California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Father Sues Los Angeles County After Deputy Caused Accident That Killed His Two Sons

January 25, 2018 | by Robert Walch

In a matter of seconds, Luis Hernandez lost both his young sons in a Los Angeles wrongful death accident. An SUV driven by a rookie Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy crashed into two vehicles while responding to a call. The crash caused the SUV to veer on to the sidewalk where the Hernandez family was walking. According to The Los Angeles Patch, “Jose Luis Hernandez, 7, and his 9-year-old brother, Marco Antonio Hernandez, were killed and their mother was critically hurt.”

Mr. Hernandez has now filed a civil lawsuit against Los Angeles County alleging negligence and wrongful death. The suit argues that the deputy was driving at high speeds but “was not in the process of responding to an emergency call, was not in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law and did not have (her) sirens and/or lights activated.” Additionally, Mr. Hernandez argues the deputy should not have been allowed to drive before completing her training.

Deadly DUI Accident—Driver Killed and 3 Injured in Santa Clarita Crash

January 24, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A driver of a white Honda, who was likely driving under the influence of alcohol, caused a head on crash in Santa Clarita. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the driver attempted to make a left hand turn right into the path of an oncoming Toyota Sienna. The driver of the Honda died at the scene and those in the Toyota—the driver, his 3-year-old daughter, and another passenger— were hospitalized for what were described as moderate-to-major car accident injuries. Officers investigating the collision believe that excessive speed and alcohol were likely the contributing factors for the cause of the Santa Clarita car accident.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “every day, almost 29 people in the United States die in alcohol-impaired vehicle crashes—that’s one person every 50 minutes in 2016. Drunk-driving fatalities have fallen by a third in the last three decades; however, drunk-driving crashes claim more than 10,000 lives per year.” These statistics are indeed troubling and tragic.

Tesla Autopilot Accident on 405 Freeway in Culver City

January 23, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A Tesla Model S sedan collided with a fire truck Monday morning on the 405 Freeway, surprisingly not causing any serious injuries. According to the Mercury News, the Culver City car accident occurred when the Tesla driver, who claims he was using the vehicle’s autopilot feature, rear ended a stopped fire truck that was parked at the scene of another Culver City accident.

The freeway accident occurred at about 8:30 in the morning. The fire truck was parked in the emergency lane and carpool lane, with a California Highway Patrol vehicle behind it. Even though firefighters claimed the Tesla driver was going approximately 65 miles per hour, which is very rare for the 405 freeway at 8:30am on a weekday, the driver of the Tesla said he did not require medical assistance. Continue Reading

Oxnard Hit and Run Causes Serious Injury

January 22, 2018 | by Robert Walch

Jason Gonzales was hit by a car in Oxnard on Saturday and suffered very serious injuries in the Oxnard accident. According to the Ventura County Star, Mr. Gonzales was listed in critical condition from his Oxnard pedestrian accident injuries. The driver of the car that hit Gonzales has not yet been located and the City of Oxnard is offering a $10,000 reward if information is provided that leads to the driver being arrested and convicted of the crime.

The Oxnard car accident occurred on Ventura Road, North of Devonshire Drive. The driver who hit Gonzales then fled southbound on Ventura Road. The car was described as a black vehicle, similar to a Chevrolet Camaro. The car is expected to have damage to its front quarter panel from striking Mr. Gonzales. We hope that the information provided, along with the reward being offered, leads to a witness or someone knowing the driver and seeing the damage, coming forward to police with the information.

Fan Injured by Player’s Family At Los Angeles Rams Game

January 17, 2018 | by Robert Walch

Henry Romero, a die-hard Los Angeles Rams fan, never expected that watching the Rams playoff game would involve him getting hurt. ABC 7 News reported that the trouble began after the game when Romero took his daughter down to see the players and take pictures. They were asked to leave because, apparently, they were in the Rams family section. When an unknown lady sitting in the section yelled at them, “words were exchanged,” and then suddenly, Romero was attacked right in front of his daughter. Romero recounted, “I felt three big men hitting me. Hit me in the head, back of the neck, and in my face.” Romero’s young daughter was also hit in the process.

