car ended up fully engulfed by flames from the 405 freeway accident. A captain in the Los Angeles Fire Department said that Thompson’s actions probably saved the victim’s life.

It is still unclear exactly what caused this car accident in Los Angeles. Vehicles collide with guardrails and center dividers for many reasons. Sometimes it is due to driver inattentiveness and other times the accidents are caused by other vehicles that change lanes into the car without seeing it, pushing it into the divider.

7 Car Tarzana Accident Causes Injuries and Wrongful Death

December 17, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A car accident in Tarzana on Monday, involving a total of seven automobiles, caused the death of one woman and numerous car accident injuries to other people involved in the crash. The crash occurred near the intersection of Ventura Blvd. and Corbin Ave., which is near where Tarzana and Reseda meet.

The woman who passed away as a result of the Tarzana car accident was not identified by the Los Angeles Times. According to investigators, it appears that speed may have been a factor in this multi-vehicle collision. The LAPD said that a Ford Taurus was probably the cause of the collision, as it collided with numerous vehicles. The Ford Taurus driver, who was also injured in the collision, was hospitalized as a result of the accident injuries.

In a case like this, the family of the Tarzana wrongful death victim should immediately contact a local wrongful death lawyer who can help recover wrongful death damages from all responsible parties. Typically, the first source for such a recovery would be the auto insurance liability coverage of the responsible party or parties. It will first be necessary to determine who was at fault, then the attorney will have to locate the applicable coverage and seek the maximum monetary recovery for the heirs of the deceased.

Police Officer Seriously Injured in Los Angeles Freeway Accident

December 14, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A Los Angeles freeway accident early this morning has caused serious injuries to a Los Angeles Police Department Sergeant. According to the LA Times, The police officer was helping a motorist who’s vehicle was non-operational on an off-ramp of the 110 freeway. Apparently, a Chevrolet Monte Carlo was speeding, hit a barrier and pinned the police officer into his vehicle.

The freeway crash in Los Angeles caused serious injuries to the officer, who has not yet been identified. The officer was taken to Los Angeles County USC Hospital. His injuries have been described as serious and authorities are investigating the exact cause of the Los Angeles accident.

Legally, in an incident such as this, the seriously injured officer may make a worker’s compensation claim as well as a Los Angeles personal injury claim. This is because he was injured on the job, but his injuries were caused by a third party. In such situations, any funds paid by worker’s compensation may be reimbursable from any funds recovered as part of any personal injury settlement or judgment.

Man Killed in Hollywood Car Accident

October 30, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A Hollywood car accident early Monday morning resulted in the death of a man. According to WEHOville, the car accident occurred on La Brea Avenue, near where Hollywood meets West Hollywood, at about 2:00am, Monday morning. Witnesses stated that the man was driving too fast, struck parked vehicles, then hit a taxi. There was no report on whether alcohol or drugs may have played a part in this fatal Hollywood accident.

The driver of the taxi, which was struck by the car, had to be taken to a local area hospital. Fortunately, his injuries were only described as minor. The taxi driver was treated and released. Since it appears that the driver who tragically passed away in the car accident was probably at fault for causing the crash, there will probably not be any car accident wrongful death case here. However, if there was another reason for the crash, such as a defective road design, a wrongful death claim may possibly be made. Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased.

Teenager Arrested After Thousand Oaks Pedestrian Accident

October 22, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy was struck by a car driven by Daniel Long, a nineteen your old from Simi Valley. The pedestrian accident in Thousand Oaks happened last week on Raindance Street. According to The Acorn, the man who was struck by the car was an off duty sheriff’s deputy. After striking the pedestrian, the driver drove off, was later arrested.

Fortunately, this pedestrian hit and run crash could have had much worse results. The victim was taken to Los Robles Hospital where he was treated and released later that day. Thankfully, the pedestrian accident injuries were described only as “minor.”

Mr. Long, who could have faced felony charges, is only being charged with a misdemeanor hit and run violation. He faces the possibility of a short time in jail, but much less than he would face if charged and convicted of a felony.