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A recent Oxnard work accident has resulted in the death of one construction worker, and the serious injuries of another. The Los Angeles Times reported that a crane collapsed while in operation at a construction site, causing the fatal incident.

Apparently the crane was “lifting part of a concrete wall when it failed and collapsed, and part of  [the crane] struck the man.” This worker, a 54-year-old carpenter from Palmdale, was pronounced dead at the scene due to the hit. Another worker injured his hands in the incident and was taken to the hospital. The site is now closed while investigators look into what may have caused the collapse.

Unfortunately, construction sites and working with heavy machinery can be very dangerous. However, in a situation like this, where a worker was killed and another injured by the failure of heavy machinery at work, there are ways for the victim or their family to be compensated financially. This is possible by filing legal claims against the responsible parties. Possible claims include:

A recent car accident in Sun Valley resulted in the deaths of two people and injured three others. According to ABC 7 News, the incident occurred just after 7:00 p.m. at the intersection of Lankershim Boulevard and San Fernando Road. The driver of a Toyota Corolla was making a left-hand turn when a speeding white Dodge Charger smashed into the car.

Emergency personnel immediately responded to the scene to help. Police identified

59-year-old Olivia Enriquez and her husband as the victims killed in the incident. Three people from the white Dodge Charger were taken to the hospital with injuries.

A Sherman Oaks truck accident last night caused injuries to the occupant of the pickup truck and to the driver of another vehicle. The Sherman Oaks accident occurred at about 11:40pm when, according to the Los Angeles Times, a woman crashed into a light pole and took down the pole as well as high voltage power lines. The driver of the truck was arrested based on a suspicion of DUI.

According to Los Angeles KTLA news, a bystander heard the Sherman Oaks truck crash and helped the woman escape from her vehicle. The bystander said the woman was in shock as the truck went up in flames. The driver of another vehicle also sustained what the fire department described as minor injuries in the Sherman Oaks car accident.

Given the nature of this collision, with downed power lines and a truck fire, including a possible burn injury, it is very lucky that the injuries were not more serious. Downed power lines pose particular dangers and must always be avoided. Anyone who spots down power lines should immediately call 911 for emergency assistance.

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Halloween is fast approaching – October 31, 2011 — and the last thing any of us want is for our children to have an injury accident. Having a child injured any day of the year is horrific and the last thing any of us want is for a child to be injured on a holiday or special day, such as Halloween.

Accidents on holidays or specials days like birthdays, anniversaries, the Fourth of July, Christmas or Halloween tend to always be remembered by the injured child or family, possibly ruining the enjoyment of these special days for years to come.

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Our Los Angeles personal injury law firm is pleased to announce the publishing of our new injury website, located at www.walchlaw.com. The new look website, featuring upgraded and expanded content, is designed to help guide injury victims to obtain the help that they need without delay.

Our team of California personal injury lawyers and support staff strives to give every client the personal attention they need and deserve. We constantly receive compliments about how friendly and helpful our staff is.

Over the more than thirty five years we have been handling injury claims, we have helped all types of injury victims, from Van Nuys car accident injuries, to Woodland Hills burn injuries, San Bernardino truck accident injuries, North Hollywood slip and fall injuries, Los Angeles bus accident injuries, Hermosa Beach premises liability injuries, Thousand Oaks bicycle accident injuries, Pomona motorcycle accident injuries, Sherman Oaks dog bite and dog attack injuries, etc. Many of these cases involve fractures, surgery and wrongful death claims.

We also handle hit and run, uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist claims. If the person responsible for your injuries does not have insurance, it does not necessarily mean you do not have a viable claim. It is always best to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney right away.

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According to the Los Angeles Times, the weather service has reported that there will be rainstorms, as well as snow as low as 3,000 feet, which should last until this Sunday. The weather will likely cause Southern California rain accidents.

