2010 April Archive

A pregnant woman was injured in a Costa Mesa car accident that involved several vehicles on the 55 Freeway the morning of April 29, 2010. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, three vehicles were in the slow lane when one of the vehicles rear-ended the other. The car crash occurred in the northbound lanes of the Costa Mesa Freeway and involved a Honda Element, a Subaru Outback and a Toyota 4Runner. The woman who was four months pregnant was the driver of the Toyota and was transported to an area hospital because she complained of pain. Read the rest »

A woman was severely injured in a San Diego car accident after she was struck by an SUV at a city intersection. According to a news report in The San Diego Union-Tribune, the woman was walking at the intersection of Second Avenue and Elm Street in the Park West neighborhood the morning of April 28, 2010, when a Ford Explorer hit her. The female pedestrian sustained major injuries in this collision. She was transported to a nearby hospital with hip injuries. An investigation is ongoing. Read the rest »

A San Francisco car accident caused by an elderly driver left eight people, including the driver, injured, CBS News reports. According to San Francisco police officers, a gold Ford Taurus was traveling south on 19th Avenue when it ran a red light at Taraval Street, the afternoon of April 26, 2010. The Ford then struck a vehicle at the intersection, jumped the median and then hit four other cars that were heading north on 19th Avenue. Police are looking into whether the elderly man behind the wheel of the Taurus had suffered a medical condition just before the crash. Eight people were transported to area hospitals including the driver of the Taurus who is listed in critical condition.

View Larger Map

I sympathize deeply with everyone who has been injured in this horrific accident. I wish them all the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep them in your prayers.

San Francisco Car Accidents

According to California Highway Patrol's 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were 35 deaths and 3,577 injuries involving car accidents in San Francisco, California.

The Issue of Elderly Drivers

Based on this news report, it is still not clear how or why this major injury collision occurred. Did the elderly driver of the Taurus in fact suffer a medical condition? Was he healthy enough to drive in the first place? Did he have a valid license? Or was there any negligence or wrongdoing involved? I trust investigators are examining these and other factors in order to determine exactly what occurred in this case.

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), California now has almost 3 million drivers who are 65 years or older. A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds fatality rates for drivers begin to climb after age 65. In 2005, about 11 percent of fatal crashes in the United States had involved drivers 65 or older.

Such accidents are constant reminders to the rest of us that we share our roadways with senior drivers. Many of them are able to drive without any problems or issues. However, some of them evidently should not be driving. Their yearning for independence and mobility is understandable. But, it should not come at the cost of public safety.

Fault and Liability

The injured victims in this accident would be well-advised to contact an experienced San Francisco personal injury lawyer, who will analyze all aspects of an incident and make sure that the negligent parties are held accountable. Where negligence is involved, injured victims can seek compensation to cover medical expenses, loss of wages, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation, physical therapy and other related damages.

Should elderly drivers be retested and if so, how often do you think they should be reexamined and retested?

A woman sustained injuries in an Anaheim car accident after she was hit by a vehicle, while crossing at a freeway on-ramp the morning of April 26, 2010. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the injury collision occurred when the woman was walking on Brookhurst Street at the eastbound 91 Freeway on-ramp. She was struck by a Honda Civic. Anaheim police officials said the woman was knocked to the pavement and hit her face. Authorities are investigating this accident. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries. Read the rest »

We have heard a lot about the Transocean oil platform rig blast off the coast of Louisiana, which has left 17 workers injured, at least seven critically. According to recent news reports, 11 workers are still missing after the April 20, 2010 explosion and are being searched by the U.S. Coast Guard. This oil platform explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling platform is a sad reminder to all of us about the great hazards and risks offshore oil rig and oil platform workers face on the job. Oil industry workers labor under extremely dangerous conditions and this incident is yet another example of that reality. Read the rest »

A driver was injured in a car accident which officials say was caused by a driver who ran a red light at an intersection and then fled the scene of the crash. The Clear Lake Observer reports that the crash happened on April 20, 2010 at the intersection of Highway 53 and 18th Avenue in Clearlake. Police say that a driver in a silver car ran a red light and slammed into a Dodge Neon. The driver of the Neon was injured and transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. The seriousness of his injuries is not known. The vehicle that left the scene is believed to be a small, silver two-door car. The driver, officials say, was a man. But no further description was available. Read the rest »

Two loose pit bulls attacked and caused personal injuries to animal control officials who were responding to frightened neighbors being chased by the dogs. The Lake County News reports that the dog attack occurred in Mendocino County the morning of April 9, 2010. Police received calls from people who said they were being chased by pit bulls in the area of Laughlin Way and North State Street. Read the rest »

Jovanna Lugo, 27, was killed in a Los Angeles car accident after she was struck by an LAPD cruiser while making a U-turn on a Sylmar roadway, near the 210 Freeway. ABC News reports that the fatal car accident occurred the night of April 21, 2010 in the 12000 block of North Glen Oaks. Lugo was apparently making a U-turn on northbound Glenoaks Boulevard to go southbound. As she was attempting the U-turn, Lugo's car was broadsided by the police cruiser, which was traveling without lights or sirens. Lugo's car was pushed across the boulevard and against an iron fence. Investigators are looking into issues such as whether Lugo made a legal U-turn and whether the police cruiser was traveling too fast. The two police officers sustained moderate injuries. Read the rest »

James Swopes, 47, was killed in a pedestrian accident in Chico, California, the night of April 19, 2010, the Chico Enterprise Record reports. The injury accident occurred on The Esplanade near Panama Avenue. Swopes was struck by an elderly driver as he tried to cross The Esplanade from west to east. The driver was identified as 87-year-old Julio Amezquita. Swopes was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Amezquita apparently told police that he did not see the pedestrian until he was directly in front of his vehicle. Read the rest »

Two people, one of them identified as 32-year-old Michelle Santos, were killed in a San Diego car accident after two vehicles struck each other in Escondido. San Diego 6 reports that Santos was traveling west on Old Castle Road near Champagne Boulevard early morning on April 18, 2010, when her vehicle swerved into oncoming traffic lanes and collided head-on with the other car. California Highway Patrol officials said Santos was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver was transported to a hospital but died shortly after the crash. The San Diego County Medical Examiner's office identifies the second victim only as a 65-year-old Fallbrook woman. Read the rest »