San Bernardino

Rudy Ray Muniz, 47, was killed in a San Bernardino truck accident after a vehicle making a U-turn struck him. According to a news report in The-Press Enterprise, the fatal truck accident occurred near the intersection of Grove Avenue and Nocta Street in Ontario, the evening of July 8, 2011. Muniz was traveling north, in the left lane, on his motorcycle, when a truck in the right lane attempted to make a U-turn. Muniz was fatally injured as he collided with the truck and was pulled underneath it. An investigation is ongoing.

My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Rudy Ray Muniz following this tragic motorcycle accident. My thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.

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Inadequate care and nursing home neglect led to the death of an elderly patient at a care facility operated by the Community Hospital of San Bernardino in 2008, state investigators have determined. According to a news report in The San Bernardino County Sun, the nursing home faces an $80,000 fine in connection with the patient's death. California Department of Public Health investigators found that the patient died on February 2, 2008 after the tubes that connected him to a ventilator had been disconnected.

The report states that a ventilator alarm that should have alerted staff about the disconnection was not heard. The report also states that the hospital, after this tragic incident, took corrective steps by training its staff about caring for patients who rely on ventilators. The fine was issued last month and the hospital did not appeal it.

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A hit-and-run driver, who struck and injured two bicyclists, one of them identified as Tim Moreno, has been arrested thanks to tips from the community. According to a news report in the Victorville Daily Press, the car accident occurred on June 11, 2011 near Apple Valley and Symeron roads in Apple Valley. Officials say the driver, 61-year-old Michael Slusser, came too close to the bike lane where the men were biking and struck Moreno in the back of his head with a passenger side mirror.

Moreno fell down and in the process knocked down another rider. Slusser fled the scene. The Victor Valley Bicycle Club had set up a reward fund to help catch the driver. Slusser was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run. Slusser has apparently been arrested in the past for several crimes including domestic violence and vehicle code violations. Read the rest »

Zada Louise Fields, 80, of Kingman, Arizona, was killed in a San Bernardino car accident after her car rolled over along Route 66 in Mojave Desert. According to a news report in The Press-Enterprise, the fatal rollover crash occurred the afternoon of May 23, 2011 in Essex, near Needles. California Highway Patrol officials say Fields' 2010 Chevy Aveo drifted onto the soft asphalt shoulder. She steered back to the left, but lost control of the vehicle. Her car rolled over and came to rest in the open desert. Fields was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials say Fields was wearing her seatbelt, but "not properly."

My heartfelt sympathies go out to the family members of Zada Louise Fields for their devastating loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Read the rest »

Danielle Webster, 21, was killed in a San Bernardino car accident when a Jeep Cherokee hit the ATV in which she was a passenger. According to The Press-Enterprise, the fatal car accident occurred at Crystal Creek and Carnelian roads in Lucerne Valley, the evening of May 20, 2011. Webster was the passenger of a quad off-road vehicle that went through a stop sign. The Cherokee struck the ATV. Webster was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. It is not clear if the driver of the ATV will be cited for the fatal collision.

My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Danielle Webster following this tragic ATV accident. My thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.

San Bernardino County Car Accidents

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 107 people were killed and 1,925 were injured as a result of car accidents in the unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County. During that same year, 263 deaths and 8,504 injuries were reported as a result of car accidents in San Bernardino County as a whole. Read the rest »

A worker suffered job injuries in an explosion at Cargill Milling in San Bernardino. According to a news report in The San Bernardino County Sun, the workplace accident occurred on West Cajon Boulevard in San Bernardino the morning of April 19, 2011. It is unclear at this time what may have caused the explosion. The resulting fire was out before firefighters arrived at the scene of the incident. The report does not state the extent of the worker's injuries following the explosion, but the person has been transported to a local hospital. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the explosion.

My thoughts and prayers are with the victim injured in this workplace accident. I wish the worker a complete and speedy recovery.

What Caused This Workplace Injury?

It is unclear from the report what may have caused this workplace explosion. I trust Cal-OSHA investigators are out at the mill looking into whether the required safety standards were being adhered to, or if there were any violations. There are also other questions here. Did the worker receive adequate job training and safety training? Was the worker given protective gear? Did the employer maintain a safe workplace? Was the accident caused by a defective product or malfunctioning equipment? Read the rest »

Alta Marie Chriss, 51, was fatally injured in an Ontario car accident after she lost control of her car and crashed. According to a news report in The Press-Enterprise, the fatal rollover accident occurred when Chriss' 2000 Chevy Malibu ran off the connector road between the southbound Interstate 15 and westbound Highway 60 and overturned. California Highway Patrol officials say the accident was discovered the morning of April 11, 2011, and that the Chevy had veered to the right, before going through the guardrail and rolling over. Officials say Chriss was not wearing a seatbelt at the time. An investigation is ongoing.

I offer my deepest condolences to everybody who knew and loved Alta Marie Chriss for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Read the rest »

Charles Edward Piddisi, 52, was killed in an ATV accident while riding in San Bernardino County. According to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the fatal off-road accident occurred in the Durmont Dunes area of rural Baker the night of March 18, 2011. Piddisi was riding a Yamaha 350 four-wheeled ATV toward the top of a sand dune when he was launched 150 feet and fatally wounded. Police believe the man was riding at a high rate of speed at the time of the accident. It is unclear, however, why he lost control of the ATV. The California Highway Patrol is investigating this fatal accident.

My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Charles Edward Piddisi following this tragic ATV accident. My thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time. Read the rest »

A 56-year-old man was killed in a San Bernardino car accident after he was struck by a vehicle at a local street intersection. According to a news report in The Press Enterprise, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred at the intersection of East Avenue and Baseline Road in Fontana early morning on February 26, 2011. The victim, who has not yet been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. Fontana police officials are investigating the incident.

I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved this deceased car accident victim. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Pedestrian Accidents

According to California Highway Patrol's 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were five fatalities and 39 injuries due to pedestrian accidents in Fontana. In San Bernardino County as a whole, 39 people died and 432 were injured in pedestrian accidents during the same year. Read the rest »

A fatal San Bernardino bus accident, which occurred the morning of February 21, 2011, was caused by the bus' driver, Won Seok Chae, 61, who died in the crash. California Highway Patrol officials said Chae lost control of the church bus, which was carrying 18 teens and four adults from the Light of Love Mission Church and heading back to Pasadena from a winter retreat. The bus crossed over the double yellow line on Highway 189 and struck a San Bernardino County Fire Department SUV.

Chae sustained fatal injuries. Eleven people are still hospitalized, three of them with critical injuries. A 12-year-old girl identified as Jae-Yun Ha sustained severe head and abdominal injuries. Doctors are doubtful if her brain will function normally again. Caleb Kim, 17, and a 28-year-old woman are in critical but stable condition. Two others sustained broken bones. Six others remain hospitalized with serious injuries.

My heart goes out to all the injured victims and their families. These are youngsters who were out having a good time and learning. What an unfortunate tragedy! Please keep these young victims and their families in your thoughts and prayers. Read the rest »