Personal Injury
Defective ProductsWestminster, California, Busiest Intersections
When I think of cities where catastrophic injury accidents are the norm, Westminster used to be at the bottom of my list. According to the O.C.T.A. (Orange County Transit Authority), the City of Westminster has four of Orange County's busiest intersections, and with a high rate of traffic comes a high rate of traffic accidents.
Westminster, founded in 1870 by Rev. Lemuel Webber, was originally a Presbyterian temperance colony. Its name was taken from the Westminster Assembly of 1643, which laid out the basic tenets of the Presbyterian faith. Based on numbers taken from the year 2000, "The City of Progress Built on Pride" contains 88,207 people and is best known for their Vietnam War Memorial and Westminster Mall.
Beach Boulevard and McFadden Avenue
The intersection of Beach Boulevard and McFadden Avenue in Westminster is the number one busiest intersection in Orange County, according to the 2008 figures. An average of 108,400 vehicles travel through Beach and McFadden on a daily basis, the figures show.
There were 10 traffic accident fatalities and 559 injuries involving car accidents in Westminster in 2007, according to California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS). In Orange County as a whole, 178 deaths and 14,185 injuries were reported as a result of 2007 car accidents. In 2006, a pedestrian was struck and killed at this very intersection.
Beach Boulevard and Westminster Boulevard
The intersection of Beach and Westminster Boulevard is the third busiest intersection in Orange County with an average of 105, 300 vehicles per day. "Traffic flow is pretty well up and down Beach Boulevard unless there's an accident that creates backup," said Sgt. Mark Nye, traffic sergeant with the Westminster Police Department. "Aside from that, there's not a lot of traffic congestion." This intersection had 17 crashes in the intersection, and 20 traffic collisions were reported on Beach and Westminster Boulevards.
A 73-year-old bicyclist became a victim of a Westminster pedestrian accidentupon approaching this intersection in 2006. Ba Pham of Westminster was riding his bike westbound on Westminster Boulevard when he collided with a truck going south on Beach Boulevard, Westminster police Lt. Jack Davidson said. He was knocked from his bike and rushed to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he recovered from critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Beach Boulevard and Bolsa Avenue
The intersection of Beach Boulevard and Bolsa Avenue in Westminster carries an average of 105,200 vehicles a day and is fourth busiest in the county. As a result of the number of vehicles going through Beach Boulevard, traffic collisions occur on Beach and Bolsa, said Sgt. Mark Nye, traffic sergeant with the Westminster Police Department. In 2008, there were 17 traffic collisions in this intersection. In 2009, there were 22 traffic collisions.
Beach Boulevard and Trask Avenue
An average of 90, 500 vehicles travel on Beach Boulevard and Trask Avenue in Westminster, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority.
Officer Steven Phillips was killed in a motorcycle accident near this intersection. The incident occurred when the driver of another vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign while turning on Trask Avenue. Officer Phillips' motorcycle struck the driver's side door of the other vehicle. He was transported to a hospital in Huntington Beach where he died one hour later as a result of his injuries.
In these types of accidents, if a dangerous condition on the roadway is found to have caused or contributed to an injury collision, then the city of governmental agency responsible for maintaining that roadway could also be held responsible. A Westminster car accident lawyer will be able to walk you through the process of obtaining compensation for your injuries. If you have been in an accident at one of these intersections, we would like to hear from you, understanding the causes may help us prevent future accidents.
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