California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

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.

Northern California Bus Accident With Fed-Ex Truck Kills 9

April 10, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A tragic California bus accident today, in which a bus was struck by a Fed-Ex big rig truck, has resulted in at least nine deaths and numerous injuries. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Northern California bus crash occurred when the FedEx truck, traveling southbound, crossed into the opposite direction of Interstate 5, when it crashed into the bus. The bus may have been carrying Los Angeles school students who were in Northern California to visit Humboldt State University, during spring break.

After this terrible bus accident, the bus caught on fire and ended up completely burnt out. It is not clear if the students who were injured escaped the bus before the fire, or if they suffered fire, burn and smoke inhalation injuries as well.
Whether the students on the bus were in fact from Los Angeles has not yet been confirmed. Initial reports suggest that they are high school seniors from a school in South Los Angeles. Our hearts go out to the injured students and the families of the injured and deceased.

Pasadena Big Rig Truck Accidents Caused by Rain – No Serious Injuries

April 2, 2014 | by Robert Walch

Fortunately, after two Pasadena big rig truck freeway accidents this week, caused by the overnight rain that came down both nights, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that no occupants of the big rig trucks or other people on the freeway suffered serious injuries.

Early this morning, a big rig truck crashed on the 210 freeway, near where it meets the 134 freeway. Two other big rigs apparently were unable to avoid the wreck and crashed as well. The freeway was closed for about six hours while the truck accident remnants were cleared.

Yesterday, also due to the night rain, a big rig crashed on the 210 freeway in Pasadena. Fortunately, neither Pasadena truck accident resulted in serious injuries.

A representative from the California Highway Patrol stated that these types of truck accidents in the rain are often caused when the big rig truck driver does not appropriately adjust his or her speed for road conditions, including curves in the road and transitions between different freeways.

Earthquake Hits off the Coast of Chile – No current threat to California

April 1, 2014 | by Robert Walch

According to CNN, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck today off of the coast of Chile. It is not presently known if there are any earthquake related injuries or fatalities. There is, however, a threat of a tsunami striking the Chilean coast. As of now, reports from the Los Angeles Times indicate that there is not currently a tsunami threat for California.

Recently, after a long period of time without noticeable earthquakes in Los Angeles, there have been numerous earthquakes that have rattled our area. Fortunately, none have been as powerful as the 1994 earthquake, which caused massive earthquake damage and many injuries and deaths in Los Angeles.

We wish to remind our readers, including our personal injury clients, to make sure they are protected by earthquake insurance, in case another “big one” hits the Los Angeles area. Not only that, it is very important to have bottled water and canned food in case of shortages and power outages. This was a major problem after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.