Ultimately, Romero suffered a fractured eye socket and stitches in his forehead. The Los Angeles Rams did comment stating, “We are aware of an incident following our game and we are working with authorities to determine exactly what happened.” Continue Reading

Five People Hurt in Four Car Accident on Los Angeles Freeway

January 16, 2018 | by Robert Walch

The Los Angeles Daily News reported that a “multiple-vehicle crash shut down the northbound 405 Freeway in Westwood, and five people were injured.” The crash occurred very early in the morning at about 12:40 am, on January 15, 2018. Quick to respond, by 12:50 am, police shut down all northbound lanes and diverted traffic off the freeway.

According to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Amy Bastman, four vehicles were involved in the Los Angeles car accident and five people ended up being taken to hospitals. Two of the car accident injury victims, a 40-year-old woman and a 39-year-old woman, were in critical condition. Three of the men involved in the crash — ages 18, 20 and 40 — were listed in serious condition. Currently, there are no details as to what caused the multi-car accident in Los Angeles.

Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Fatal Thousand Oaks Crash

January 15, 2018 | by Robert Walch

After a man was killed in a Thousand Oaks car accident, the driver of the car that struck the house has been sentenced to four years in prison. According to the Thousand Oaks Acorn, Igor Lirtsman was killed when a car driven by Justin Stalberg, a 20 year old man from Thousand Oaks, who had marijuana and alcohol in his system, struck the house where Lirtsman was sleeping.

The Thousand Oaks wrongful death accident occurred after Stalberg, who was home on winter vacation from the University of Arizona, was out partying with friends from Thousand Oaks High School. The friends reportedly tried to convince Stalberg not to drive, but he drove despite their pleas.

California Ranks 18th in “Worst Driver” Statistics

January 12, 2018 | by Robert Walch

According to the Agoura Patch, California’s drivers ranked 18th in the United States in the category of worst drivers. Only 17 states had worse drivers than California, according to statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Further, the United States ranked 19th among similar economic countries in the category of destructive driving.

The items that were taken into account for these rankings included drunk driving, careless driving, auto accident fatalities, seatbelt use, driving without a license, speeding and failure to obey traffic laws. According to the statistics, the worst characteristics of California drivers was their drunk driving and speeding. Continue Reading

Man Found Dead After Van Nuys Accident

January 10, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A man was found dead after he was struck by a car in Van Nuys, California, on Monday night. The incident occurred before 11pm, when a female driver struck the man and reported the incident to the police. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, prior to colliding with the man, the woman said she thought it was only a pile of clothes on the street.

At this point, it is unclear if the man was already deceased on the streets of Van Nuys, on 6800 Haskell Avenue, when he was hit by the car, or if the impact from the car killed the man. This Van Nuys car accident will have to be investigated fully to determine the cause and time of death. If the time of death proves to be earlier than the impact, then it would appear that the body was probably moved to the scene by someone else, or the man may have been struck and killed by another car that fled the scene after the impact.

Los Angeles Big Rig Truck Accident Causes Injury

January 9, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A truck driver was injured earlier today when his big rig truck fell from the 118 freeway overpass onto the 5 freeway. From photos of the incident, provided by the Los Angeles Daily News, the big rig truck appears to be blocking all lanes of the northbound 5 freeway. Fortunately, the driver of the truck was not trapped in the vehicle.

The driver of the big rig truck in the Los Angeles truck accident was taken to the hospital to receive medical care for his truck accident injuries. Amazingly, given the nature of this incident, it is surprising that there are no other injuries reported from the truck crash in Los Angeles.

So far, the cause of the Los Angeles truck accident has not yet been disclosed and may not be known. It is very possible that the rainy conditions throughout Southern California, which began yesterday, contributed to causing the wreck. Continue Reading