Car Accidents

Simi Valley Taxi Drivers Protest Lack of Uber Regulation

July 22, 2015 | by Robert Walch

According to the Simi Valley Acorn, local taxi drivers and taxi company owners were at the Simi Valley City Council meeting on Monday to protest against the rise of Uber, a popular ride sharing service, in the community. Their main problem with Uber is that while taxis must abide by many regulations, Uber is often not subject to the same regulations. Accordingly, if there is a Simi Valley Uber car accident, the customer may not have the same rights as if he or she was in a Simi Valley taxi accident.

The taxi representatives said that they must abide by requirements such as background checks, inspections of taxis, fees and commercial insurance for their vehicles. They feel that Uber, a service where users order a ride from an Uber driver via an application on the user’s phone, does not have to abide by the same rules and therefore is able to operate at less expensive prices. This has cost taxi owners and drivers much of their business.

Malibu to Implement Safety Improvements to Prevent Accidents

July 15, 2015 | by Robert Walch

Due to the high frequency of Malibu car accidents, the city has decided to implement new safety measures to try to decrease the amount of accidents. Many Malibu accidents happen on Pacific Coast Highway, which is a long stretch of road overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Due to the layout of the road, the minimum space between the ocean and the mountains, the speed that cars travel and the distraction of the beautiful views, there are many car accidents and pedestrian accidents on PCH.

According to the Los Angeles Times, from 2012 to 2014, there were 376 Malibu car accident injuries and nine people died in Malibu accidents. Of the nine, six were pedestrians who were killed when they were hit by a car on PCH in Malibu.

So far this year, 117 car accidents on PCH in Malibu have resulted in four fatalities. Included in those fatalities was the rapper, MC Supreme, who was killed when his car was struck while legally parked on the ocean side of PCH. Another tragic accident happened in February when Bruce Jenner, who is now knowns as Caitlyn Jenner, rear ended a car, pushing that car into oncoming traffic where it was struck by a Hummer, resulting in the wrongful death of the occupant of that vehicle.

Agoura Car Accident Injures 4 people

April 27, 2015 | by Robert Walch

Four people suffered injuries on Friday in a three car accident in Agoura. The Agoura car accident happened on Kanan Road, near Castle View Drive. This is about a mile and a half from the 101 Freeway. The Malibu Patch reports that the accident occurred when a Toyota went into oncoming traffic and struck a Lexus. The Lexus was then rear ended by a Honda.

The most serious injuries from this Agoura accident were suffered by Elizabeth Bowlus, a 51 year old Malibu woman, who was the driver of the Lexus. Her injuries were described as “major” and she was taken to the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. One other person suffered serious injuries in this car accident on Kanan Road, while two other people suffered what were described as minor injuries.

The three vehicle crash was investigated by the California Highway Patrol. It appears that the driver of the Toyota caused the series of collisions and will most likely be found responsible by the accident investigators. However, the reason the car veered into oncoming traffic has not been released. Sometimes drivers will veer off the road or into opposing traffic if they are distracted while driving, including while texting or eating while driving. Other times a driver will swerve to avoid a hazard on the road and may end up causing more damage and more injuries than had he or she struck the original hazard.

One Person Killed in Hawthorne Car Accident

April 2, 2015 | by Robert Walch

According to laist.com, one person was killed in a Hawthorne car accident today when a minivan struck a light pole. The minivan struck the light pole so hard that pictures show the van wrapped around the pole. The car accident fatality happened at the intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and 135th Street, in Hawthorne, Los Angeles County, California.

It is not yet clear if any other cars were involved in this car accident in Hawthorne, or how many people were in the minivan at the time of the crash. The fire department reported that they found the deceased occupant of the minivan dead on arrival. The car may have also caught on fire after the accident, which may have contributed to the death.

From a personal injury legal standpoint, an accident like this can be evaluated in different ways. First, if this was a one vehicle accident and the driver of the vehicle caused the crash and he or she was the person who was deceased, with no other occupants, there probably would not be a personal injury wrongful death claim that could be made.

However, if another car negligently struck the minivan, causing the minivan to hit the pole, a Hawthorne wrongful death claim would be made against the driver of the vehicle that struck the minivan. If that vehicle fled the scene or does not have insurance, then an uninsured motorist wrongful death claim could be made, as long as there is uninsured motorist coverage for the minivan.

Alleged DUI Driver Causes Agoura Hills Car Accident

April 1, 2015 | by Robert Walch

Four people suffered injuries in an Agoura car accident on Sunday when a driver, who is suspected of being under the influence, collided with another vehicle. The DUI suspect and the three occupants of the other vehicle all suffered injuries in the car accident in Agoura Hills, California. All four were taken to hospitals. Fortunately, the injuries were described as minor.

According to the Agoura Hills Patch, the driver suspected of driving under the influence was Joshua Maquindang, who is from Canyon Country, California. The driver of the other vehicle was Johanna Krause, a resident of Malibu, California, who was driving with her two daughters in the car.

The Agoura accident happened on Kanan Road close to Camino Tranquil. According to the California Highway Patrol, Mr. Maquindang apparently swerved off the road then into oncoming traffic, where he struck the other vehicle, causing the car accident injuries. Mr. Maquindang was booked after receiving treatment for his injuries.

