California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

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.

Pitbull Owners Arrested After California Dog Attack Injury

July 1, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A 75 year old woman had to have her leg amputated due to injuries she suffered from a pitbull dog attack in San Diego. The woman is still being treated in the hospital due to dog bite injuries to her back, legs and arms.

The owners of the pitbull dogs, Carla Cornelio and Alba Cornelio, have been arrested and face felony charges for owning the dogs that caused the serious injury to the woman. The two pitbull dogs were euthanized by the Department of Animal Services.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the dogs had previously attacked another neighbor’s dog and the neighbor, and the Cornelios apparently paid the veterinary bills for that San Diego dog attack.

Murder Conviction From Costa Mesa Car Accident Wrongful Death

June 30, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Gustavo Adrian Vega, a 23 year old man from Costa Mesa, California, was convicted of murder today for a Costa Mesa car accident he allegedly caused when he was driving under the influence.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Vega had a prior DUI conviction and in this car accident in Orange County, he ran a red light and then fled the scene on foot. Mr. Vega was later caught by Costa Mesa police and he had a blood alcohol level of .17%, which is over twice the legal limit in California.

Mr. Vega will face a maximum prison sentence from 19 years and eight months up to life in prison for the murder as well as felony hit and run conviction.

New Details Emerge in Nevada Amtrak Train Crash

June 29, 2011 | by Robert Walch

It has emerged that the truck driver who allegedly caused the Nevada Amtrak train crash has been cited multiple times in various states. These citations were for violations including a 2007 truck accident wherein he rear ended a Toyota on the freeway, causing injuries to a family, and tickets for speeding and driving with a cell phone in his hand.

There was also an Amtrak train crash lawsuit filed this week by an Amtrak train attendant, against Lawrence Valli, the truck driver, and John Davis Trucking, the presumed owner of the vehicle and the company that employed Valli.

The personal injury attorney for the train attendant claims that Valli was negligent and careless in failing to follow the road signs, causing this truck-train crash and the resultant injuries and damages to his client. The attorney also claims that after reviewing Valli’s record and the record of the trucking company, that Valli should not have been driving this truck at the time of the Amtrak train accident.

Nevada Truck Accident with Amtrak Train – Update

June 28, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Although previous reports said four people died in the Amtrak train accident with the big rig truck in Nevada, that number has been revised to six deaths, including the truck driver and the train conductor. The number of missing people, however, has been reduced from 28 to five.

The Amtrak train crash, which happened 70 miles east of Reno, Nevada, appears to have been caused by the either the truck driver or problems with the truck. The trucking company, John Davis Trucking Company Incorporated, based in Battle Mountain, Nevada, has been cited 17 times for having faulty equipment and has had two other crashes since 2009. Those cases involved a truck operating with bald tires and another truck with defective or missing springs.

San Dimas Freeway Accident Kills 3 Women

June 27, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Three women were killed this morning in a tragic freeway accident in San Dimas, California. According to the Los Angeles Times, the three women were inside a vehicle that collided with a big rig truck on the 57 freeway, at about 2:45 a.m. The vehicle was overturned as a result of the San Dimas truck accident and the women were pinned inside and died at the scene.

As a result of the San Dimas accident, all of the lanes on the southbound 57 freeway were closed, as well as the east and westbound transitions for the 210 freeway. After 7:00 a.m. this morning, all lanes were reopened to vehicle traffic.

The California Highway Patrol, which is investigating the deadly accident, has not yet determined the cause of the San Dimas wrongful death accident.

Amtrak Truck Accident in Nevada Kills 4, Injures Scores

June 25, 2011 | by Robert Walch

An Amtrak Train, headed to Emeryville, California from Chicago, Illinois, was struck last night by a semitrailer truck near Reno, Nevada in a tragic truck versus train accident. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Amtrak train accident in Nevada killed four people, including the driver of the truck, and over 20 people had to be taken to hospitals.

According to witnesses, the driver of the truck apparently tried to stop before colliding with the side of the train, but was unable to do so in time. Witnesses also reported that the warning gates and lights at the crossing were working at the time of the Nevada Amtrak train accident.

It is unknown at this time why the big rig truck driver was unable to stop before colliding with the Amtrak train, but possible reasons could be malfunctioning brakes, inattentive driving, lack of visibility, or speeds that were just unsafe for conditions.

10 Freeway Baldwin Park Big Rig Truck and Car Accident

June 24, 2011 | by Robert Walch

This morning, there was a serious big rig truck and car accident in Baldwin Park on the 10 Freeway. According to the Los Angeles Times, although ambulances responded to the scene of the three vehicle accident on the 10 Freeway, there were no immediate indications of any serious injuries.

The Baldwin Park accident involved three vehicles, including a big rig which was overturned as a result of the collisions. Due to the freeway collision, all of the lanes except one had to be shut, a major problem for commuters during morning rush hour.

8 Car Collision on 101 Freeway Leaves Truck Driver Dead

June 17, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Jose Antonio Avelar, a 48 year old dump truck driver from Sylmar, California, died in a multi-vehicle accident on the 101 freeway on Wednesday, near Camarillo Springs Road. According to witnesses, the 101 freeway accident was caused by Avelar, who allegedly was speeding and was unable to stop before colliding with another dump truck, which caused the 8 car accident in Camarillo, California.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the dump truck that Avelar was driving was loaded with asphalt, which may have contributed to his inability to stop in time. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that, besides Avelar, there were no other major injuries in the Camarillo car accident.

Accident investigators will likely look into whether Avelar had appropriate licenses and training to operate the cement truck and determine who owned the vehicle. Any people injured in the Camarillo truck accident may make a personal injury claim against the owner of the vehicle that caused the accident, which will likely have a commercial insurance policy. Fortunately for any injured parties, commercial policies are usually larger than private person policies, so they should be able to seek and recover the full amount of their damages from this truck accident on the 101 freeway.