Pedestrian Fatally Struck in Palm Springs Truck Accident

A pedestrian was hit by a truck in a crosswalk of a Palm Springs intersection at North Palm Canyon and Racquet Club Drives on January 5, 2012, around 8:04 a.m. in Palm Springs. According to the police, the pedestrian was struck by an Isuzu panel truck while walking across the crosswalk.

The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and was immediately transported to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

If the motorist is determined to have been at fault in this case, then he could be held responsible for this truck accident that killed a pedestrian. The victim’s family members should immediately seek counsel from an experienced Riverside County hit-and-run crash lawyer who would educate them about their legal rights and options.

This lawyer may help them file a wrongful death claim against the truck driver to obtain compensation to funeral and burial costs, loss of anticipated earnings, loss of love, care and companionship, and other accident-related damages.

Our personal injury law office sends sincere condolences to the victim’s family members and friends.…

Pipeline Breaks Present Health, Injury Hazards in California and Other States

Sixteen spills from oil pipelines have leaked a combined 2.4 million gallons of crude oil into waterways in California and other states in recent years, posing health and injury risks to pipeline workers and residents in the areas, according to an article from The Associated Press. The San Diego injury attorneys follow such cases closely because the injury risks associated with them can be long-reaching and long-lasting.

Since 1993, regulators have paid careful attention to pipeline spills in multiple states, including California. One particular source of concern comes from pipelines that are buried under navigable waterways, like rivers and streams. These pipelines are required to be buried only four feet under the waterway and are required to be inspected for weaknesses only once every five years. If a pipeline near water breaks, leaking oil and other materials can easily contaminate drinking water supplies, posing serious health hazards for those in the area.…

San Diego Teacher Awarded $1 Million in Discrimination Lawsuit

On December 11, 2007, a former Chula Vista third-grade teacher won a judgment of more than $1 million after a jury decided that she had been wrongfully terminated due to becoming pregnant.

Danielle Coziahr was a third-grade teacher at Silver Wing Elementary School in Otay Mesa from 2004-06. She was “probationary”, meaning that she had not obtained tenure at her position. Although the Chula Vista School District can generally choose not to renew teaching contracts for any reason, a jury decided that the real reason Ms. Coziahr was let go was because she is a woman and she was pregnant.

The jury awarded Coziahr $1,012,720 with the largest portion being future economic loss due to future lost wages. Coziahr presented evidence that she had been effectively blackballed and could not obtain another teaching position.

Ms. Coziahr provided an interview to local media. The extent of the discrimination that she suffered was inexcusable and Ms. Coziahr rightly feels justified.…

CPSC Recall Highlights Dangerous Winter Weather Products

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recently released a report detailing winter-weather related products that have been recalled by the organization that people may still have in their homes. These products help to heat houses during cold weather and as such are much more likely to cause an accidental injury or property damage now that winter has arrived.

All of the five products listed by the CPSC have the potential to overheat and cause a fire or a form of burn injury due to their unsafe nature. The recalled products are:

• Meijer Touch Point Oscillating Ceramic Heaters – Possibility of oscillating mechanism shorting out can pose a risk of fire.
• Flow Pro, Airtech, Aloha Breeze, and Comfort Essentials Heaters – Risk of malfunctioning that leads to overheating, smoking, burning, melting, and possible fire.
• Lasko Portable Electric Heaters – Overheating of electrical connection can lead to melting and possible fire hazard.
• Honeywell Electric Baseboard and Fan Heater Thermostats – Can overheat, causing them to smoke and melt, posing a risk of burn injury.
• GE Zoneline Air Conditioners and Heaters – Possible failure of electrical component may cause fire.

While consumers are warned to not leave space heaters unattended and to make sure that there are no surrounding objects which may pose a fire risk due to a nearby heater, the malfunctions in the dangerous household products listed put consumers at serious risk. Even when a consumer takes all due precautions with the products they use, malfunctioning equipment may cause accidents and injuries which even the most cautious consumer cannot prevent.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a hazardous product, contact a defective product lawyer in San Diego County. Our experienced law team can apply their years of work in the personal injury field to your case to win the best results possible.…

82-year-old Pedestrian Fatally Struck by SUV in North Park

82-year-old Patricia Dora Martin was struck by a sports utility vehicle while crossing an intersection at 30th Street and Howard Avenue on January 1, 2012, around 4:15 p.m. in North Park. According to San Diego police, Martin was struck by a 2011 Toyota RAV4 being driven by a man.

Martin sustained critical head injuries and was immediately transported to Scripps Mercy Hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 10 p.m.

If the motorist is determined to have been at fault in this case, then he could be held responsible for this car accident that killed an elderly pedestrian. The victim’s family members may file a wrongful death claim against the SUV driver to obtain compensation to funeral and burial costs, loss of anticipated earnings, loss of love, care and companionship, and other accident-related damages.

Our San Diego law office sends sincere condolences to victim’s family members and friends.…

New Year, New Laws: 2013 Laws Affecting Consumers in California

We want to wish everyone a happy New Year! Now that 2012 is a thing of the past, what can we expect in 2013 as a Californian?

At the turn of the New Year, there were a total of 876 new California laws that went into effect. The new laws range from making picketing at funerals a crime (SB 661) to prohibiting college officials from requesting/requiring students to disclose access to personal social media accounts (SB 1349).…

San Diego Drunk Driver Crashes into Car with Flat Tire on I-5

A San Diego man was injured during the early hours of December 26 after his vehicle was struck by a drunk driver while on the side of Interstate 5 because of a flat tire. The incident occurred around 1:45 am on the northbound 5 freeway in San Diego when a drunk driver struck a Chevy Malibu parked on the side of the road, causing the Malibu to flip over several times, according to 10News.com.

Luckily, the driver of the vehicle only suffered minor wounds, including a cut on his head, and was able to crawl out of the wreckage. The drunk driver was arrested by California Highway Patrol and is now being held in San Diego County Jail. There were no other victims of the crash.

According to a recent study by Insurance.com, San Diego is the number one city in the country for DUI citations. San Diego was named number one for both 2010 and 2011 according to the study, beating out other cities such as Los Angeles and Indianapolis. While the stats do not necessarily mean that the city has more drunk drivers than anywhere else, it does show that there are many who drive under the influence of alcohol in the state every day.

In 2010, drunk driving-related car crashes resulted in 10,228 fatalities total throughout the United States, with 791 of these occurring in California alone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Every year, thousands of people are injured by drunk drivers and thousands more are killed. Even as state and local law enforcement continues to crack down on those who choose to drive while intoxicated, it is estimated that a person drives drunk an average of 80 times before he or she is arrested, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Vehicle accidents caused by drunk drivers can result in devastating injuries for those victimized. If you or a loved one has been injured by someone driving under the influence of alcohol, the drunk driving victim attorneys in San Diego can help you recover compensation for your losses and injuries. Contact us today for a free consultation on your case.…