California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Driver Who Hit 2 Pedestrians Allegedly Arrested on Marijuana Charges

January 20, 2011 | by Robert Walch

After a downtown Los Angeles pedestrian accident, the driver of the vehicle has allegedly been arrested on charges related to marijuana possession. Allegedly, the passenger in the vehicle purchased the marijuana from a marijuana dispensary in Pasadena, using a prescription, and had it in his backpack at the time of the collision.

When officers investigated the Los Angeles auto versus pedestrian accident, they found 13 grams of marijuana in the backpack, after smelling marijuana in the vehicle. The driver was apparently also arrested, possibly on the suspicion that marijuana use contributed to causing the auto v. pedestrian accident.

The two pedestrians, who were hit by the car in Los Angeles, claimed to be injured but did not want immediate medical attention and were not transported to the hospital by ambulance.

It is important to note that while it may be legal to obtain marijuana by medical prescription for personal use, it is illegal to drive while under the influence of marijuana. If the driver involved in this Los Angeles auto accident was found to be under the influence of marijuana at the time, he could face some serious criminal charges. Fortunately, the pedestrians who were struck were not seriously injured.

Metrolink Train Kills 1 in Sylmar

January 19, 2011 | by Robert Walch

On Tuesday, January 18, 2011, at around 8:00 p.m., a man was killed after being struck by a Metrolink train in Sylmar, California. It is unknown why the man, who was 19 years old, was hit by the train. The Los Angeles train accident happened near where Pierce Street intersects with San Fernando Road, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

According to the Los Angeles Times, who analyzed data from 1993 to September of 2008, three Metrolink accidents, apparently none involving injures or deaths, occurred at that intersection. Interestingly, one block north of where this train v. pedestrian accident happened, where the trains cross Van Nuys Boulevard, there have been eight accidents which have resulted in five deaths and one injury, during the same time period.

Unless the cause of the train accident in Los Angeles was a suicide attempt by the pedestrian killed in the accident, the family of the victim should hire a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer to investigate the cause of the accident and whether there was any fault attributable to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Newport Beach Crash Kills 3 – New Details

January 18, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Some new information has come in as to potential causes for the Newport Beach car accident that killed 3 people, and injured many more, this past weekend. It has emerged that the driver of the vehicle that allegedly caused the collision, Julie Allen, a 27 year old former high school track star, had possibly taken medication in the past for a possible mental health problem. Much detail is not currently available, but there are reports of a “serious episode” when Allen was in high school.

Friends and family have described Allen as a very cautious, religious person, who would not speed. At the time of the , since her car was allegedly traveling at such high speeds that it was airborne, possibly for more than 50 feet, before it crashed into other cars and a motorcycle.

The driver of the motorcycle was reportedly critically injured in the car accident. Two other motorists, Linda Burnett, who was from Santa Ana, California, and Christopher De La Cruz, from Laguna Niguel, California, were killed in the accident and their families will likely make Newport Beach wrongful death claims.

It has also emerged that another possible cause for the Newport Beach multi-vehicle collision could be a stuck accelerator, after investigators saw a web posting from Allen’s mom, regarding a prior incident in which her daughter’s vehicle had a stuck accelerator and could not control the speed. That incident ended safely and it is unclear if the web post was referring to Julie Allen or another sibling.

California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog Gets New Look!

January 17, 2011 | by Robert Walch

We are pleased to announce the launching of our new blog design, located at: www.CaliforniaPersonalInjuryLawyersblog.com. Please let us know how you like the new design, which will match with our new website (located at: www.walchlaw.com, which is in its final stages and coming soon!). In addition, if there are any current legal topics that you feel our blog should address, please let us know.

Our office continues to strive so that injury victims, who have suffered as a result of the negligence of another, can be made whole. This may include help with finding the right doctors, medical care and physical therapy, finding a good Los Angeles body shop to take a damaged vehicle, proving a complicated loss of earnings claim, and getting our clients financially compensated for their pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life activities.

We continue to work hard and give personal attention to all our cases so that our clients can relax and know that they are in passionate, capable and responsible hands. If you or a loved one has been injured, please call our office right away. Our goal is to get involved in a case as soon as possible to prevent mistakes that many injured parties make before they are represented by a good California personal injury lawyer. We handle cases throughout all of California. Call toll free: 1-866-INJURY-2 [1-866-465-8792].

Driver Charged After Los Angeles Crash, Killing Passenger

January 16, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Luicci Nader, a Huntington Beach resident, has been charged with vehicular manslaughter, a felony, after a Los Angeles car accident death. Nader was allegedly speeding in his 2008 Ferrari F-430 Spider, on Coast Highway, on December 24, 2010, when he lost control of his vehicle, careening to the opposite side of the road, and colliding head on with a tow truck.

Nader’s Ferrari split into two as a result of this car accident in Los Angeles and Nader’s cousin, Ralph Abinader, who was sitting in the passenger seat, died as a result of the car accident. Abinader was 24 years old.

Nader is being charged with the felony because he was allegedly driving with gross negligence.

Besides the felony count, Nader will also face a possible Los Angeles wrongful death claim against him, for the death of his passenger. A driver of a vehicle that causes an accident is not only responsible for occupants of the other vehicle, but is responsible for his/her passenger’s safety as well. The claim should be made with the driver’s insurance company, barring any exceptions in the insurance policy, which sometimes exist for people such as live-in family members.

