Personal InjuryOntario Car Accidents Frequent on Freeways and Near Some Schools
Ontario, California, located in San Bernardino County, has seen a few devastating car accidents in the past few years. Two of these fatal car accidents occurred in almost exactly the same stretch of the 10 Freeway near Vineyard Avenue, only two years apart.
The first involved a casino tour bus with 55 passengers and a fire engine. The right front of the tour bus struck the driver's side of the fire engine causing the engine to veer right and cross all the lanes of the freeway. A 40-year-old firefighter was ejected from the engine and suffered major chest and head injuries, while the passenger riding in the front of the bus, age 75, died upon impact.
Many of the passengers in the tour bus were thrown and sustained minor personal injuries, and had to be released by responding firefighters who cut away the crushed steel of the vehicle. Twenty-six of the people on the bus were taken to the hospital, along with the firefighters that were riding on the fire engine that was hit, and the hospital called in 150 personnel to deal with the injuries.
Ontario accident injury lawyers were concerned that the tour bus, on its way to Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA, was not being driven properly, because fire personnel are trained to the highest of safety standards and are not likely to cause an accident. The attorney representing the tour company said, "[they've] never had a serious accident."
Only two years later, another startling accident occurred in the same place. This accident, involving a a truck with seven passengers left only two survivors, children ages 3 and 10, after the driver swerved inexplicably, hitting a eucalyptus tree and then a sound wall. The vehicle only seats six, the California Highway Patrol noted, so one person must not have been wearing a seatbelt.
Though the previous accident would allege that this is a relatively dangerous stretch of freeway, investigation showed another important element to the accident. Only a lone sneaker, empty child's car seat and a piece of worn tire could be found left at the scene. The tire, however, was found to be manufactured by Continental Tire which recalled some sizes of its ContriTrac AW tires in 2002. There is a possibility that the F-150 had these faulty tires that "have lower than specified rubber gauge between the belt edges," and can blow, causing the driver to lose control.
A possible product liability claim may in order, as the California Highway Patrol officer said, "This is the worst accident I've experienced in terms of the number of fatalities and children."
Ontario Increases Safety Around School for Pedestrians
After one pedestrian and one bicycler have been hit on an intersection by Chaffey High School, the city has worked with Caltrans to install a traffic signal. In order to prevent more accidents involving pedestrian personal injury, flashing lights can now be activated on the street level to show cars when pedestrians are going to cross.
Car Accident Law Firms of Ontario Can Help
If you have been involved in a car accident and have sustained injuries for which another person may be at fault, you should contact a good Ontario car accident lawyers to help figure out your case.
For more information, read "The Seven Fatal Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Personal Injury Claim" by California personal injury attorney John Bisnar. The book ($14.99 value) is free to accident victims--just go to www.BestAttorneyBooks.com to get a copy sent to you, or you can buy one at www.Amazon.com. Be sure to check out other Los Angeles County car accident lawyers who practice with BISNAR | CHASE.
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