Personal Injury
Defective ProductsCar Accidents Blamed on Moreno Valley Roads
According to Moreno Valley car accident lawyers, Moreno Valley grew rapidly during the recent housing boom. The accelerated growth also gave rise to increased traffic and more car accidents, which painfully underscored the need for improved roads and intersections. One of Moreno Valley's more dangerous areas is the intersection of Redlands Boulevard and Locust Avenue. Three people died in this area in one 13-month period. Residents refer to this intersection as a death trap.
In 2006, this "Redlands run" has been the site of six car collisions in half as many years. Last year, 47-year-old John Anderson and 52-year-old Stephen Patrick Morrow lost their lives at the Redlands-Locust intersection. Residents say drivers speed up when coming to the intersection after "snailing" through San Timoteo Canyon, and that there is just one lane when emerging south out of the canyon.
Moreno Valley officials decided that the Redlands run failed to meet the criteria established for a traffic signal. Residents say unsafe passing is the real danger and that signs should go up to prohibit these maneuvers. They further insist that Redlands Boulevard south of Locust Avenue needs to be re-striped with double yellow lines, since the dotted lines along this stretch of road appear to motorists as a passing lane.
"If motorists are speeding and passing unsafely, traffic controls and enforcement efforts need to focus on controlling these activities," observed nationally recognized car accident attorney John Bisnar. "The real danger of any road or intersection must be frequently evaluated based on car accident statistics."
Statistics compiled by the California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) revealed that in 2006, there were 12 car accident fatalities in Moreno Valley and 697 traffic accident-related injuries. DUIs claimed the lives of four and injured 76. Motorcycle accidents injured 10. Car accidents were down in 2007 with eight fatalities. But problem roads and intersections still continue to cause tragedies.
Moreno Beach Drive, between Highway 60 and Alessandro Boulevard, is another deadly road, which has seen 27 car accidents in the past three years. Moreno Beach Drive between the Auto Mall and Alessandro Boulevard is also dangerous, as is Nason Street at Highway 60, which narrows from six lanes near Highway 60 to two lanes as it goes over a hill to Cottonwood Avenue.
In an ongoing effort to reduce car accidents, the Moreno Valley Police Department recently completed another DUI/CDL Safety Checkpoint. Positioned at the Eucalyptus-Edgemont intersection, the checkpoint screened 2,709 cars for DUI drivers as well as those driving with suspended or revoked licenses. The checks resulted in 85 drivers being issued citations and the impounding of 69 cars. A total of nine field sobriety tests were conducted, and six drivers were arrested for DUI.
(click on icons for more information)
SLS Consulting
