Ventura County Seeks to Address Number of Traffic Fatalities, Raise Awareness

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/feb/06/a-chance-we-all-take-daily-asdfasdfaaaaaaaaaa/

A comprehensive examination of car accidents by the Ventura County Star and the Scripps Howard News Service reveals that three factors contribute time and again to traffic fatalities across the country, as well as in Ventura County.  

In the Star’s study of 627, 433 nationwide traffic fatalities over a span of 14 years (1994 through 2008), thirty percent of fatal accidents involved drunken drivers. Thirty- two percent involved drivers who were traveling at an unsafe speed. Forty-three percent of traffic fatalities were not wearing seat belts.  Further, many accidents involved a combination of two or all three factors. These statistics correspond with the countywide statistics of 1,096 deaths from traffic incidents during the same time period. 

According to the article, driving is one of the most dangerous activities of daily living, however, awareness of its inherent risks is low and often ignored.  As the number of distracted drivers on the roads continues to rise with the onset of cell phone applications, text messaging, and a culture consumed by busyness and activity, cars and commutes have shifted from simply a means of transportation to extensions of one’s life at the office or home. Distracted drivers will surely factor into future statistics on the primary causes of traffic accidents.

In the midst of overwhelming statistics, please do your part to eliminate car accidents by driving undistracted, wearing a seat belt, and maintaining the speed limit.

Serious car accidents can severely affect  a person’s life, through physical injuries, medical  expenses, a loss of transportation, and emotional stress.  If you’ve been involved in a car accident, exercise your legal rights and call Los Angeles Car Accident Attorneys today.  If you’ve lost a loved one in a traffic collision, experienced car accident attorneys can help.  We will protect your legal rights so that you are free to focus your attention on the grieving process and family. Call today for a free consultation.

 

Santa Barbara Police Make 2 DUI Arrests at Check points, Urge Safety for Super Bowl Sunday

http://www.thedailysound.com/News/020210duicheckpoints

Santa Barbara police officers enforced DUI checkpoints on Coast Village Road, Haley Street, San Andres Street, and Shoreline Drive last weekend, the Santa Barbara Daily Sound reports.  Police made two DUI arrests and cited thirteen other for driving without a valid license during the course of the checkpoints.  Santa Barbara police plan to add nine additional checkpoints for a total of thirteen during Super Bowl Sunday. 

The Santa Barbara Police Department is encouraging Super Bowl partygoers to establish a designated driver for the night of football, food, and, in many cases, large quantities of alcohol.  Additionally, the police department urges anyone who sees a suspected drunken driver while on the road to call police immediately and report the driver.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008 almost 50% of the driving fatalities from the time of kickoff to the morning after the Super Bowl were alcohol related.  Additionally, according to a study done by the Automobile Club of Southern California, drunken driving incidents are 27% more likely to occur statewide on Super Bowl Sunday.

Given these statistics, please exercise safety and caution when celebrating football’s biggest day.  If a drunken driver hits you or a loved one, please contact experienced personal injury attorneys immediately to determine your legal options at a free consultation

 

Trolley, Mail Van Collide and Injure Two

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/03/two-injured-in-trolley-vehicle-crash/

A trolley and U.S. postal service van collided Wednesday morning, injuring two people, including a man in a wheelchair, the San Diego Tribune reports.

The crash occurred at Park Boulevard and G Street in downtown San Diego when the trolley was proceeding through a green light, northbound on Park Boulevard, trolley passenger John Lyman reported. The mail van, which was traveling on G Street, did not stop with the rest of traffic at the intersection and struck the trolley, the witness recounted.

While police are still investigating the official cause of this incident, it appears that the postal van may have been at fault for failing to stop at a red light at the traffic intersection of Park Boulevard and G Street.  Contributing factors such as inattention, use of a cell phone, or the use of alcohol and drugs are still unknown.

If you have sustained injuries in a car accident due to another driver’s negligent actions, please contact aggressive car accident attorneys to pursue your claim today.

