Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

A 23 year old man, named Jerome De La Cruz Castro, was killed today in a tragic car accident in Simi Valley on Highway 118. The crash occurred a little after five in the morning today when Castro, according to the Ventura County Star, lost control of his car, possibly due to rain, hit a guard rail on the 118 freeway and came to a stop in the far left lane.

Apparently, Mr. Castro got out of the car and was standing near it when another vehicle, driven by a woman who has not yet been identified, struck Castro’s car, causing his car to hit Castro and kill him. The California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred on the westbound 118 freeway, east of Keuhner Drive. This area of freeway has a curve and goes downhill.

It was not reported whether the woman sustained any injuries in this Simi Valley car accident. We wish our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Jerome De La Cruz Castro, who lived in North Hollywood, California. We also feel that Mr. Castro’s family should hire an experienced California wrongful death lawyer to examine the facts of this situation and determine if there is any liability for wrongful death damages. There may be a claim against the insurance of the woman who struck Castro’s vehicle, if it can be determined that she did something wrong, such as driving too fast for the conditions, or texting and not paying attention to the road.

Continue Reading

Additional information has been learned in follow-up to our blog post of February 6, 2015, titled “Celebrity Bruce Jenner Involved In Fatal Malibu Car Accident”, about the tragic four (4) car traffic accident on PCH in Malibu resulting in multiple injuries and one wrongful death.  Los Angeles County Sheriff Sgt. Philip Brooks told the Los Angeles Times a Prius driving north on PCH in Malibu either slowed down or stopped and was rear ended by an elderly lady in a Lexus.  Bruce Jenner, in a black Cadillac Escalade SUV, while pulling another vehicle, then allegedly rear-ended the Lexus.  This caused the Lexus to propell into the southbound lanes of oncoming traffic, where it was struck by a Hummer.

As a result of this impact or series of impacts the lady driving the Lexus died at the scene of these collisions.  Authorities declined to identify the lady driving the Lexus who was so tragically killed in this accident.  The Lexus reportedly sustained major damage to both its rear and front ends.

It also was reported that Bruce Jenner was given a field sobriety test which he passed and also took a blood alcohol test with unknown results at the time of publication of the Times article.

In such multiple car collisions liability may be shared among various parties.  For example, in this incident, the reason for the Toyota Prius either slowing or stopping will need to be reviewed to see if any vehicle code was violated or if it constituted any unsafe, dangerous or negligent conduct by the driver of the Toyota Prius or anyone else.

Next, the lady driving the Lexus reportedly rear ended the Prius, so there will be issues regarding driving at a safe distance, speed, inattention and other factors to consider.

Regarding Bruce Jenner, there will be the same issues to consider:  driving at a safe distance, speed, inattention and other factors.

Also, the investigation will look into the actions of the driver of the Hummer, who was driving south on PCH, to determine whether he contributed to causing the collision, such as whether he was traveling too fast for conditions, inattention (such as using a mobile cell device while driving), and was unable to take reasonable evasive actions that might have been taken to prevent this incident or lessen its severity.

Continue Reading

About 2 hours ago, TMZ is reporting that Bruce Jenner was involved in a fatal rear end car accident in Malibu. According to TMZ, Jenner apparently told police that the Malibu wrongful death car accident occurred when he was fleeing from paparazzi who were chasing him. Jenner’s vehicle apparently rear ended another vehicle. That white car apparently was pushed into oncoming traffic, where it was struck by a Hummer. The driver of the white vehicle tragically perished in this multi car accident in Malibu.

Bruce Jenner is a well known United States olympian who won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He later gained additional fame as the step father to the Kardashian sisters, in the well-known reality television show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” Jenner is also the father of Brandon, Brody, Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Bruce Jenner has gained additional fame recently as reports have suggested that he has been undergoing the process of having a sex change. The Kardashian family has a home in Calabasas, California.

According to TMZ, Bruce Jenner was subjected to a field sobriety test at the scene of the Malibu accident, which he reportedly passed. A total of eight people were apparently involved in the crash and might have sustained injuries, including the one fatality.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an independent educational and scientific nonprofit organization dedicated to reduce losses due to deaths, injuries and property damage from car accidents on our highways and roads, reported that there was a huge improvement from its last study in 2008 from 48 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years to just 28 for 2011 model year vehicles (registered vehicle year means one car registered for one year).

Drivers in the United States are now less likely to be killed in car and other vehicle accidents due to better car safety systems coupled with the increasing use of restraining systems – that is seat belts and shoulder straps.

Further, mid-size and large autos had much fewer driver fatalities than small and mini-sized vehicles, according to the IIHS.