2009 May Archive

Bill Daniels, an Orange County senior driver, is thanking his lucky stars after a Santa Ana car accident that could have ended up pretty badly for him, but didn't. Daniels was driving his 2008 BMW east on 17th Avenue the morning of May 28, 2009, when an 87-year-old woman driving a Dodge Caravan without a license turned left in front of him almost crashing head-on. According to an article in The Orange County Register, the woman had not held a valid driver's license since 2002.

Daniels said he did not even have the time to react or apply the brakes in time to avoid the Orange County car collision. He estimated he was going at about 40 mph when he saw this "big white blur" in front of him. The Santa Ana car accident injured the elderly woman who had to be taken to the hospital. Daniels' BMW was totaled and he complained of "stiffness" immediately after the car crash. Read the rest »

We reported earlier this week about a Yamaha Rhino off-road accident in Riverside County which killed 31-year-old Juan Carlos Camarillo of Garden Grove. After we posted the blog, new details emerged about how this tragic off road rollover accident took place. According to a news report in The Orange County Register Camarillo was not wearing a seatbelt, and had five children as passengers in the Yamaha, including a 1-year-old child on his lap. No one was wearing a helmet or any other kind of protective gear. Camarillo was apparently trying to climb a steep hill on the Yamaha Rhino with all these children in tow when he lost control and the Rhino rolled over, toppling down a sharp embankment.

Camarillo was pronounced dead at the scene. Christian Camarillo, 5, was critically injured with two broken arms. Johnathan Camarillo, 8, had a broken hand. The 1-year-old, Ethan Camarillo, had cuts on his stomach. Desiree Camarillo, 4, had a broken left leg and Marlene Maldonado, 8, injured her wrist. The children were taken to area hospitals. California Highway Patrol officials said the cause of the Yamaha Rhino off-road crash was not immediately known. The Register also reports that Juan Camarillo was charged in 2006 for driving without a seatbelt, but the charges were dismissed because Camarillo went to traffic school. Read the rest »

Skywalker Holdings has recalled 60,000 defective trampoline products because the enclosure can fail resulting in a fall hazard and serious personal injuries. According to news article in Consumer Reports, the company has received at least 250 reports of support straps that connect the top of the enclosure to the poles, breaking. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission officials say that so far no injuries or deaths have been reported as a result of these product defects.

This product recall includes a 13-foot square trampoline and enclosure combination, which has blue spring pads, a black net enclosure and a jumping mat. The name "Skywalker Holdings" is printed on a label located under the jumping mat. These defective trampolines were made in China and sold at specialty stores and major retailers nationwide and online from January 2007 through February 2009 for between $400 and $600. If you own one of these defective products and have questions, please stop using it immediately and call 1-866-603-5867 for a free repair kit. Read the rest »

A Moreno Valley off-road accident recently killed the rider of a Yamaha Rhino. Juan Carlos Camarillo, 31, of Garden Grove was killed the evening of May 24, 2009 near Moreno Calley after he lost control of his Yamaha Rhino utility terrain vehicle. According to a news report in the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Camarillo was riding off Gillman Springs Road near Alessandro Boulevard when he lost control of the Yamaha Rhino on a hillside 2,000 feet east of Alessandro Boulevard.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Juan Carlos Camarillo for their tragic loss. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this man. Please keep them in your prayers.

In April, Yamaha Motor Corp. USA stopped sales of three Rhino off-road vehicle models and offered to take in about 120,000 of its defectively designed and manufactured Rhino 450, 660 and 700 model off-highway recreational vehicles for free repairs. The company took this step particularly to prevent off-road rollover accidents, which have so far caused 46 deaths and hundreds of personal injuries. Yamaha has stopped sales of those defective off-road Yamaha Rhinos until the repairs are completed. Read the rest »

An 11-year-old boy is in the hospital after a Porter Ranch swimming pool accident the afternoon of May 24, 2009, according to a CBS News report. The boy was pulled from a pool in Porter Ranch and was resuscitated by bystanders who performed CPR on him. The near drowning occurred at a community pool in the 19300 block of Crystal Springs Circle. The 11-year-old boy, who was wearing a life vest to swim, was apparently found floating face-down and not breathing after brief inattention by those watching him. The boy was airlifted to Children's Hospital in Los Angeles in serious condition.

