personal injuries

The most dangerous period of the year for teen drivers and their passengers when it comes to car accidents is summer. According to an analysis of crash data compiled by AAA, seven of the top 10 deadliest days of the year are between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The Orange County Register reports that teen driving nearly doubles during the months of June, July and August as school vacations and relaxed curfews create a potent combination. Studies also show that teens resort to speeding on winding, rural roads for entertainment and thrills.

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Stephen Gilbert, 42 and Ronald Johnson, 41, were injured in a Butte County car accident, which police say, involved a distracted driver. According to a news report in The Chico Enterprise-Record, the three-vehicle car accident occurred on Highway 99 near Chico the night of February 7, 2011. A 2001 Chrysler 300, driven by 24-year-old Caitlin Miller, veered into oncoming traffic where it collided with a 2006 Dodge Ram pickup, driven by Gilbert and a 1994 Lexus driven by Johnson. Witnesses have reported that they saw Miller talking on her cell phone shortly before the accident. All three drivers suffered moderate injuries. An investigation is ongoing.

My thoughts and prayers are with the injured victims of this car accident. I wish them all a complete and speedy recovery.

Car Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 26 people were killed and 401 were injured as a result of car accidents in the unincorporated areas of Butte County. During that same year, there were 30 fatalities and 761 injuries reported due to Butte County car accidents. Read the rest »

Officials are saying that charges are possible in a fatal dog bite incident, which killed 53-year-old Christina Casey in the backyard of her Moreno Valley home on November 2, 2010. According to a news report in The Press-Enterprise, the fatal dog attack involved two pit bull mixes, which mauled Casey to death. The Riverside County District Attorney's office could file involuntary manslaughter charges against the dog owners who have not yet been identified. Police believe the dogs were owned by a neighbor. A forensic dentist confirmed that the pit bull mixes were responsible for Casey's fatal bites. Read the rest »

Jim Gagliardi, 71, was seriously injured in a Fresno area car accident, which police say, was caused by a driver who failed to yield right-of-way. According to a news report in The Fresno Bee, the serious injury accident occurred on Highway 41 in Madera County the night of November 16, 2010.

Gagliardi was driving a GMC southbound on the highway when a Jeep turned in front of him to enter a private driveway. Gagliardi suffered major injuries in the car accident. He had to be rescued from his vehicle and was transported to an area hospital. It is unclear at this time if the 18-year-old driver of the Jeep, Maxwell Gross, will be cited for the car accident. An investigation is ongoing. Read the rest »

Roberto Santana, 50, was critically injured in a car accident in Woodland after the vehicle in which he was a passenger, was struck by an out-of-control vehicle. According to a news report in the Daily Democrat, Santana was traveling in a car driven by 63-year-old Alfonso Gonzalez on State Route 113 near County Road 25A, the afternoon of November 7, 2010. Read the rest »

Rodrigo Ramirez, Gustavo Martinez, Rigoberto Martinez and Gabriella Rosas were all fatally injured in a Butte County car accident that caused two vehicles to burst into flames. According to The Appeal Democrat, the fatal car accident occurred on Highway 99 near Oroville the morning October 31, 2010. Police report that Ryan Finnerty, 21, let his 2006 Dodge Dakota veer into opposing lanes of traffic. The Dodge crashed into a 2006 Ford Explorer driven by Rodrigo Ramirez, 41, and then burst into flames. The fire spread to gasoline that had spilled on the street and ignited the Explorer, killing four of the Ford SUV's occupants. Bystanders were able to rescue Guillermo Morales, 35, and 11-year-old Rodrigo Ramirez Jr., from the Explorer. They, and Finnerty were transported to area hospitals and are said to be in critical condition. Read the rest »

Linda Comstock, 57, who was seriously injured in a San Diego car accident on September 22, 2010, is now questioning the police officers' decision to engage in pursuit. KGTV San Diego reports that a head-on collision involving Comstock's Jeep took place during a high-speed police chase on Carlsbad Village Drive near the Interstate 5, in Carlsbad. Police were pursuing three teens in a Honda Accord when the teenagers exited Interstate 5 and crashed into the Jeep. Comstock sustained serious injuries including a broken leg, shattered sternum, broken arm, fractured ankle and dislocated shoulder. She is still in the hospital, recovering. Read the rest »

The Newport Beach personal injury law firm of BISNAR | CHASE will be representing two victims of the recent Knott's Berry Farm Pony Express ride accident, which occurred the night of October 7, 2010. Our office was contacted by one of the 10 victims injured in this amusement park ride accident, who said that both he and his girlfriend's mother had sustained back injuries. Read the rest »

Sherrie Barnett, 54, was injured in a dog bite incident after she was attacked by a pit bull while walking her dogs in her neighborhood. The Daily Democrat reports that the vicious dog attack occurred on September 23, 2010 in Yolo County. The pit bull broke free of the tether holding it to a tree and attacked Barnett and her dogs. Barnett sustained injuries to her fingers and hands and has had to undergo rabies treatments because the dog was not vaccinated. Authorities impounded the pit bull for 10 days because it had an expired license. Read the rest »

One person was injured in a San Diego car accident on the Interstate 805 after a school bus was rear-ended by another vehicle. According to a 10news report, the bus was struck in the southbound lanes of the freeway near State Route 163, the morning of September 28, 2010. The bus then went off the roadway shoulder and crashed into a tree. One of the drivers was injured, but it is not clear which one. It appears that the school bus driver may have been injured because there was extensive damage to the front of the bus. Fortunately, there were no students on board. An investigation is ongoing. Read the rest »