Hopefully Mr. Maquindang carries automobile liability insurance sufficient enough to cover the injuries and damages suffered by Johanna Krause and her children. They will have ambulance and hospital bills to pay, as well as bills for any subsequent medical care they receive. There could also be a claim for loss of earnings if any time is missed from work.

4 Injured in Lancaster Accident

March 24, 2015 | by Robert Walch

Four people suffered injuries in a car accident earlier this afternoon in Lancaster, California. According to The Antelope Valley Times, the Lancaster car accident occurred when a fire truck, that was responding to an emergency call, struck another vehicle in an intersection. Apparently, according to the Lancaster Sheriff’s Department, the fire truck, with lights and siren activated, stopped at a red light, then cleared the lanes to travel through the intersection, when a Toyota Avalon, in the #2 lane on 10th Street West, changed to the #3 lane to get around stopped traffic, entered the intersection and was struck by the fire truck.

The severity of those injured in the accident is not currently known. However, the driver of the fire truck’s injuries were described as being very minor. He was transported to Antelope Valley Hospital regardless. One of the passengers in the Toyota Avalon, a pregnant woman, was ejected from the vehicle, but the severity of her injuries, including injuries to the unborn baby, are not yet known.

The Los Angeles Police Department provides many important tips for what to do when you are driving and hear or see an emergency vehicle approaching. We advise that all of our readers click here to read the LAPD safety tips. Following these directions might help prevent an accident with an emergency vehicle.

CAR ACCIDENT ON THE 10 FREEWAY EASTBOUND ON CHRISTMAS – URGENT HELP NEEDED

December 31, 2014 | by Robert Walch

The daughter of our friend and client was seriously injured in a car accident on the 10 freeway, also known as the San Bernardino Freeway, on Christmas morning. The accident happened at about 7:30am on December 25, 2014, when a sports utility vehicle ran the other vehicle off the road and into the center divider of the freeway.

The driver of the SUV did not stop to render aid or identify him/herself at the scene of the crash and thus far has not been located. We ask that if you or anyone you know witnessed this accident on the San Bernardino Freeway that you please either contact the California Highway Patrol at 1-800-TELLCHP or our personal injury law office toll free at 1-866-465-8792.

The driver of the 1998 Nissan Sentra suffered very serious injuries when her vehicle was ran into the center divider and she needs all the help you can give. If you have any information on this accident on the 10 freeway, especially a license plate number or any identifying information on the driver of the SUV, please call the CHP or our office right away.

Lyft Offers Additional Coverage in Case of a California Car Accident – Is it Enough?

February 11, 2014 | by Robert Walch

Lyft, a popular ride-sharing application, has announced that it is increasing the auto insurance coverage for its drivers. Currently, the law in California only requires ride-sharing companies, like Lyft, Uber and Sidecar, to carry one-million dollars in car accident liability insurance. This is the insurance coverage that covers people who are injured in an accident caused by a driver working for one of these companies.

The law does not, however, require that the companies provide collision coverage, which is used to repair the vehicle damaged in a car accident, or uninsured motorist coverage, which would cover the driver and passengers of the vehicle, if the other driver causes the car accident and does not have coverage or does not have adequate coverage for the serious injuries suffered.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Uber has said that they have been providing collision and uninsured motorist coverage since December. Lyft is now offering its drivers the option of carrying collision coverage and uninsured motorist coverage. If covered, it is unknown how much uninsured motorist coverage these companies will provide for their drivers and customers.

Google Glass – Traffic Citations? Potential for Injury Liability?

January 17, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A woman in Temecula, California, who was wearing Google Glass eye-wear while driving, was found not guilty of distracted driving, according to the Los Angeles Times, after she was issued a ticket by California Highway Patrol. In this particular case, the judge determined that officers would have to be able to prove that the driver of the vehicle actually had the Google Glass turned on, rather than just on the driver’s head, to possibly prove the driver was distracted.

This driver was charged under California Vehicle Code Section 27602, which was written to prevent drivers from looking at a video type of screen while driving. Here, the argument would be that the Google Glass device does not provide any distraction when simply worn, but not turned on.

While Google Glass is only being used by a trial number of people at the moment, it is only a matter of time before the devices become more common and we will probably eventually see a Los Angeles car accident where a claim is made, possibly against Google, because of Google Glass distracting a driver. Without having too much knowledge of how Google Glass works, it appears to me that Google’s argument will be that drivers should not use the device while driving, just like drivers should not be texting or watching a DVD on a video monitor. Unless there is something about the Google Glass that encourages users to use it while driving, it is hard to imagine liability being placed on Google, when a user decides to use the product while driving.

New Study Shows Link Between Cell Phone Use and Car Accidents

January 1, 2014 | by Robert Walch

A new study published recently shows how cell phone use greatly increases the risk of car accidents, especially with newer drivers. According to the Los Angeles Times, one interesting note from the study was that talking on the cell phone did not prove as dangerous as other studies have shown. However, talking on the phone usually requires dialing and/or reaching for a phone, which increases the risk of an automobile accident.

This study showed that with younger drivers, the chance of a car accident or nearly missing a car accident was seven times higher when the driver is reaching for a cell phone or dialing. Surprisingly, text messaging proved to be less risky, with the chances of an accident or almost getting into an accident four times higher than when normally driving.

In the case of adults with approximately 20 years of driving experience, dialing on a cell phone increased the risk of an accident, but the effect of text messaging was not clear from this particular study.