DUI

Jorge Cisneros, 18, was killed in an Orange County car accident, which officials say, involved a suspected underage drunk driver. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the fatal collision occurred early morning on November 6, 2011 on Santiago Canyon Road near Irvine Lake. California Highway Patrol officials say Jesus Manzo Torres, 18, was driving a 1996 Subaru Legacy at a high rate of speed when he lost control and crashed into a tree. The impact of the collision was apparently so great that the Subaru sheared into two.

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Five people were injured in a Huntington Beach car accident, which officials say, was caused by a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the injury collision occurred near the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Newman Avenue early morning on October 11, 2011. Officials say the driver of a Toyota Camry, identified as 22-year-old Forrest Leland Kelly, was northbound on Beach when he broadsided a southbound Dodge Durango driven by 28-year-old Thomas William Barrett.

The Dodge that had three passengers was making a U-turn at the intersection when the crash occurred. The Dodge overturned and all four occupants were transported to a local hospital with injuries. Kelly was also injured, but was later arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Anyone with information about this crash is asked to contact Huntington Beach police officials at 714-536-5666.

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Ioane Lui Nuumau II, 28, and Ryan Faiga Tauilili, 24 were killed in a Los Angeles car accident after the pickup truck they were travelling in crashed into a cement wall. According to a City News Service report, the fatal car crash occurred on Wilshire Boulevard at Park View Street, the early morning of October 8, 2011. Officials say David Young Lee, 27, lost control of the white GMC pickup and struck a cement wall. Nuumau and Tauilili were killed in the crash, while Lee suffered critical injuries and a fourth occupant, a 23-year-old man, suffered minor injuries. Lee has been booked on suspicion of murder because the authorities believe he was driving under the influence of alcohol.

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Six children were injured, two critically, in a Lancaster car accident, which officials say, involved a suspected drunk driver. According to an NBC news report, the injury collision occurred the morning of September 25, 2011, when a 2002 Toyota Sequoia driven by 31-year-old Stanesha Nicole Allen, drifted onto the dirt shoulder near 65th Street East. The Toyota SUV rolled over and some of the children were ejected. Two of the critically injured children were airlifted to a hospital while four others sustained minor to moderate injuries. The children ranged in age from 10 months to 11 years old. Allen was arrested on suspicion of DUI. The children's relation to Allen has not been established. An investigation is ongoing.

My heart goes out to the young children who were seriously injured in this SUV rollover accident. I pray for their speedy and complete recovery.

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Nine bicyclists were injured, six seriously, in a Los Angeles car accident, which officials say, was caused by a drunk driver. According to a CBS News report, the injury bicycle accident occurred in the early morning hours of June 16, 2011 near the intersection of West Jefferson Place and Rodeo Road.

Witnesses say a 27-year-old woman was driving a Honda Civic at about 60 mph when she jumped a curb and plowed into a group of about 100 bicyclists. The group of bicyclists called the Korea Town Riders was participating in a late night ride that began in the Westlake district. The woman was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Officials are still looking at blood alcohol test reports to determine the level of intoxication.

My heart goes out to all those who were injured in this horrific DUI collision. I hope none of the injuries were life-threatening. Please keep these injured victims in your thoughts and prayers.

Bicycle Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol's 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were no fatalities, but 24 injuries reported as a result of bicycle accidents in Culver City. In Los Angeles County as a whole, 33 people died and 3,315 were injured as a result of bicycle accidents in 2008. Also, countywide, 258 deaths and 4,832 injuries were reported as a result of DUI collisions during the same year.

Violation of Laws

Based on this news report, not only was the driver of the Honda Civic speeding and under the influence, but she accelerated into this group of bicyclists. Driving under the influence is a serious offense 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."
Also, California Vehicle Code Section 22350 (Basic Speed Law) states: "No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic and on surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property."

Holding Drunk Drivers Accountable

This driver should not only be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but should also be held civilly liable for the serious injuries and damages caused here. How many of these bicyclists will be able to pursue their passion again? How long will it take them to get back on the road or even back to their jobs and living a normal life? This incident is an example of how one person's reckless actions and irresponsible choices can have a lasting and tragic impact on the lives of others.

