Driver Under the Influence Collides with San Diego Firefighter Truck

Yesenia Mitre, 25, collided with a firefighters’ truck and left four firefighters injured. The truck was on its’ way to answer a medical emergency on the morning of June 13, 2010. According to reports, Mitre drove out directly in the lane of traffic the fire truck was traveling in close to Alpine in eastern San Diego County. Due to the collision, the fire truck lost control and hit a pole.

According to the San Diego 6 news report, Mitre was driving under the influence and was arrested. The four firefighters sustained serious injuries while Mitre sustained a broken wrist.

It is indeed an unfortunate thing that due to the negligent and intoxicated driver, the four firefighters were badly injured. It is absolutely insane that instead of giving way to the emergency truck, Mitre drove right into its path. Mitre will most likely be found to have violated California Vehicle Code Section 23152(a) which states that “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.” Under California law, it is also illegal to drive a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher.…

Teen Bicyclist Struck in Escondido Bicyclist Accident

An Escondido teenage boy was struck and injured in a North San Diego County car accident on June 15, 2011, around 12:36 p.m. at Grand Avenue and Rose Street. According to Escondido Police Officials, an 84-year-old elderly man, driving a Chrysler Town & Country van, made a wide turn into Grand Avenue, climbed the sidewalk, hit a traffic pole, and finally came to halt after slamming into the side of the building. The boy was waiting on his bicycle next to the pole when he was hit.

The bicyclist suffered serious injuries and was immediately transported to Rady Children’s Hospital for treatment. From the available information, it is clear that the 84-year-old driver made too wide of a turn and caused this bicycle accident. This leads us to question his driving abilities.

The investigating officers need to determine whether the driver was speeding, distracted, or was talking on the cell phone when this accident occurred. It would be in the best interest of bicyclist’s family members to seek counsel from a North San Diego County bike accident lawyer to know about their legal rights and options.

The bicyclist crash attorney would assure that the at-fault is held liable for the damage and help the victim’s family members obtain timely compensation to cover treatment, medical costs, hospitalization expenses, and other accident-related expenses.

Our personal injury law office sincerely hopes that the injuries suffered by the boy heal soon.…

Pedestrian Injured In Orange County Car Crash

A 74 year-old woman sustained serious injuries in a pedestrian accident on June 15, 2010 when she was hit by a Nissan Sentra. According to the news report submitted in the Orange County Register, the injured pedestrian was walking with her dog in the 3100 block of Yorba Linda Boulevard in Fullerton when she was struck by the car.

Police officials stated that the injured lady might have stepped into the westbound lanes to go around the car, which was coming out of an apartment complex driveway. The injured woman was taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated for her injuries.

We wish the injured pedestrian a speedy and complete recovery and hope that her injuries are not life threatening. Normally, California law holds that drivers must give the right of way to pedestrians in marked crosswalks and at an intersection. Under California law, an intersection is any place where two streets come together at a right angle. However, even given these protections (which are set forth in California Vehicle Code Section 21950) does not relieve the pedestrian from exercising reasonable care for his safety.…

Should Doctors Prevent Texting While Driving?

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published an essay where the writing doctor recommended that family doctors begin asking their patients whether they text and drive or talk on their cellphones while driving.

A recent essay in The New England School of Medicine suggests that doctors should begin asking their patients whether they drive while texting or talking on a mobile phone.  The doctor, Dr. Amy Ship, reports that family physicians routinely ask patients whether they engage in dangerous or risky behavior such as smoking, watching their diet, or remembering to fasten their seat belt.  Dr. Ship believes that asking about distracted driving should be incorporated into these risk questions.

Distracted driving–whether by talking on a cellphone or texting while driving–is certainly a problem, particularly amongst teenagers and inexperienced drivers.  That is why our San Diego personal injury law firm helps sponsor the Teens Against Distracted Driving program where teenagers and their parents can take a pledge not to text and drive.

But can asking regarding dangerous behavior be effective to making patients safer?  Is it the place of medical doctors to take on the issue of texting while driving as a preventative medicine issue?  Is it too much of an intrusion into individual behavior to have primary car physicians ask about their patients’ personal behavior which is not medically related?

Dr. Ship takes the position that any efforts to keep patients safer and alive is fair game for medical doctors.  She herself initiates the conversation by letting her patients know that texting and talking on the cellphone causes more auto accidents.  She then tells them that multitasking when talking on the cellphone is obviously dangerous, otherwise patients would not mind if their surgeon spoke on the phone while operating on them.

Anything to increase awareness of the problem of distracted driving helps.…

Hit and Run Driver Injures Encinitas Bicycle Rider

A woman on a bicycle coming home from a bar on the morning of June 12, 2009, in Encinitas was severely injured when she was hit by a van. The victim and her girlfriend were riding their bikes home on southbound Pacific Coast Highway 101 near Chesterfield Drive when the victim was struck.

The van’s driver was driving an older tan colored box-shaped van. He initially got out of his vehicle and told the victim’s girlfriend that he would move his van to a safer location and return to help, but he never did. The sergeant reports that the man was last seen driving towards Solana Beach. Paramedics that arrived on the scene took the victim to Scripps La Jolla Hospital for treatment.…

Santa Ana Hit and Run Car Collision Causes Injuries

A SUV driver was arrested and charged with hit and run causing injury on June 13, 2010, after he hit a sedan, leaving the occupants inside injured. According to the California Highway Patrol, this car crash occurred near Orangethorpe Avenue close to the northbound 57 Freeway (SR-57).

