California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

5 Tips for Staying Safe in the New Year

January 7, 2019 | by Robert Walch

It’s now 2019! The holiday season is winding down, and day-to-day routines are back in action. The New Year brings new hopes, and certainly the hope of avoiding injury is at the top of the list.

In 2018, accidental injury became the number 3 cause of death of the first time in United States history. The National Safety Council reported that “an American is accidentally injured every second and killed every three minutes by a preventable event.” These preventable events include accidents from vehicle crashes to falls. Luckily, these injuries are preventable and by taking certain precautions you can put you and your family on a path toward a safer year.

Below are five ways to avoid some of the most common injuries and stay safe in 2019:

New California Law Makes Bike Path Hit-and-Run a Crime

January 1, 2019 | by Robert Walch

When it comes to hit-and-run pedestrian accidents, most often we think of an incident involving a vehicle. However, a new California law, which goes into effect with the new year, makes it a crime for a bicyclist to hit a pedestrian while on a bike path and flee the scene.

According to the Daily Bulletin, the law already applied to cyclist/pedestrian accidents on the road, but is now expanded to cover accidents on bike paths as well. Under the new law, “a bicyclist who strikes a pedestrian on a bike path causing injuries or death will now have to stay put, helping the injured person if possible and waiting for police” or else face criminal charges like a hit-and run motorist would face.

The new law was encouraged after several incidents of cyclist/pedestrian accidents along bike paths—pedestrians were hit and left injured on the path, while the cyclist rode away with no legal consequences to prevent them from doing so. One example was 61-year-old Bill Finbeiner who was hit by a bicyclist while walking along a path. He suffered “a fractured skull, a broken nose, facial fractures, a broken left hand and a broken left thumb, in addition to having two teeth knocked out and the back of both hands torn up.” However, it wasn’t a crime to hit someone and leave, so the cyclist rode away.

Driver and Passenger Killed After Car Collides into Hyde Park Building

December 30, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A driver of a black Lincoln and his female passenger were killed in a Hyde Park car accident December 16, 2018. According to KTLA News, around 9:00 in the morning, the car left the road just east of Crenshaw Boulevard, and smashed into an abandoned building.

The male driver was partially ejected from the car as a result of the impact. The female passenger was fully ejected from the car, and both were pronounced dead at the scene. Because of the collapse of the structure onto the car, police believe it will “require an extended extrication to recover the bodies due to safety concerns with building collapse.”

As of right now, the cause of the accident remains unknown. Police said speeding is very common on the street but are not certain that is was caused this crash. In a crash like this, that involves no other vehicles, there are many possible causes for the police to consider such as driving while intoxicated (either alcohol or drugs), driving while texting, or even drowsy driving. It is very important that a thorough investigation is conducted to determine the cause of the accident.

Woman Hospitalized After Riverside County Dog Attack

December 23, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A Riverside County dog attack on Saturday resulted in dog bite injuries to an Anza woman. According to ABC 7 News, the woman was outside hanging laundry out to dry when three dogs attacked her around 9:30 a.m.

Emergency personnel and animal control were called and responded to the scene. Ultimately, the woman was airlifted to the hospital because of her injuries. The three dogs were taken by animal control—all three are pit bulls or pit bull mixes. It is likely that the dogs will be put down.

The owner of the dogs was contacted and later arrested on other outstanding warrants. Animal Services director stated, “This is another preventable attack on an innocent person and one we find very upsetting…Our hearts go out to [the victim] and her family.”

Driver in Diamond Bar DUI that Killed Six Sentenced to 30 to Life

December 18, 2018 | by Robert Walch

On February 9, 2014, 26-year-old Olivia Culbreath from Fontana, drove against oncoming traffic causing a horrific California drunk driving collision that killed six people.

According to ABC 7 News, Culbreath had been previously drinking before entering the freeway and driving her Camaro the wrong way at “speeds of up to 100 miles per hour in the early morning.” Her car slammed into a Ford explorer, and ultimately caused a three-car pileup. Four people in the explorer, all from the same family, were killed. Two passengers in Culbreath’s car were also killed, one of the victims being her sister.