Injured victims in such cases would be well-advised to contact an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who has a successful track record of financially pursuing drunk drivers and holding them accountable. Victims can seek compensation for damages including all medical expenses, loss of earnings, hospitalization, rehabilitation, physical therapy and pain and suffering. For more information about the dangers of driving under the influence, please visit the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) web site at www.madd.org.

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Jacob Conneen, 24, and five others sustained injuries in a Bakersfield car accident, which officials say, was caused by a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in The Californian, the injury collision occurred the morning of June 9, 2011 at the intersection of California Avenue and Oak Street. Police say 18-year-old David Longoria, who was driving a Lincoln Mark VII, ran a red light and crashed into a Nissan Altima driven by Conneen. Both drivers suffered non-life-threatening injuries, as did four passengers in Longoria's vehicle. Longoria was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving and driving without a license.

My thoughts and prayers are with the many injured victims of this injury collision. I wish all the injured victims a speedy and complete recovery.

DUI Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol's 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 14 people were killed and 140 were injured in Bakersfield DUI collisions. During that same year, there were 35 fatalities and 476 injuries reported as a result of alcohol-related crashes in Kern County. Read the rest »

Four people were injured in a Tulare County car accident involving a driver who, officials state, was under the influence. According to a news report in The Porterville Recorder, the DUI collision occurred at the intersection of Henderson Avenue and Newcomb Street in Porterville, the morning of June 5, 2011. Officials say that Pablo Alvarez, 20, was under the influence of alcohol when he ran a red light and crashed into a car driven by Zeina Morlet Rocha, 35.

Alvarez, Rocha and her passenger, 25-year-old Christian Reyes, all suffered serious injuries. Alvarez's passenger, Jorge Martinez, 28, was treated and released from the hospital. Police say Alvarez was under the influence, but charges are yet to be filed.

My thoughts and prayers are with the many injured victims of this street intersection accident. I wish them all a complete and speedy recovery. Read the rest »

Ashton Sweet, 14, was severely injured in an Irvine car accident after the vehicle in which she was a passenger was struck by a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the major injury accident occurred at the intersection of Irvine Boulevard and Culver Drive, early morning on May 29, 2011. Ashton was one of five people in a Mercedes Benz who were injured in the crash with a Toyota pickup truck, driven by 26-year-old Austin Farley.

The Mercedes' driver, 48-year-old Mike Ghaemi, and two others were treated at the hospital and released. Krista Merassa, 15, remains in critical condition. Ashton's family has said the girl is brain-dead, but that she is being kept on life support so her organs could be donated. She is not expected to survive. Farley has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Read the rest »

Jose Lopez Ramirez, 49, and Ismael Baez-Cueva, 55, were both seriously injured the night of May 21, 2011 in a Riverside car accident, which officials say, was caused by excessive speed and driving under the influence. According to a news report in The Desert Sun, the suspected DUI accident occurred on Cathedral Canyon Drive, near Dinah Shore Drive, in Cathedral City. Officials say Ramirez was driving a Ford Expedition at a high rate of speed, when it veered out of control, left the roadway, and crashed. Apparently, neither Ramirez nor his passenger Baez-Cueva, were wearing seatbelts. They both sustained serious injuries and have been listed in critical condition.

My thoughts and prayers are with Baez-Cueva, the injured passenger. I wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Read the rest »

The driver of a school bus was injured in a San Francisco car accident, which officials say, involved a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in the Palo Alto Online, the collision occurred between a car and a school bus the morning of April 28, 2011. The suspected drunk driver, later identified as 20-year-old Alberto Cuellar, was southbound on Middlefield in Menlo Park when he collided with a northbound Sequoia Union High School District bus carrying 32 students. The children were not injured. The bus driver was hospitalized with complaints of neck and wrist pain. Cuellar was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor drunk driving, which could be elevated to a felony depending on the extent of the bus driver's injuries.

It is indeed fortunate that none of the students was involved in this school bus accident. I wish the school bus driver the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Read the rest »