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Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

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A young student walking to Pacific High School was killed after being hit by a speeding car in San Bernardino, California. The student, Jade Maldonado, was only 14 years old. The San Bernardino hit-and-run accident occurred in the morning before school, just after 7 a.m., as she was walking to class.

According to the San Bernardino Sun, Jade was crossing in a marked crosswalk when she was hit by a car that immediately fled the scene. The car was described as a Tan 2000-2004 GMC SUV. The vehicle was traveling approximately 40-50 mph when Jade was hit.

Jade was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center. Doctors performed surgery in attempts to save her, but Jade passed away later that day. The school district released a statement offering their condolences and letting parents and students know that school counselors are available to speak with students struggling because of this tragic accident. Police ask anyone with information about this hit-and-run accident to contact them immediately at 909-383-4247.

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A tragic San Diego electrical accident caused the wrongful death of a local landscaper who was trimming a pine tree. Moises Hernandez Sr., owner of his own tree-trimming and landscaping company, often volunteered at a local church by maintaining its grounds. According to The Coast News, Hernandez was trimming a large pine tree near the church when his metal tool came in contact with a San Diego Gas & Electric Wire, instantly electrocuting Hernandez.

Hernandez was hit with a shock of 12,000-volts that resulted in his wrongful death. Police reports stated “the church’s caretaker called 911 after hearing a ‘loud buzzing’ noise.” The first responders found Hernandez, unresponsive in the tree. SDG&E had to be called to cut power to lines touching the tree before Hernandez could be rescued.  It took SDG&E three hours to get trucks to the scene to cut power—Hernandez was ultimately pronounced dead before he was removed from the tree. Continue Reading

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25-year-old Granada Hills resident, Matthew Fielding, was killed Sunday morning, September 16, 2018 in a Los Angeles motorcycle accident. This motorcycle accident occurred in the Newhall Pass on the southbound side of the 5 freeway, around 11:10 a.m. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the motorcycle and a 2002 BMW collided on the freeway.

As a result of the crash, “Fielding was ejected from his motorcycle and landed on the southbound truck lanes,” police reported. The driver and passenger in the BMW were uninjured. Due to the motorcycle accident fatality, the investigating officers closed the southbound truck lanes on the 5 freeway for four hours. Continue Reading

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Just before midnight on Tuesday, September 12, 2018, a white BMW crashed into an apartment building in a Los Angeles County car accident. The car accident that occurred near Golden Springs Drive and Diamond Bar Boulevard in Diamond Bar, killed two of the three male passengers. The third passenger survived the crash, but was sent to the hospital in critical condition.

According to CBS Los Angeles News, police say the BMW was “traveling at 100 mph whit it hit a curb, went airborne and hit the apartment building.” Pictures of the vehicle show that the car was completely destroyed as a result of the accident. Continue Reading

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Earlier this month, two boats out on the Colorado River, in an area north of Lake Havasu, on the California and Arizona border, collided sending all passengers into the water. The first boat carried 10 people, while the second boat carried six passengers.

Just after the collision, good Samaritans boating nearby helped to pull several of the boat crash victims out of the water. As emergency response teams got to the area, two victims were airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital. The seven others injured in the boating accident were taken to local medical centers. Continue Reading

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Marcus Kowal, a mixed martial arts fighter, is pushing for stricter drunk driving laws after his 15-month-old son Liam was hit and killed by a drunk driver. According to CBS News, the accident occurred two years ago when Liam’s aunt was pushing him in his stroller.

Donna Marie Higgins, who was driving under the influence, struck Liam and his aunt while they were crossing a crosswalk. The young Liam was discovered without a pulse, and after three days was taken off life support. Higgins was later sentenced to 6 years in prison because she was driving under the influence of prescription drugs and alcohol at the time of the accident.  Continue Reading

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This week Los Angeles citizens commemorated the 10-year anniversary of the worst ever commuter rail disaster that occurred when a Metrolink train collided head on with a freight train.

On September 12, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. the Metrolink commuter train hit the freight train. The collision pushed the first car of the Metrolink train into the passenger car behind it. Several rail cars from both trains derailed, resulting in personal injuries of 135 people and the wrongful deaths of 25 passengers. It took over 24 hours for emergency responders to reach all of the deceased.  Continue Reading

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An Oxnard car accident resulted in the deaths of two people and left another in critical condition. The accident occurred after 11:30 p.m. Monday night, near Victoria Avenue and Wooley Road. The Ventura Star reports that the accident occurred when a Pontiac Fire Bird travelling at high speeds collided with a Lexus GS 430.

After the Pontiac struck the Lexus, it left the roadway coming to rest by smashing into a palm tree. The Pontiac contained a driver and two passengers. The 19 year-old driver, Oxnard resident Juan Cruz, died at the scene.  20-year-old passenger Karisa Serrato was ejected from the car and died from her injuries after she was transported to the hospital. The other passenger, a 19-year-old from Oxnard, was also transported to the hospital in critical condition, but is now in stable condition. The Lexus driver was uninjured and stayed at the scene to speak with police.  Continue Reading

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A Los Angeles-bound bus accident, involving a big rig truck, has resulted in the deaths of seven bus passengers. The bus was a Greyhound bus coming from St. Louis and headed to Los Angeles. In addition to the bus accident wrongful death victims, 42 other passengers were taken to local hospitals for their bus accident injuries. According to ABC News 7, the accident occurred on Interstate 40 near Thoreau, New Mexico.

Initial reports by investigators show that a big rig was traveling eastbound when a front tire blew, causing the truck to lose control. The big rig smashed through the center median and went into oncoming traffic, hitting the bus.  The truck turned on its side while the bus was severely damaged, and luggage was strewn across the freeway.

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Friday evening, an apparent street race led to a violent crash that killed four people. The Moreno Valley car accident allegedly occurred when three vehicles were racing and one of the vehicles, a white car, lost control and hit a dirt median.

CBS News reported that the white car ultimately hit the concrete median and guardrail, causing the car to flip. Firefighters at the scene attempted to get the trapped passengers out of the overturned car, but the four passengers died at the scene. Another person at the scene was taken to the hospital with injuries.  Continue Reading

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