California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

4.9 Million Dollar Judgment for Hilton Malibu Car Accident

July 16, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A personal injury judgment of 4.9 million dollars has been awarded against Barron Hilton, the brother of Paris Hilton, for causing a Malibu car accident. The judgment orders Mr. Hilton to pay 4.6 million dollars for pain and suffering to a gas station employee who was struck by Mr. Hilton’s vehicle, allegedly while Hilton was driving drunk.

According to reports, Mr. Hilton was driving erratically in Malibu, including on the wrong side of the road on Pacific Coast Highway, before pulling into a gas station where he struck Fernando Tellez with his Mercedez-Benz. Mr. Hilton’s blood alcohol level at the time of the car accident in Malibu was .14%, which is significantly above the .08% limit in California.

Due to the circumstances, Mr. Hilton was ordered to pay $225,000.00 in punitive damages to Mr. Tellez, as well as $71,000.00 for interest on the damages. With payment for past medical bills and loss of earnings, the total judgment amounts to $4,600,000.00.

Baby Seriously Injured in Downtown Los Angeles Accident

July 15, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A tragic pedestrian accident in downtown Los Angeles occurred yesterday when, according to police, the driver of a Cadillac DeVille, who was trying to park on the street, allegedly accidentally, hit the gas instead of the brake, jumped the curb and hit a two month old baby boy. The downtown Los Angeles pedestrian accident caused the boy to suffer critical injuries. The boy was taken to Los Angeles County USC hospital for emergency care.

The mother of the boy was not injured in the downtown Los Angeles car accident. Police said that there was no indication of drugs or alcohol playing a part in this Los Angeles accident and that they did not anticipate making any arrests, despite the catastrophic injuries suffered.

A sign of the seriousness of the impact is that a parking meter was knocked off the sidewalk by the Cadillac.

200 Million Dollar Judgment Awarded For Metrolink Train Crash Victims

July 14, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Many people remember the tragic Metrolink train crash in Chatsworth, California on September 12, 2008. The crash resulted in the death of 24 passengers and injuries to 98 survivors. Today, Judge Peter Lichtman decided how to divide up the 200 million dollars in funds available to the victims of the Metrolink train accident.

According to the judgment, in the first group, the adult wrongful deaths, the average recovery is 4.2 million dollars. In the second group, the parents of young people who were killed in the train crash, they were awarded an average of 1.2 million dollars in wrongful death damages. For the 98 injured passengers, their personal injury settlements, based on their injuries, damages and future care were for $12,000 or more.

Fire Injuries and Wrongful Death in Pacoima House Fire

July 13, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A house fire in Pacoima, California, caused a man to suffer smoke inhalation injuries and lacerations and caused the death of a woman who was in the house. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire occurred at about 4:00 p.m. in Pacoima, and the woman was found dead in the home by firefighters.

The man who survived the Pacoima house fire suffered fire injuries, including smoke inhalation, lacerations and possibly burn injuries, from trying to put out the fire.

The cause of the house fire in Pacoima has not yet been revealed, but oftentimes these fires are caused by electrical systems, arson, candles, cooking equipment, or smoking.

Pregnant Woman Killed in Glendale Crash on 134 Freeway

July 12, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A pregnant woman was killed on Sunday when, according to the California Highway Patrol, her car veered off the freeway and crashed into a tree in a Glendale car accident. According to the Glendale News Press, the cause of the Glendale wrongful death car accident is currently unknown, but there were no indications that drugs or alcohol played a part in the collision.

Unfortunately, the woman who was killed will not be able to give her side of the story as to what caused her to veer off of the freeway. In these circumstances, the cause can often be debris in the road or swerving to avoid another car.

Vehicular Manslaughter Conviction for Corona Pedestrian Accident

July 9, 2011 | by Robert Walch

In 2008, Rachel Elliott was killed when she was hit by a car in Corona, California. Elva Diaz, the driver of the vehicle that hit Elliott, was convicted last week of involuntary gross vehicular manslaughter, because she was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the pedestrian accident in Corona.

Diaz, who is facing sentencing of up to 10 years imprisonment for the conviction, is 32 years old. She was found not guilty on the charge of 2nd degree murder, which would have carried even stiffer sentencing. In a case like this, without a previous DUI conviction, it is very difficult to get a conviction on the 2nd degree murder charge, which Diaz’s criminal defense attorney said was excessive. Diaz will be sentenced on August 5, 2011.

Los Angeles Motorcycle Accident Death in Cahuenga Pass

July 8, 2011 | by Robert Walch

According to the Los Angeles Times, a Van Nuys man was killed in a Los Angeles motorcycle accident early this morning. Los Angeles Police said that the driver of a 2003 Honda Accord, Maxime Desire, made a left turn in front of the motorcycle, causing the biker to be ejected from the motorcycle.

The motorcycle accident in Los Angeles is being investigated by the Valley Traffic Division of the Los Angeles police department. The motorcycle accident death occurred at Cahuenga and Barham, in the Cahuenga Pass. The California wrongful death victim of the Los Angeles motorcycle crash is a 41 year old man from Van Nuys, but his name has been withheld pending notification of his family.

Unfortunately, many Los Angeles motorcycle collisions occur when a car does not see a motorcycle and attempts to make a left hand turn in front of the bike. These motorcycle crashes are particularly dangerous because often the rider is unable to stop in time and is flipped over the car. Many witnesses to motorcycle collisions accuse the rider of excessive speed, which is normally due to the loud noise from a motorcycle engine, rather than the actual speed it is traveling. This often leads to traffic collisions reports, also known as police reports, which blame the motorcyclist, either in whole or in part, based on the witness’ mistaken recollection.

Los Angeles Bus Crash Injures 9 People

July 7, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A Los Angeles bus crash occurred Wednesday morning when a Metro bus collided with a van in the Westlake/McArthur Park area of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles bus accident happened on Wilshire Boulevard at around 10:30 a.m.

According to the Los Angeles Times, of the 9 people who suffered injury in the bus accident in Los Angeles, six of the people had to be taken to the hospital. The injured passengers were reported to be in fair condition.

Woman Dies after Hit by Car in Redondo Beach

July 6, 2011 | by Robert Walch

An 89 year old Redondo Beach woman, Melania Nuhbegovic, was hit by a car in Redondo Beach on Monday. Ms. Nuhbegovic later died of her injuries at Harbor UCLA medical center.

According to the Daily Breeze, the woman was crossing in a crosswalk when she was hit by a pickup truck in Redondo Beach. According to investigators, the driver of the pickup truck stopped at the stop sign, but then drove and hit Ms. Nuhbegovic. He did not flee the scene and stopped to render care to the victim.

The driver was not cited and investigators said it did not appear that the driver was under the influence at the time of the Redondo Beach wrongful death accident.

Two Children Killed in Riverside Car Accident

July 5, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Two young children, Fernando Benitez and Genesis Fuentes, aged 6 and 14 respectively, died this morning when the Mitsubishi Montero they were in rolled over in a tragic Riverside car accident. According to the California Highway Patrol, the Riverside freeway accident happened when a tire blew out and the driver of the vehicle, Tomasa Fuentes, lost control of the car.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the two children, who died at the scene, were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the car accident in Riverside on the 60 Freeway in Glen Avon. The other passengers in the vehicle, who apparently were wearing seatbelts, suffered injuries ranging from minor to severe.

The California Highway Patrol has not decided yet whether to pursue criminal charges for the Riverside wrongful death due to the lack of seatbelts.