As our readers know, rain accidents in California lead to many serious injuries and deaths every year. We wish to remind everyone to be extra safe and cautious when conditions are bad, such as when driving in rain, snow or icy conditions, to prevent a serious car accident injury.

It is further advised that, whenever possible, avoid driving in these conditions all together. Even the best driver cannot always avoid the careless or reckless actions of other drivers, and can be injured in a rain accident in California.

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A work accident in Studio City, California, has resulted in a construction worker being killed when the trench he was working in collapsed. It is unclear at this time what caused the Studio City work accident death.

When an employee is injured on the job, he or she is usually entitled to California workers’ compensation benefits, which California employers are lawfully required to for. According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, workers’ compensation provides for six basic benefits: medical care, temporary disability benefits, permanent disability benefits, supplemental job displacement benefits or vocational rehabilitation and death benefits.

Occasionally, an injured worker will have both a workers’ compensation claim as well as a personal injury claim against the responsible party or entity that caused the injury. While workers’ compensation is designed so that fault for the injury does not need to be proved, the personal injury claim depends on who carries the fault, or liability.

If the driver of a big rig truck is injured in a car accident in California, the driver will usually have a workers’ compensation claim against his employer’s workers’ compensation coverage. However, if the accident was caused by the other driver, the injured truck driver may also make a personal injury claim against the responsible party.

In situations like this, it is usually beneficial for the injured worker to have a workers’ compensation attorney and a personal injury attorney who can work together and share information to maximize the financial recovery for all injuries and damages.

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California drivers are subject to Proposition 213, which the California voters passed in 1996. This law hinders the recoveries of drivers who are injured in California auto accidents by essentially providing that drivers in California who are not covered by a valid liability insurance policy, cannot receive non-economic damages (pain, suffering, etc.).

Insurance companies use this law to punish uninsured California residents involved in automobile accidents. Unfortunately, while not its original purpose, this law is often used against people who have a small gap in their coverage, such as when an insurance premium payment does not go through in time, or due to other types of human error.

Fortunately, Proposition 213 does not apply to passengers of the vehicle, so passengers are still entitled to the full value of their cases and, if injured, should call our office to find out their rights.

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Many of our California personal injury clients do not have access to health insurance and cannot afford to pay out of pocket for the medical care that they need. Some of our injured clients have health insurance, but it won’t cover chiropractic care, or the wait to see a doctor or to obtain physical therapy is just too long.

If you have been injured in an accident in California, you do not have to wait or pay out of pocket to see a doctor right away. We have been handling personal injury claims in California for over 30 years and we can find you the medical care you need, on a lien basis, so that you do not have to wait to see a doctor or pay a co-payment before every treatment.

Many California injury victims need a doctor’s examination, chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, an orthopedic or neurological exam, psychiatric evaluation or treatment, etc.

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Many Los Angeles residents come to our office for injuries they have suffered in a slip and fall incident. These claims are very difficult, but certain key things that you, the victim, can do after the incident, can help get you a recovery for someone else’s negligence.

Just because you have fallen on someone else’s property does not mean that the owner of the premises, or its operator, is responsible. In order to prove that the premises owner/operator is responsible, you must be able to prove that either they created the hazard that caused you to slip and fall, or that they should have known about it and did not fix it.

The first scenario is simple, if a store employee spills a bottle of soda, leaves without cleaning it, and you slip and fall on the soda, that element is met. However, what if you do not know how the soda you slipped on got onto the floor? One thing you should do if you find yourself in such a situation is take pictures of the hazard that caused you to fall. Report the incident to a manager and make sure the manager takes down an incident report. Also, you should try to find any witnesses that saw the fall, saw how the hazard got onto the floor, or know how long the hazard has been on the floor.

One way our office has successfully shown that the store should have known about the hazard, is by obtaining copies of the store’s “sweep sheets,” which show how frequently the store employees maintained and checked the aisles for hazards. If the aisles are not checked in a reasonable amount of time, the store may be responsible.

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