I'm extremely relieved that this child did not drown in the pool. I hope and pray that he did not suffer catastrophic injuries and wish him the very best for a quick and complete recovery. Please keep this boy in your prayers. Read the rest »

Recent reports have pointed to serous product liability on a coffee and tea brewer. Bunn-O-Matic is recalling about 35,600 single cup pod coffee and tea brewers because the pod drawer of the brewer can open unexpectedly during a brew cycle, posing a serious burn hazard to consumers. According to a report in Consumeraffairs.com, Bunn-O-Matic has so far received 10 reports of the drawer opening unexpectedly, including one report of burn injuries.

This product defect recall apparently involves Bunn Single Pod Brewers. The models included in this defective product recall are MCP and MCA. The pod brewers have a black body with stainless backsplash and measure 12 inches high by 8 inches wide. The brand name "Bunn" is printed on the front and lights up when the pod brewer is on. Read the rest »

I came across this story in The Orange County Register, which clearly illustrates the problem that we currently have with an increasing number of senior drivers. This Westminster car accident, thankfully, did not cause any catastrophic injuries or fatalities, but it certainly had the potential to do so. According to the article, a 90-year-old man crashed into a wall at a construction site at 7001 Westminster Boulevard the afternoon of May 20, 2009. The man, Edward Robarge, told officials that his license had been expired for several years and that he crashed because he could not feel his legs when he failed to hit the brake.

Robarge admitted to officials that he should not have been driving, but that he had to take his wife to the store. His wife is apparently deaf and partially blind. The Ornage County car crash occurred when Robarge was unable to apply the brakes of his pickup truck in time for stopped traffic and veered toward a fence to avoid hitting anyone else. Neither Robarge nor his wife was seriously injured. No one else suffered any personal injuries although at least a dozen construction workers were onsite at the time of this car collision. Read the rest »

The daughters of Phyllis Seidman, a Palo Alto resident ho was fatally injured in a Palo Alto pedestrian accident while crossing the street in December, have filed two claims against the city of Palo Alto alleging that a dangerous condition on the roadway caused Seidman's fatal personal injury. According to an article in Palo Alto Online, Seidman, 66, was crossing Cowper Street at Embarcadero Road in her motorized wheelchair, the afternoon of December 2, 2008 when a sport utility vehicle struck her. Seidman's daughters are claiming loss of financial support as well as love, companionship and other emotional support. They are also claiming funeral and burial expenses.

The city pedestrian accident attorney tells reporters that the claim comes as a surprise. This isn't something that a city would normally be liable for, he says. But the article also says that the city has been reviewing street conditions along Embarcadero Road, including the Cowper intersection where the fatal pedestrian accident occurred. Rejecting the claim would open the city up to a possible lawsuit. A claim is usually a precursor to a lawsuit and according to California Government Code, injury victims or their families must file them within six months of the pedestrian accident or personal injury if the claim is filed against a governmental agency. Read the rest »

William Andrew Silvestre, 37, died in an San Bernardino ATV accident on May 17, 2009 while riding a Yamaha 350 quad in a dry lake bed in El Mirage. According to a news report in the San Bernardino Sun, the ATV crash occurred when Silvestre, riding the Yamaha quad, hit a berm, rolled over and was ejected. Silvestre was pronounced dead at the scene. Shortly before Silvestre's death another man, John Peter Sliskovich, 25, was riding a dirt bike in the lake bed, hit a berm and was thrown off his bike. California Highway Patrol officials are investigating both personal injury accidents and it is not known if the men were riding together.

My heart goes out to the families of both Silvestre and Sliskovich for their tragic and sudden loss. I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved these men. Please keep them in your prayers. Read the rest »

The problem with old and aging defective tires is that they can look just as good as new. You would never know the difference until rubber meets the road. Older tires are prone to tire tread separation and tire failure and even the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has declared "tire aging" a serious issue. About 85 percent of tire-related car accidents involve tires that were at least six years old, according to the federal agency.

Now AB 496 by Assemblyman Mike Davis (D-Los Angeles) is requiring tire dealers to disclose the age of the tire before selling it. We have expiry dates on almost every food product we consume -- from milk and beer to baby food. Why shouldn't tires be included? The Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) is lobbying to get this bill passed and I'm 100 percent behind them. There is no question that letting consumers know how old a tire is and creating awareness about the danger of old and defective tires, will save numerous lives. Read the rest »