California Personal Injury Attorneys

An Anaheim police officer was seriously injured in a Riverside car accident involving three vehicles on the 91 Freeway. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the injury collision occurred the morning of July 15, 2010 near McKinley Street. The officer sustained broken bones. California Highway Patrol officials said he was riding a motorcycle and was involved in a collision with the two other vehicles. An investigation is ongoing. Read the rest of this entry »

Officials in Riverside County suspect that a drunk driver caused a fatal Riverside car accident that killed Monrovia elementary school teacher Maggie Clark. According to a report in the Pasadena Star-News, police arrested 33-year-old Jeremy Cook on suspicion of felony drunk driving and gross vehicular manslaughter in connection with the May 8, 2010 car crash near Hemet. Officials said Cook, who was driving a pickup truck, jumped the center divider and crashed head-on into an SUV driven by the 44-year-old Clark. She was killed at the scene while her passenger, Jan Dunbar, sustained a broken leg. Read the rest of this entry »

Maggie Clark, a 44-year-old elementary school teacher in Monrovia, was killed in a Riverside car accident after a pickup truck traveling on Gilman Springs Road crossed the center divider and hit her vehicle head-on. According to a report in the Pasadena Star-News, Clark and another teacher, Jan Dunbar, were on their way to a teacher's conference the morning of May 8, 2010, when the fatal car crash occurred in Morongo Valley. Dunbar sustained a broken leg, but did not suffer any life-threatening injuries. Dunbar told reporters that the driver of the truck that collided with their vehicle crossed the double yellow line and didn't even slow down after that. Clark, who was driving an SUV, could not get out of the truck's way in time to avoid the collision. Read the rest of this entry »

An 85-year-old man was fatally injured in a Riverside car accident after he was hit by a vehicle the night of April 10, 2010. The Desert Sun reports that the fatal pedestrian accident occurred at the intersection of Ramon Road and Desert View Drive. The driver who struck the man left the scene of the accident. Police are asking for the public's help to identify this hit-and-run driver. Officials describe the suspect vehicle as a white, newer model pickup truck with front-end damage. If you saw this collision, or, if you have any information about the vehicle or driver, please call police at 760-323-8115. Read the rest of this entry »

A bicyclist was injured in a Riverside car accident involving a SuperShuttle van on Highway 111. According to a news report in The Desert Sun, the injury collision occurred near Gateway Road the morning of February 11, 2010. The van driver told police that he was headed north in the right lane of the highway when he saw the bicyclist on the right shoulder, also traveling north. When the cyclist made a "sudden left turn" into the travel lanes, the van driver said he slammed on the brake and swerved. He however ended up hitting the bicyclist with the front passenger side of the van. The van then collided with a car. The driver of the SuperShuttle and two people in the other car where not injured. Police said the bicyclist seemed to have a significant head injury. Read the rest of this entry »

Francisca Reyes, 87, was killed in a Riverside car accident after the vehicle in which she was a passenger was broadsided by a pickup truck at an intersection in Indio. According to The Press Enterprise, the fatal car accident occurred at the intersection of Avenue 48 and Indio Boulevard the morning of February 1, 2010. Reyes was transported to an area hospital where she died a few hours later. One other person in the sedan had to be extricated from the wreckage and sustained moderate injuries.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Francisca Reyes for their devastating loss. They will certainly be in my thoughts and prayers. I also wish the injured victim the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.

Car Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), nine fatalities and 222 injuries were reported as a result of car accidents in Indio, California. In Riverside County as a whole, 279 fatalities and 9,925 injuries occurred during the same year, involving car accidents.

Deadly Side Impact Crash

Based on the information provided in this news report, it is not clear how or why this collision occurred. But we do know that it occurred at a street intersection. This is a broadside or "T-bone crash," which means typically, that it involves a collision occurring at a right angle. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), most deadly side-angle crashes in the year 2005 nationwide were broadside crashes. The NHTSA estimates that about 62.5 percent of all fatal side-angle crashes each year, are broadside crashes. Side-impact crashes can cause catastrophic injuries or death because the sides of vehicles offer less protection from the impact of the collision than the front or back of the vehicle.

Who is At Fault?

In such cases, one of the drivers is at-fault for failing to yield right-of-way or running a red light. I trust investigators are looking into which one of the drivers failed to yield right-of-way at this intersection and caused this deadly crash. If the driver of the pickup is determined to have caused this crash, he or she could be held liable for the accident, fatality and injuries caused. If that individual was on-the-job at the time, then his or her employer could also be held liable.

Victims and their families in such cases would be well-advised to contact a reputed Riverside personal injury lawyer, who will stay on top of the official investigation and make sure that their legal rights and best interests are protected. The best personal injury law firms will always provide a free consultation and comprehensive claim evaluation to injured victims and their families.

The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.

Paul John Rado, 62, was killed in a Riverside car accident the morning of January 19, 2010 after the company truck he was driving left Highway 189 and crashed. According to a news report in The Mountain News, Rado, an employee with Arrowhead Alarms, was returning to his company's headquarters after his morning rounds, in the Blue Jay area, when the fatal accident occurred. Rado's 2003 Ford Ranger pickup truck was located down an embankment off the roadway, and on its roof, by one of his co-workers, who went out to look for him when he did not return to work. California Highway Patrol officials said Rado was found in the driver's seat with his seatbelt in place. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Read the rest of this entry »

A man sustained injuries in a Riverside car accident after his bicycle was hit by a vehicle near Murrieta. City News Service reports that the man was riding his bicycle the afternoon of December 9, 2009 near Clinton Keith road and Avenida La Cresta when he was struck by the sedan. The driver did not stop at the scene of the injury accident. According to California Highway Patrol officials, the suspect vehicle was a dark blue Honda Civic. The suspected hit-and-run vehicle was last seen going westbound on Clinton Keith. It is not clear what type of injuries the bicyclist suffered. Read the rest of this entry »

Derek Short, 23, was seriously injured in a Riverside car accident after he was struck by a suspected drunk driver on a Palm Springs street while he was pushing a disabled SUV the afternoon of November 28, 2009. According to a news report in The Press Enterprise, Short had been a passenger in an SUV that was being driven by 23-year-old Ernesto Paz. Short got off the car and was attempting to push the disabled vehicle along North Sunrise Way at Via Escuela, when Seth Arsenault, 52, rear-ended the Toyota SUV and slammed into Short. Short sustained major injuries in this accident and was transported to an area hospital. Arsenault was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
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Michael Hughes, 26, was killed in a Riverside car accident after a driver turned in front of him on Highway 62 in Morongo Valley the afternoon of November 11, 2009. According to a news report in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Hughes was riding his 2007 Yamaha motorcycle east on the highway near Samel Drive when a man driving a GMC SUV turned ahead of him. Hughes' motorcycle swerved and headed into oncoming traffic. He crashed into a Toyota Sienna and was pronounced dead at the scene. Four people were taken to an area hospital with minor injuries. California Highway Patrol officials have determined that alcohol or drugs did not play a part in this fatal car accident.
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