The SUV left the sedan in an upside down position at the incident scene and fled away from the scene. The driver of the SUV went west on Orangethorpe Avenue and was arrested as he drove on the southbound 57 Freeway.

We offer our sympathies to the injured victims and wish for their speedy and complete recovery. Injured victims can seek compensation for their medical bills and other relevant expenses from the SUV driver if he is determined to be negligent in causing this traffic accident. Regardless, it is inhuman to leave someone injured at the scene of an accident. There is no excuse for a hit and run accident. Not only is it a violation of California Vehicle Code Section 20001(a), but it is simply morally reprehensible that someone would cause such a major accident and then leave the scene of the accident.…

Ventura County Bicycle Accident Involving SUV Leaves Camarillo Man Dead

76-year-old Camarillo resident John H. Dillingham Jr. was killed in a Ventura County bicycle accident that occurred on June 11, 2011, around 1:15 p.m. on Pleasant Valley Road. According to California Highway Patrol Sgt. Bob Granieri, Dillingham was attempting to make a turn onto Freedom Park Drive when he accidentally veered into the eastbound lane and was struck by an SUV driven by 63-year-old Oxnard local Eva Labrador.

Dillingham was immediately transported to Ventura County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead two hours later. An investigation is under process. Though the victim mistakenly rode into the wrong lane, the driver failed to see the victim and safely move her car away. The investigating officers need to determine whether Labrador was speeding or distracted. If Labrador is at fault, then she may be held liable for Dillingham’s wrongful death.

Dillingham’s family members should immediately seek counsel from a Ventura County bicycle accident lawyer to obtain timely compensation to cover funeral and burial expenses, loss of love and companionship, and other accident-related damages.

Our law office offers sincere condolences to all those who knew and loved John H. Dillingham for such a heart breaking loss.…

New Vehicle Technology Lets Cars “Talk” to Each Other to Prevent Accidents

Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology that allows vehicles near one another to communicate may lead to breakthroughs in vehicle safety by warning drivers about the behavior of nearby vehicles, according to a recent article from the Associated Press.

V2V systems were the subject of a recent conference in which automakers offered demonstrations of one system currently under development. The system uses a wireless communications grid to allow vehicles within about 1,000 feet of one another to trade information about 10 times per second.

The vehicles trade information on their location, direction, and speed. If an oncoming vehicle poses a risk of a crash, red lights inside the vehicle light up and warning sounds alert the driver of the oncoming vehicle, allowing the driver to avoid a crash even if parked cars, buildings, or other obstacles prevent the driver from seeing the oncoming car.

Although V2V systems show promise at helping drivers avoid serious auto accidents, they are not yet ready for road use. Testing will begin this summer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, using volunteer drivers and a closed test course. Researchers predict the overall effectiveness of the system will depend on how drivers respond to the vehicle’s warnings.

Car accidents can cause serious injury, and even a careful driver cannot always prevent or avoid them. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, please don’t hesitate to call the knowledgeable San Diego car accident injury lawyers to learn more about your legal options and your rights after a crash. For a free, confidential consultation, call us today.…

Florida Woman Killed in Santa Barbara Pedestrian Accident

Garcia Flores, 47-years old of Florida, was killed in a Santa Barbara pedestrian accident at Coast Village Road on May 27, 2010. Flores was walking across an intersection when she was hit by a mini-van.

The mini-van was driven by a 17 -year old driver who lost control of his van and struck Flores badly, throwing her more than a few feet away towards the intersection of Coast Village and Butterfly Lane, where she died immediately. The teenager told Police Officers that his van suddenly started to veer to the right, and when he tried hitting the brakes, they didn’t work. He says that is when the van jumped the curb and hit Flores. Officials found drug paraphernalia and marijuana in the teen’s minivan, but it is not certain that he was under influence of any drug or alcohol.

We offer our condolences to Flores’s family and friends for such an irreparable and tragic loss. If the teenager is found to be under the influence of drugs, we hope that he is prosecuted as an adult to the fullest extent of the law. Regardless, if the accident was caused by the teenage driver, we hope that Flores’s family consults with a personal injury attorney and obtains key advice as to how to balance the scales of justice in this case. They will never be made whole—Flores is dead and cannot be brought back—but the civil justice system can at least help minimize some of the loss.…

Pedestrian Injured In Riverside County Hit-And-Run Car Accident

A pedestrian in his 50s suffered serious injuries when he was struck by an unidentified SUV on May 18, 2011, around 12:35 a.m. in the Homeland area of Hemet. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the pedestrian was walking across Highway 74 when an SUV struck him. The SUV was described as a dark-colored Ford Expedition or Lincoln Navigator with chrome rims, estimated to be a 2002 to 2006 model. Riverside police are searching for the driver.

The pedestrian suffered major injuries and was immediately transported to Riverside County Regional Medical Center for medical treatment. It is absolutely inhuman that the SUV driver did not stop and fled from the accident scene, leaving the elderly pedestrian unattended.

Leaving the scene of an accident is a serious violation under California law. California Vehicle Code 20001 (a) states:

“The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident.”

Morally, the SUV driver should have remained at the accident scene and waited until authorities got there.

The pedestrian’s family members should immediately seek counsel from an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer serving Riverside County to learn about their legal rights and obtain fair compensation to cover treatment, medical and hospitalization costs, and other accident-related damages. A Riverside County pedestrian lawyer would assure that the at-fault SUV driver is apprehended and brought to justice.

Our sincere prayers go out to the injured pedestrian and we hope that he recovers quickly.…