Wrongful Death

Man Killed in Hollywood Car Accident

October 30, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A Hollywood car accident early Monday morning resulted in the death of a man. According to WEHOville, the car accident occurred on La Brea Avenue, near where Hollywood meets West Hollywood, at about 2:00am, Monday morning. Witnesses stated that the man was driving too fast, struck parked vehicles, then hit a taxi. There was no report on whether alcohol or drugs may have played a part in this fatal Hollywood accident.

The driver of the taxi, which was struck by the car, had to be taken to a local area hospital. Fortunately, his injuries were only described as minor. The taxi driver was treated and released. Since it appears that the driver who tragically passed away in the car accident was probably at fault for causing the crash, there will probably not be any car accident wrongful death case here. However, if there was another reason for the crash, such as a defective road design, a wrongful death claim may possibly be made. Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased.

UCLA MOURNS DEATH OF WIDE RECEIVER KILLED IN SAN CLEMENTE CAR V. PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT

September 10, 2013 | by Robert Walch

UCLA football player, Nick Pasquale, was killed Sunday, September 8, 2013, when, while he was walking, he apparently was struck by a car in San Clemente, California. The car reportedly stopped and the driver was not cited. The specific causes of this fatal pedestrian accident are reportedly still under investigation.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Nick was a highly regarded high school athlete at San Clemente High School. At UCLA he was an undersized receiver at 5’7″ and 172 pounds, but was quick, a vocal leader and played in UCLA’s first game this season, a 58-20 victory over Nevada on Saturday, August 31, 2013. That was Nick’s first game ever for UCLA, and so sadly his only game for his university.

Nick was a red shirt freshman, also contributing to UCLA’s success by playing on UCLA’s scout team against its starting defense.

Parts of Beverly Hills Evacuated Due to Ruptured Gas Line

August 7, 2013 | by Robert Walch

According to the Los Angeles Times, due to the apparent risk of gas explosion injuries, parts of Beverly Hills, California were evacuated today after a rupture occurred in an underground gas line at a construction site. The construction site is for a public works warehouse on 3rd Street in Beverly Hills.

Various entertainment companies had to evacuate their offices due to the risk of a Los Angeles gas explosion. Only minutes ago, it was announced that the gas line rupture had been successfully repaired and the evacuation order was lifted. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from the Beverly Hills gas line rupture.

Southern California Gas Company as well as the Beverly Hills Fire Department worked on repairing the ruptured Beverly Hills gas line.

Just this week, unfortunately, residents of the city of Rosario, in Argentina, were not as lucky when a gas explosion killed at least 10 people and left many others unaccounted for. Apparently, according to Stuff.co.nz, work was being done on the gas system for an apartment building shortly before the gas explosion occurred. That explosion completely destroyed a 10 story apartment building and also caused many gas explosion injuries. Our hearts go out to the victims of this gas explosion, which has particular significance as it was in the home town of Barcelona soccer legend, Lionel Messi.

80 Killed in Spanish Train Accident

July 31, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A train accident on July 24th in northwestern Spain resulted in the death of 80 people and many train accident injuries. According to the Los Angeles Times, the driver of the train, Francisco Garzon, was going too fast for the conditions, as he had to go around a curve. Garzon, who was going approximately twice the speed limit, apparently did not see that there was a curve coming.
Garzon has been charged with reckless homicide for the train passenger deaths. In addition to the wrongful death train accident victims, many passengers were taken to the hospital with very serious train accident injuries. We wish a speedy recovery to these victims of this tragic train crash.

Unfortunately, we see many train accidents happening around the world. Many get reported, but most train accident injuries are less severe and do not make international news. Many people around the world, including in Los Angeles, have been injured by metro, subway and other trains. These train accident injuries range from relatively minor falls, sometimes caused by a rapid acceleration of the train, or more serious incidents involving loss of life.

Man Killed in Calabasas Motorcycle Accident Wrongful Death

June 17, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A 25 year old man from Calabasas, John Westerlund, was killed in a Calabasas motorcycle accident on Wednesday. According to The Acorn, the Calabasas accident occurred on Las Virgenes Road, when the driver of a pick up truck pulled out in front of the motorcycle, attempting to make a u-turn from a parked spot on the street.

Our Calabasas accident lawyers have seen this scenario over and over again. A car will be parked parallel to a street and then, without noticing a car coming in the same direction, will attempt a u-turn when the driver thinks it is safe to enter the opposite direction of travel. Many of these collisions result in a t-bone collision, where the car or motorcycle traveling straight broadsides the vehicle attempting the illegal u-turn.

Oftentimes, the auto insurance company for the vehicle making the illegal turn will try to deflect their liability (fault) by arguing that the vehicle traveling straight was trying to go around the turning vehicle. Insurance companies will often make up these bogus arguments in order to make it more difficult for the victim to get his or her vehicle repaired right away, which causes much frustration and inconvenience. These are among the many reasons to hire an experienced Calabasas car accident lawyer right away after an accident when you are not at fault.