 

Orange County Woman Files Claim Against Newport Beach Following Traffic Incident

http://www.ocregister.com/news/says-231956-sutton-street.html

24-year-old Brandi Lynn Sutton has filed a 2 million dollar claim against the city of Newport Beach following injuries she sustained at a poorly lit crosswalk, the Orange County Register reports.  Sutton was crossing West Balboa Boulevard and 26^th Street in the crosswalk at approximately 2 a.m. when she was struck by a taxicab in August.  She sustained serious injuries, including a broken leg and a concussion, in her fall. 

In her claim, Sutton alleges that faded crosswalk paint and a malfunctioning streetlight prevented the taxi driver from being able to see her in the crosswalk, and that the city of Newport Beach is therefore liable for its dangerous property conditions.  

An area of the law that lawyers refer to as “premises liability”, governs injuries that are caused by hazardous property conditions or property owner negligence.  This can include anything from swimming pool accidents, to amusement park accidents, to dangerous road design.  If you or a loved one has been injured due to any of these factors, or other dangerous property conditions, you may be entitled to monetary compensation to cover medical bills, lost earnings from work, and future medical treatment.  Please contact aggressive and skilled personal injury attorneys today for a free consultation.

 

Huntington Beach Teen Reaches Settlement with City Over Waveboard Crash

http://www.ocregister.com/news/young-231962-waveboard-city.html

A fourteen-year-old Huntington Beach boy has reached a settlement with the city of Huntington Beach following injuries he sustained in a waveboard crash on a city alleyway in 2008, the Orange County Register reports.  

Waveboards, which are similar to skateboards, allow riders to feel as though they are surfing or snowboarding because the rider must swivel backwards and forwards in an “S” shape in order to move.  The boy, Douglas Young, fell while riding a waveboard in a City alleyway that was undergoing construction. Young suffered two broken bones in the fall.

Young’s attorney, Eric Traut, alleged that the City was liable because the alley had large potholes and loose, dangerous debris that posed a threat to Young and other children in the area that frequently used the alleyway for outdoor activities such as waveboarding or skateboarding.

City attorney Jennifer McGrath denied liability, citing the fact that Young was using a challenging type of board in which falling is an expected result.

Young was awarded a $30,000 settlement.

If you have been injured while waveboarding, skateboarding, biking, or even walking due to dangerous property conditions, please contact an experienced personal injury attorney today to learn about your legal options and rights.

 

Orange County Wrongful Death Trial Underway

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-botox27-2010jan27,0,4691075,full.story

The trial in a complicated case involving botox injections, cerebral, palsy, and a tragic death of a seven-year-old girl is underway in Orange County, the Los Angeles Times reports.  

Dee Spears, whose young daughter, Kristen, received Botox injections to calm leg spasms that resulted from cerebral palsy, is suing Botox manufacturer Allergan Inc.  Spears alleges that the company knew that one of the drug’s components, botulinum toxin, could cause “potentially life-threatening swallowing and breathing difficulties and even death”, yet encouraged pediatricians to use the drug in treating cerebral palsy patients.  Kristen died in November 2007 of breathing and swallowing difficulties and pneumonia that developed rapidly after she began receiving botox treatments in June of 2006.   Spears says Kristen’s health was stable before that time.

Kristen’s own doctor, Rolf Habersang, M.D., was trained by Allergan at a Texas seminar to use Botox to treat patients like Kristen.  Dr. Habersang testified that he was taught at the seminar to dose children with 15 units of Botox per kilogram of body weight.  According to an Allergan executive’s testimony, that dosage amount is nearly two times the amount of Botox that is safe to use in treating children, however Allergan never shared that information with physicians.

Court documents reveal that in 2005, a year before Kristen began Botox treatments, Allergan reported 38 patients who had suffered seizures following Botox injections to the Federal Drug Administration, including nearly 20 children with cerebral palsy.

As the trial continues to unfold, Ms. Spears will seek to prove Allergan’s negligence in the wrongful death of her young daughter.  

If a loved one has been the victim of a wrongful death situation, please contact compassionate and understanding wrongful death attorneys who will aggressively fight to bring your case to justice.  All initial consultations are free, and you won’t pay attorney fees until we win your case.

