car crash

A 57-year-old woman died in a rollover car accident on the 15 Freeway in Barstow the afternoon of July 1 after she had over corrected her Toyota Solara, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports. The fatal car crash occurred on the northbound lanes of the 15 Freeway when she and another driver tried to merge into the same lane. After noticing each other, both drivers attempted to swerve and over corrected. The Toyota's driver died at the scene and her passenger was airlifted to the hospital with major injuries. There is no information about the driver of the other vehicle.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of the deceased woman. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved her. I also wish the injured victim the very best for a quick and complete recovery. Please keep this seriously injured victim in your prayers. Read the rest »

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 »

Valeria Atondo, a 17-year-old girl, was killed in a San Diego car accident the afternoon of May 7, 2009, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The incident began on the northbound 5 Freeway when the driver of a Toyota Corolla lost control for unknown reasons and hit the median wall, California Highway Patrol officials said. The Toyota apparently bounced off the median wall and struck a Ford Mustang, which sent the Toyota spinning, causing it to hit a Ford Ranger. Atondo, who was a passenger in the Ranger's front seat, was ejected. She died shortly after the San Diego car accident at the UCSD Medical Center. Another passenger in the Ranger suffered an injured wrist. No one else was personally injured in this three-car accident.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of young Valeria Atondo for their tragic and untimely loss. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to the California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were 84 deaths and 6,516 injuries involving car accidents in the city of San Diego. In San Diego County as a whole, there were 268 fatalities and 14,641 injuries as a result of car accidents in 2007.

This newspaper report does not say that Valeria was not wearing her seat belt at the time of the car crash. Her family would be well advised to consult with experienced California car product defect attorneys who will be able to look into whether seat belt defects caused Valeria Atondo to get ejected from the Ranger and suffer the fatal personal injuries.

Seatbelt defects are unfortunately all too common. Seat restraint systems could fail in many ways. A number of side release belts are prone to false latching and many end-release belts are prone to unlatching during car collisions. At Bisnar | Chase, we have seen numerous cases of seat belt failure involving seat belt mounts, buckles, webbing and grabbers.

Traffic investigators, in several car accident cases where the victim is ejected, tend to assume that the driver or vehicle occupant was not wearing their seat belt. But an expert looking for signs of seat belt use will be able to correct or confirm such assumptions. Skilled California seat belt defect attorneys will also have the body of the ejected person carefully examined for evidence of seat belt bruising or marking. Product defect law firms that have access to leading experts will also have the webbing microscopically examined for marks, blood stains or other indicators that would prove that the seat belt was in use at the time of the car crash.

A 56-year-old Auburn woman was killed in a King County car accident May 3, 2009 on the Benson Highway after her car was struck head-on by a driver who officials say was speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol. According to this news report in the Renton Reporter, the pickup driver, a 21-year-old man, crossed over from the northbound lanes on 108th Avenue Southeast at Southeast 190th Street and into the southbound lane striking first a car in which the Auburn woman was a passenger. He also struck a second car before coming to a stop, Renton Police Department officials said.

The Auburn woman, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead on the scene. Two other car crash victims were taken to the hospital, but their personal injuries were not life-threatening. The 21-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.

My heart goes out to the family of this DUI car accident victim, who was tragically killed because of a young man's negligence and callous disregard for public safety. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved this woman. Please keep them in your prayers.

I sincerely hope and pray that the driver involved in this car accident is thoroughly investigated and brought to justice. Driving under the influence is not only irresponsible and unethical, it is also against Washington State Law. RCW 46.61.502 states: "A person is guilty of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug if the person drives a vehicle within this state: (a) And the person has within two hours after driving an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher… (b) While the person is under the influence of or affected by intoxicating liquor or any drug; or (c) While the person is under the influence of or affected by intoxicating liquor and any drug."

There is no question that this pickup driver must be held criminally and civilly responsible for his actions. The victim's family and the other personally injured victims would be well advised to retain the services of a reputed Seattle car accident attorney who has successfully handled drunk driving cases. A skilled Seattle personal injury attorney will also look into other factors such as whether the drunk driver was on the job or running an errand for someone at the time of the car collision. If that's the case, the employer could also be held liable for the car accident.

Douglas Tarry, 27, was killed in a San Diego car accident after his truck was struck head-on by a suspected drunk driver who was trying to elude police, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The incident began the evening of April 19, 2009 on the Interstate 15 when a California Highway Patrol spotted 23-year-old Silvero Morales Romero speeding in a 2001 Ford Explorer and pulled him over. Romero, who was driving without a license, took off after the officer asked him for identification. Romero continued to drive on the freeway at 100 mph before getting onto State Route 76, CHP officials said.

The pursuing officer at the time lost sight of the Explorer but continued to follow with his lights and sirens off after slowing down. Romero then crossed over the double yellow lines and collided head-on with a 1999 Toyota pickup driven by Douglas Tarry. Romero also crashed into a 2004 Ford F-350 being driven by a 50-year-old man. Both he and his wife suffered minor injuries. Tarry was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. After the car crash Romero crawled out of the truck and tried to hop away from the scene although one of his legs was severed, officials said. He was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run, driving under the influence and evading arrest.

My heart goes out to the family of Douglas Tarry, who was tragically killed in this senseless car crash. I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved Tarry. Apparently, he was a promising young musician whose life was tragically cut short. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers.

There seems to be no question here that Romero was at fault for the car accident. Given the fact that he had no driver's license, it would not be a stretch to assume that he was also driving without auto insurance. Tarry's family may be able to receive compensation from the uninsured/underinsured motorist clause in his auto insurance policy, should Romero lack insurance or sufficient insurance.

In this case, there is also the issue of the CHP pursuit and whether the officer followed his department's policies and procedures during his pursuit of Romero. CHP supervisors said that in a pursuit, it is up to the individual officer to decide whether to continue it. The question here is that whether the CHP officer was justified in continuing to pursue Romero. Was it worth putting other lives at risk?

Tarry's family would be well advised to contact experienced California car accident attorneys, who have a successful track record of dealing with all the above issues. In cases where negligence or wrongdoing is involved, families of deceased victims may be able to file a wrongful death claim, which provides compensation for medical/funeral expenses, loss of earnings, and other related costs.