3 People Killed in Tragic Pico Rivera Car Accident

June 14, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A Pico Rivera car accident last night has resulted in the death of a man and two children, who were thrown from the car after the head on collision. According to the Los Angeles Times, the car accident in Pico Rivera apparently happened when the man, who was driving a Honda home from a party, went into the southbound lanes of San Gabriel Parkway, colliding head on with another vehicle.

The Honda was also carrying a woman and another child. Both of them were listed in critical condition from the serious injuries they suffered in this car accident. The other vehicle, a Nissan, had two female occupants. They were both taken to the hospital and their injuries were listed as serious.

The cause of this Pico Rivera accident has not yet been determined by police. Often, in night time accidents where a car goes into the other lane of traffic, alcohol or other intoxicating substances are involved and play a part in causing the crash. However, there are plenty of other scenarios that may have occurred. For example, there may have been a hazard in the roadway that caused the driver to swerve into oncoming traffic.

Van Nuys Motorcycle Accident Results in Possible Wrongful Death

March 12, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A man was killed on Monday in a Van Nuys motorcycle accident. The motorcycle accident in Van Nuys occurred on the 405 Freeway. The motorcyclist was headed southbound on the 405 freeway, at around eight in the morning, when he collided with at least one other vehicle.

The 405 freeway accident caused the closure of three lanes near Sherman Way. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the victim of the 405 freeway motorcycle accident was an adult male, but he has not yet been identified. Many drivers who passed by this tragic accident scene reported that the motorcyclist passed away at the scene and was not transported to a hospital.

We have not yet heard if the California Highway Patrol has determined who was at fault for this Van Nuys motorycle crash. It will be necessary to interview witnesses and the drivers of the other vehicle or vehicles involved in the crash, before determining fault. Unfortunately, as we have written about before, and seen in many of our own cases, many witnesses typically blame the motorcycle rider, even when the driver of a car is at fault for causing the crash.

Pedestrian Killed in Downtown Los Angeles Truck Accident

March 11, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A downtown Los Angeles truck accident has resulted in the death of a 52 year old lady. Four other pedestrians were injured in the truck accident in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, a Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck apparently collided with five pedestrians while they were standing on the sidewalk. After striking the pedestrians, the truck crashed into Casa India Restaurant, on Broadway.

It is not clear what exactly caused the downtown Los Angeles pedestrian accident. It is possible the driver of the pickup truck lost control of the vehicle, causing the crash. In other similar circumstances, we have seen drivers suffer heart attacks or strokes before striking pedestrians or other vehicles. Here, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, the restaurant’s structural integrity was not compromised by the impact.

Injury victims of this Los Angeles accident should contact a Los Angeles truck accident lawyer to investigate the cause of the crash and to seek personal injury damages from the insurance company of the truck driver. The family of the woman who was killed should contact a Los Angeles wrongful death lawyer to seek wrongful death damages for the victim’s heirs.

Student Killed After Hit by Car in Pomona

February 28, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A student at Cal Poly was killed after being hit by a car in Pomona, California. The Pomona accident occurred earlier today and the victim’s identity has not yet been released. According to the Los Angeles Times, investigators were still trying to find out the cause of the Pomona pedestrian accident.

It is not yet clear what caused the pedestrian accident in Pomona. The 21 year old student was hit by a car on campus. From early reports, it is not clear if the driver fled the scene or was identified. If the driver was at fault, a Pomona wrongful death claim may be brought against the driver. If the driver had auto insurance, his or her insurance would be responsible for paying the wrongful death damages, up to the amount of the liability coverage on the policy.

There are many potential causes to California pedestrian accidents. Many people are hit by cars when they are jaywalking, meaning crossing a street illegally. However, if a person is jaywalking, drivers still have a duty to act to avoid hitting the person. Unfortunately, many drivers do not anticipate the jaywalker and do not have enough time to react to avoid the accident.

Man Killed in Malibu Pedestrian Accident

February 27, 2013 | by Robert Walch

A pedestrian accident in Malibu has resulted in the death of Luis Olmedo, who was hit by an SUV when crossing Pacific Coast Highway. The Malibu pedestrian accident occurred at about 6:45pm yesterday, near Decker Canyon. According to the Ventura County Star, the investigators say that alcohol and speed did not play a part in the Malibu accident. Investigators did apparently say that they believe Olmedo was at fault.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the case and said the man was fishing at El Pescador Beach before he tried to run across PCH. After the man was hit by the car, the driver called 911. Emergency responders were unable to save him and Mr. Olmedo was pronounced dead.

In over 35 years of handling California personal injury accident cases, we have seen many Pacific Coast Highway car accidents. Unfortunately, despite the sometimes heavy police presence, many drivers tend to drive too fast on PCH, leading to many Malibu car accidents. Also, as the main access road for many residents of Malibu, we see a lot of drunk driving arrests and crashes on PCH. So far, however, there is no evidence that speed or alcohol caused this PCH accident.