California Personal Injury Attorneys

David Matthews, 38, was critically injured in a San Bernardino car accident, which officials say, was caused by a suspected drunk driver on the morning of March 8, 2010. According to a news report in The San Bernardino Sun, 19-year-old Ryan Inglesby ran a stop sign on Highway 62 while driving a 2005 Chevy pickup truck north on Sunset Road, in Joshua Tree. He then, broadsided a 1999 Dodge Caravan that went out of control and crashed through a fence. Matthews, the driver of the Dodge, was transported to a regional hospital in critical condition. Both Inglesby and his passenger, 22-year-old Cody Hommel, sustained minor injuries. Inglesby was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence. Read the rest of this entry »

The driver of a Ford Econoline van was killed in a Los Angeles car accident, which officials say, was caused by a suspected drunk driver, early morning on March 4, 2010. According to a news report in the Daily Breeze, police arrested 27-year-old Adriano Baek on suspicion of one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and two counts of DUI causing injury or death -- all felonies. Read the rest of this entry »

A San Bernardino car accident caused by a suspected drunk driver the evening of February 19, 2010, resulted in serious injuries to Charlotte Anderson, 64 and Stephen Anderson, 63, the Hi Desert Star reports. The Chevy Lumina driven by Charlotte Anderson was rear-ended by 28-year-old Jennifer Belle who was doing about 85 mph on a Joshua Tree roadway. She lost control of her 2006 Nissan Armada SUV and crashed into the Lumina. Officials said Charlotte Anderson was critically injured and her passenger, Stephen Anderson, sustained serious injuries. Belle was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Read the rest of this entry »

Five people were injured in a car accident caused by a Kaiser surgeon who was driving the wrong way on a Napa area highway early morning on February 21, 2010. According to a news report in the Vallejo Times-Herald, a head-on collision occurred when Dr. Michael Meehan, a 61-year-old orthopedic surgeon at Kaiser, who was driving a Toyota Tacoma, struck a 2001 Oldsmobile Alero on the Highway 221, near Kaiser Road. California Highway Patrol officials arrested Meehan on suspicion of driving under the influence. The driver and passengers of the car that Meehan struck ranged in age from 17 to 23. Those individuals sustained moderate to major injuries and were all transported to a Napa hospital. Meehan broke both his legs in the crash, the report states. Read the rest of this entry »

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.

A San Diego car accident which police say was caused by a suspected drunk driver early morning on January 29, 2010, injured three people. 10news reports that the driver not only struck three people who were standing outside a Pacific Beach bar, but also fled the scene of the accident. He was, however, apprehended soon afterward in his home. One of the pedestrians had a broken leg and the two others sustained abrasions and bruises. Witnesses were able to provide information that helped police track the hit-and-run suspect. Read the rest of this entry »

A 42-year-old woman and mother of three, who was killed in a Bakersfield car accident, has been identified as Michelle Marie Maxwell. The Californian reports that Maxwell was a passenger in a vehicle that was being driven by her 15-year-old daughter Michaela. Their Hyundai was struck at the intersection of Panama Lane and Ashe Road by a driver, who according to police ran a red light and was driving under the influence. He was identified as 30-year-old Mitchell Green, an off-duty firefighter with the Bakersfield Fire Department. Green was also injured in the crash, but is facing felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter charges. Michaela has also been hospitalized with injuries, which are not life-threatening. Read the rest of this entry »

An Orange County car accident caused by a suspected drunk driver left a 12-year-old girl injured the evening of January 7, 2010. The Orange County Register reports that the injury pedestrian accident occurred at the intersection of Clinton Street and Cardinal Way when the girl who was walking across the street was struck by a vehicle driven by 47-year-old Alvaro Hernandez. The girl suffered a broken toe and cuts to her arms. Police officers who responded to the scene conducted field sobriety tests and determined that Alvaro was under the influence. He was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI. Read the rest of this entry »

A 12-year-old girl sustained injuries in an Orange County car accident after she was struck by a suspected drunk driver at a Garden Grove street intersection. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the injury pedestrian accident occurred at the intersection of Clinton Street and Cardinal Way the evening of January 7, 2010. The girl apparently sustained a broken toe and cuts to her arms. Police administered field sobriety tests to the driver, 47-year-old Alvaro Hernandez. Officials determined that Hernandez was intoxicated and arrested him on suspicion of felony drunk driving. Read the rest of this entry »

Two people were injured in an Orange County car accident after a suspected drunk driver drove her car into oncoming traffic and caused a collision on Bake Parkway, in Lake Forest. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the DUI car accident occurred the night of December 22, 2009 shortly after police received reports that a driver was going the wrong way on Bake. The driver who was identified as 56-year-old Rebecca Hall ended up crashing her car into three other vehicles. Hall as well as one of the people in the other cars was injured. Hall was taken to an area hospital with a fractured ankle and later arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Read the rest of this entry »