By Admin on March 21, 2011 -
Officials have identified a man who was killed in a Sacramento area car accident, which involved about 40 vehicles, as Douglas Swasey. According to an Associated Press news report, the fatal car accident occurred in snowy weather on the Interstate 80 near Yuba Gap the afternoon of March 18, 2011. California Highway Patrol officials say Swasey was killed when he stepped out of his truck to either put chains on or to get it free. The roadways were slick at the time, officials said. According to other news reports, the chain-reaction crash was triggered by a big rig that fell on four vehicles. It is not clear how the big rig went out of control on the slick roadways. At least a dozen others were taken to local hospitals for treatment of minor to moderate injuries. An investigation is ongoing.
I offer my deepest condolences to the family members and friends of Douglas Swasey for their devastating loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. My heart also goes out to the many injured victims of this horrific crash. I wish them the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
Car Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol's 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were four deaths and 60 injuries involving car accidents in the unincorporated areas of Yuba County. During the same year, 12 people died and 287 were injured in car accidents in Yuba County.
Causes, Laws and Liability Issues
Based on this news report, it is not clear how or why this fatal chain-reaction car accident involving 40 vehicles occurred. Did the big rig cause this crash? Officials say the rain and snow may have played a part, but there are many other questions here. Was the big rig driver going too fast given the slick roadway and cold weather conditions? Read the rest »
By Personal Injury Lawyer on January 28, 2011 -
Police officer Bobby Daniels, 47, was seriously injured in a Sacramento area car accident, which officials say, involved a driver under the influence of alcohol. According to a news report in the Rocklin & Roseville Today, the injury accident occurred on Fairway Drive at Blue Oaks Boulevard in Roseville the afternoon of January 22, 2011. Ilia Arthur Wong, 20, lost control of his 1993 Jeep SUV while making a turn and ended up striking Daniels on the sidewalk. The off-duty Sacramento police officer sustained major injuries. Wong has been arrested for DUI causing injury.
My thoughts and prayers are with Officer Bobby Daniels following this pedestrian accident. I wish him a complete and speedy recovery from his injuries.
DUI Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), three people were killed and 62 were injured in Roseville DUI collisions. During that same year, there were 10 fatalities and 190 injuries reported due to alcohol-related car accidents in Placer County. Read the rest »
By Admin on December 5, 2010 -
Patricia Ann Erickson, 73, was killed in a Sacramento car accident while crossing the road at a busy intersection the night of November 24, 2010. According to KXTV, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred at Auburn Boulevard and Halifax Street in Citrus Heights. A car traveling on Auburn Boulevard struck Erickson. She was transported to a local hospital where she died from her injuries. Investigators are still looking into the cause of this fatal pedestrian accident. Read the rest »
By Admin on September 13, 2010 -
Crystal Marie Rodriguez, 19, was killed in a Sacramento area car accident after the 1997 Ford SUV in which she was a passenger crashed the morning of September 11, 2010. According to a news report in The Sacramento Bee, the fatal rollover crash occurred on County Road 35 in Woodland. California Highway Patrol officials say the driver of the SUV, 19-year-old Timothy Patrick Hernandez, has been arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter. Eight others, including the driver, were injured. Six sustained major injuries. Rodriguez was ejected and killed at the scene. Read the rest »
By Admin on June 24, 2010 -
Lolita Buenviaje, 49, was killed in a Sacramento car accident the night of June 13, 2010 after the car in which she was a passenger blew a tire and rolled over. According to a news report, the fatal accident occurred on the northbound 5 Freeway just north of the Pete Miller Road overcrossing, between the Newman and Gustine exits. Officials said Buenviaje was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the 2005 Chevrolet. The driver of the Chevy, 46-year-old Arnel Buenviaje, sustained major injuries and was airlifted to an area hospital. Three others in the vehicle suffered minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital. Read the rest »
Amanda Dias, 19, and 25-year-old Iva Adriano were both injured in a car accident the afternoon of May 26, 2010. According to the Roseville Press-Tribune, Dias was driving her Honda Civic north on Industrial Avenue near Athens Avenue, in Roseville, when for an unknown reason, she turned left directly in front of a Dodge Intrepid driven by 25-year-old Iva Adriano, who was traveling east on Athens. The Intrepid struck the left side of Dias' car. Dias and two of her passengers suffered major injuries and were transported to a local hospital. Adriano sustained moderate injuries and was also hospitalized. Police say alcohol or drugs don't seem to have been a factor. Read the rest »
A teen driver is facing vehicular manslaughter charges in connection with a
Sacramento car accident that killed Christine Ingle, 45, on February 16, 2010. KXTV reports that Travis Moore, 19, is facing these serious criminal charges after officials say he drove past a stop sign, in his Mercedes SUV, at the intersection of C and 16th streets and crashed into Ingle's Ford Explorer SUV. Ingle was partially ejected from the SUV in spite of wearing a seatbelt, and killed. Three other teens in the Mercedes were critically injured in the crash. Read the rest »
By Admin on February 14, 2010 -
Sandra Isbell, 48, was killed in a car accident after her vehicle was struck head-on by a suspected drunk driver early morning February 11, 2010. According to a news report in the Merced Sun-Star, the fatal car accident occurred on Highway 99 near Bradbury Road, in Atwater, when 19-year-old Gill Kushdeep was driving the wrong way. Isbell was transported to a hospital in Modesto where she died. Kushdeep sustained minor injuries and has been charged with felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter.
I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sandra Isbell for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. They will be in my prayers.
Alcohol-Related Car Accidents
There were no fatalities, but eight injuries caused by DUI car accidents in Atwater, according to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS). Countywide, alcohol-related car crashes claimed 12 lives and injured 178 people in 2007.
Drunk Driving Laws
Driving under the influence is a serious crime under California law. According to California Vehicle Code Section 23152 (a): "It is unlawful for any person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage and drug, to drive a vehicle." In this case, Kushdeep has also been charged with vehicular manslaughter because the act of his drunk driving fatally injured Isbell.
Liability Issues
I would urge Isbell's family to get in touch with an experienced Sacramento personal injury lawyer, who has successfully held drunk and negligent drivers accountable. A knowledgeable personal injury attorney will also advise the family about how they may file a claim for compensation through their own car insurance policy in the event the accident involves an uninsured or underinsured motorist.
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.
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