 

 

Head on Crash Critically Injures Two

 http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/26/head-crash-reported-state-route-67-lakeside/

A head on car collision has critically injured two in Lakeside, the San Diego Tribune reports.   The accident occurred today on Route 67, north of Willow Road, at approximately 2:30 p.m. 

Initial reports describe a grey sedan swerving into oncoming traffic and colliding head-on with another vehicle.  The reports also states that at least two people were extricated from their vehicles following the crash.

In this particular situation, there are many details that we do not yet know.  The report does not state if the driver who swerved was speeding, using a cell phone, or under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.  Initially, we do not know if the road conditions contributed to the crash.  The road could have been wet and slick from recent rain, or another obstruction could have blocked the sedan’s path, causing the driver to swerve into oncoming traffic.

Whatever the case may be, I wish a fast recovery to all injured parties.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, and you believe another party is at fault, please contact an experienced personal injury attorney today to learn more about your legal rights and how you may be entitled to compensation.

 

Marine Sentenced in Drunken Driving Accident

http://www.ocregister.com/news/ferguson-230548-sein-driving.html

Former Marine Elijah Ferguson was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison on Friday for causing a car accident that killed Dr. Michael Sein and severely injured his wife, Grace Sein, the Orange County Register reports.

Ferguson rear-ended the Sein’s stopped vehicle at 75 miles per hour on February 22, 2008 in Orange County.  Toxicology reports indicated that Ferguson’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit at the time of the collision. Ferguson, a Marine at the time who has since been discharged, had been playing drinking games with fellow Marines shortly before driving.  His friends attempted to hide his keys to prevent him from driving, however Ferguson ordered a lower-ranking Marine to return his keys so that he could visit his wife and baby. 

This terrible incident clearly illustrates how many lives a single drunken driving accident can affect, as both families involved continue to grieve.   If you or a loved one has been the victim of a drunken driver, you need clear answers and aggressive representation to ensure fair compensation for medical bills and pain and suffering.  Please contact personal injury and wrongful death attorneys today to learn more about your legal options.

 

Driver Strikes and Kills Wheel-Chair Bound Man

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/20/charges-recommended-wheelchair-accident/

San Diego police officers are considering misdemeanor manslaughter charges against a driver who ran a red light, struck another vehicle, drove up onto the sidewalk, and crashed into an elderly man in a wheelchair, the San Diego Tribune reports.

After extensive surgeries, 69-year-old Willie Robinson died from his injuries in late November, six weeks after the accident occurred on Ninth Avenue and E Street in San Diego on October 13, 2009.

 Reports have not yet been confirmed that the driver was talking on a cell phone at the time of the incident. Although these reports are still pending confirmation, cell phone use while driving is a serious problem that causes an increasingly high number of accidents each year. Should the driver be found to have been using a cell phone at the time of the crash, he or she may also be found negligent and criminally liable for causing the crash and Mr. Robinson’s subsequent injuries and tragic death.

If you have lost a loved one due to another driver’s negligence, please schedule a free consultation to discuss your legal options with compassionate, experienced wrongful death attorneys today.

 

Dog Attack in Laguna Niguel

http://www.ocregister.com/news/police-224728-woman-friend.html

An unidentified Orange County woman was attacked by a 7-year-old Shiba Inu dog on Wednesday afternoon, the Orange County Register reports.  It is unclear as to whether the woman was in her own yard or a neighbor’s yard when the attack occurred on Via San Sebastian in Laguna Niguel.

Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed the dog after arriving at the scene, while the woman was hospitalized with extensive injuries that will require several surgeries.

As California is a “strict liability state”, the dog’s owner is liable for the injuries inflicted by the Shiba Inu, even if the owner was not negligent in the circumstances of the attack.   California law states (CCP 342 (a)) :

The owner of a dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog while in a public place, or lawfully in a private place, including the property owner of the dog, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog, or the owner’s knowledge of such visciousness…

If you’ve been the victim of a dog bite attack, please contact experienced dog bite attorneys to discuss your legal options.  At your free initial consultation, our attorneys will answer your questions with care and concern, while ensuring that you receive the best possible representation throughout the duration of your case.