Three hours after the accident her blood alcohol level was still .15%, nearly double the legal limit in California of .08%. Apparently, Culbreath had previously been arrested for a DUI and was warned by the court on that occasion about the dangers of driving under the influence. In May, she was convicted after pleading no contest to six counts of second-degree murder. This past week, the Judge sentenced her to thirty years to life for her actions that caused this terrible tragedy.

Young Man Killed in Perris Motorcycle Wrongful Death

December 10, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A 22-year-old young man from San Jacinto, Thomas Llamas, was recently killed in a Perris motorcycle accident. According to The Press-Enterprise, the Perris accident occurred at the intersection of Rider Street and Wilson Avenue, when a sedan made a left turn as Llamas was traveling straight through the intersection.

Llamas struck the passenger side of the vehicle. He was immediately taken to the Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley, but passed away shortly after his arrival. The driver of the sedan was not injured in the accident and was not arrested. The police are still trying to determine what caused the accident, but drugs or alcohol do not appear to have been involved.

Unfortunately, fatalities from motorcycle accidents nationwide have more than doubled over the past 15 years. Motorcycles can be an especially appealing mode of transportation in Southern California due to the beautiful weather and heavily trafficked roads, but this can mean there is even more danger for motorcyclists. A report from earlier this year showed that in 2016, “566 motorcyclists were killed in California — an 11 percent increase from 494 deaths in 2015…that doesn’t include the 14,400 motorcyclists injured.” California also ranks in the top 15 of the 50 states for motorcycle fatalities.

One Killed in Perris Freeway Accident

December 3, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A recent Perris car accident resulted in the death of 54-year-old William Shelton of Lemon Grove and left another motorist with minor injuries. The Press-Enterprise reported that three vehicles were involved in the accident which occurred on the Southbound side of the freeway around 7:20 p.m.

The accident caused one of the cars involved, a dark-colored sedan, to flip over and cross into the northbound side of the 215 freeway. Though it is not clear which car was driven by Mr. Shelton, it was reported he died at the scene. The accident closed two lanes on the southbound side of the 215 freeway for several hours causing heavy traffic on the freeway, as well as the Ramona Expressway as cars tried to exit.

California Highway Patrol officers are still investigating what caused this freeway crash. There are many possible causes for freeway accidents, especially on the busy Southern California freeways. Causes can include natural things such as rain or fog which cause poor visibility that can lead to accidents, or intentional things such careless choices by a driver to drive while intoxicated, texting, or while drowsy. When a car accident involves more than one car, like in this case, it is possible that one or more drivers could be at fault.

Riverside County Pedestrian Killed by Golf Cart

November 29, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A 77-year-old Aguana pedestrian was recently killed when he was hit by a golf cart while crossing the street. According to The Press-Enterprise, the pedestrian was crossing the street in a mobile home park when a 73-year-old resident driving a golf cart failed to stop and collided with the pedestrian.

The pedestrian was thrown onto the asphalt roadway, and hit his head causing major head trauma. Police and medical personnel responded to the scene and found the pedestrian in critical condition. He was airlifted to Inland Valley Medical Center, where he died later that day.

Police will continue to investigate the incident, to determine what exactly caused the accident. It appears that the golf cart driver may have simply not been paying attention to the road or the pedestrian. Still, this does not excuse the golf cart driver from liability for this wrongful death accident.

Suspects Evading Police Injure Four in Los Angeles Hit-and-Run Crash

November 10, 2018 | by Robert Walch

A car chase in South Los Angeles of several suspects evading the police, resulted in a car collision at the 1300 block of W. 59th Place. The four people riding in the vehicle that was hit, a Mazda SUV, included a mother and three children and all were injured in the crash.

According to ABC 7 News, the chase started when LAPD officers pulled over a vehicle after a traffic violation. One passenger, who was carrying a gun, jumped out of the vehicle and ran. He was picked up by another vehicle that then sped off. Police gave suit, and as the second car sped away, it hit into the Mazda. The car then continued driving without stopping to render aid or identify him/herself at the scene of the crash, which is a crime in California.

Shortly after the crash, police were able to catch and apprehend three people involved in the incident, including the original passenger carrying the gun. The injured family was transported to the hospital for treatment, though the injuries are thankfully believed to be non-life-threatening. While the individuals that caused this accident will likely be facing criminal charges, they are also civilly liable to the victims they injured as a result of their choice to flee from the police and drive recklessly.

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.