San Bernardino Man Charged In California Wrongful Death Accident

January 15, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A 70 year old San Bernardino man, Edward Stanley Baker, has been charged with a felony count of vehicular manslaughter, without gross negligence, in the wrongful death of a woman from an Orange County car accident. Mr. Baker, who allegedly failed a field sobriety test, was found to have a blood alcohol level of .22%, which is .14% higher than the California legal limit of .08%.

After the car accident in Orange County, Mr. Baker, who had nearly three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, had an empty vodka bottle in his car.

According to prosecutors, the Orange County wrongful death car accident allegedly happened when Mr. Baker did not slow down or stop for the other vehicle, which was making a legal left turn out of a parking lot. The driver of the other vehicle, Tamiko Kaminaga, 60 years old, was killed in the accident. Her passenger, her son, Jorge Maresch, suffered a broken nose and other facial lacerations.

Mr. Butler faces a potential maximum prison sentence of up to four years and prosecutors requested that he be held on $100,000.00 bail.

High Winds Cause Fallen Power Lines and 3 Deaths in San Bernardino

January 14, 2011 | by Robert Walch

In a tragic San Bernardino electrical accident, high winds, which went up to 40 miles per hour, caused power lines to fall in a family’s yard. Apparently, family members tried to put out the small fires that the downed power lines caused.

In what may have been a chain reaction electrocution, three family members were killed. Apparently, Sharon Vego, who was in the front yard when she heard an explosion in the back, came to the back to try to help. When she got to the back, she tried to help her son and husband, when she was also electrocuted. All three members of the family were killed by the electrocution.

After firefighters arrived at the scene, they had to wait approximately 15 minutes before the crews from Southern California Edison were able to arrive and shut off power to the line that had fallen, so firefighters could safely reach the victims.

It is advised that if you see a power line that has fallen to the ground, never touch, move or go near it, even if it looks harmless. Also, if you see a person being shocked, attempts to pull the person away may cause you to become a victim, which is apparently what happened in San Bernardino today. If you see a downed line, it is best to get as far away as safely possible and call 911 for emergency help, and call the emergency number for the local utility company.

Officials Aim to Reduce Glendale Car Accidents by Placing Traffic Signs in English, Spanish and Armenian

January 13, 2011 | by Robert Walch

City officials are trying a new measure to help reduce pedestrian and car accidents in Glendale, they are putting signs in English, Spanish and Armenian. One such sign, which says “LOOK” in all three languages, will be placed at numerous intersections, a warning to pedestrians to look for oncoming traffic before crossing the street.

According to the Glendale Police Department, there were 2,300 Glendale car accidents last year. Of those collisions, there were 660 that resulted in injuries. There were also six fatal Glendale accidents last year. Of the 2,300 car accidents, 64 involved pedestrians.

Glendale Mayor, Ara Najarian, said that the city has reached its limit of such accidents. Najarian said that traffic safety needs to be one of the communities top priorities because “we are losing children, elderly and disabled people, and babies in baby carriages are getting hit, and drivers who are the ones who failed to yield are having their lives ruined.”

This street sign campaign to reduce Glendale pedestrian accidents has also reportedly been used in both England and Ireland.

Los Angeles Gas Explosion Injures Two

January 12, 2011 | by Robert Walch

Two men inside a garage in Whittier, a city in Los Angeles County, were severely injured when a high pressure gas tank exploded. The gas explosion in Los Angeles, which occurred at 2:40 a.m., caused one of the men to have the lower part of his leg severed and caused burn injuries to the other man. The two injured men, who have not yet been identified, were taken to University of California Irving Medical Center.

Lieutenant Carlos Solorza, of the Whittier Police Department, stated that the cause of the Los Angeles gas explosion was unknown. He also did not know the type of gas that was being used in the tank.

Los Angeles explosion injury cases can be very difficult and complicated. First, it will be necessary to determine the cause of the explosion. It is currently unknown if it was human error, a defect in a product, or both, that caused these gas explosion injuries.

West Los Angeles Car Accident Kills Pedestrian, Severely Injures Motorist

January 11, 2011 | by Robert Walch

A multi-vehicle collision in Los Angeles on Sunday killed a pedestrian and critically injured the driver who apparently caused the collision. The Los Angeles car accident, which happened on Federal Avenue, near Santa Monica Boulevard, was apparently caused when a vehicle went out of control and hit a pedestrian who was standing on the corner at the intersection.

The pedestrian, a man in his 40s, was killed as a result of this impact. The car continued out of control and hit a vehicle stopped at a gas station. That vehicle had two occupants, who were apparently not injured by this collision. However, oftentimes police may not note an injury in their report, but occupants of a vehicle will often feel the effects of their injuries after a day or two.

The driver of the vehicle who allegedly caused this car accident in Los Angeles was critically injured in this series of collisions. Although it is unclear why the vehicle lost control, the driver, if he recovers, will likely face a wrongful death suit against him, from the family of the pedestrian who was killed. If the driver does not recover, and dies as a result of his injuries, his insurance coverage and, potentially, his estate, could be used to pay for the damages he has allegedly caused.