California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Cars do not come out of nowhere

November 13, 2017 | by Robert Walch

People contact our office just about every day regarding a Los Angeles car accident that they were involved in. Frequently, we hear them say something like, “I was making a turn and the other car came out of nowhere and hit me.” Or they might say, “I was stopped at a stop sign, then when I was proceeding through the intersection, I was struck by a car that came out of nowhere.”

Cars do not come out of nowhere and every accident has at least one cause, other than a car coming out of nowhere. Typically, if a person says a car came out of nowhere, that person was not paying enough attention to his or her surroundings. If you are stopped at a stop sign, it is very important that you look in all directions before entering the intersection. You need to look for vehicles, as well as pedestrians and bicyclists who may be crossing in front of you. If you look in all directions before entering and nobody is coming, then it should be safe to enter the intersection. Continue Reading

Woman Dies in Tragic Santa Clarita Accident

November 6, 2017 | by Robert Walch

On Saturday, a woman was killed when her vehicle was rear ended by a truck. The Santa Clarita truck accident occurred at about 5:08pm, when the truck slammed into the rear of the woman’s vehicle, pushing her vehicle into a bus. One passenger on the bus was also injured in the Santa Clarita accident.

According to the Daily News, the woman who died was named Marie Davis. She was 67 years old and lived in Canyon Country, California. Unfortunately, Ms. Davis’ smaller car posed no match for the much bigger truck, which was also pulling a trailer at the time of the wrongful death accident. There does not appear to be any suggestion that the driver of the bus contributed to causing this collision, but this is something that should be examined.

As of now, it has not yet been reported what caused the truck to rear end the vehicle. Oftentimes rear end accidents like this happen due to inattention by a driver, sometimes because of texting or other distractions. When the driver sees that vehicles have stopped up ahead, it can just be too late to stop in time. Here, the truck would require more time to stop because of the trailer hitched to the back. The driver may not have been taking that into account.

Riverside Car Accident Kills Las Vegas Shooting Survivors

October 30, 2017 | by Robert Walch

Sadly, a married couple from Murietta died on October 16, 2017, when they were involved in a car accident in Riverside, California. According to the Los Angeles Times, Dennis Carver was driving a 2010 Mercedes when he went off the roadway and crashed, killing himself and his passenger, his wife Lorraine.

Dennis and Lorraine were at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Las Vegas when a shooter fired at the festival from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. In that tragic incident, 58 people were killed. The deceased couple leaves behind a 16 year old daughter.

What Happens After An Accident?

October 23, 2017 | by Robert Walch

Your day has just gotten worse. You were involved in a car accident in California. What do you do now? Knowing the steps to take after an accident can not only help you in the moment but can also help your financial recovery down the line. An accident could make you feel shaky, nervous, and even sick to your stomach, even if you were not injured. These steps will help you:

● Get to safety. The first thing that you should consider is getting someplace safe. This means moving you and your car out of harm’s way if possible. If you cannot move your car, you will want to draw attention to your vehicle by putting on your hazards and even properly using road flares if you have them.

California’s Basic Speed Law

October 14, 2017 | by Robert Walch

In early October, a teenage girl was hit in an intersection in Imperial Beach, California, while riding her bike. A white car entered the intersection of Elm Avenue and 9th Street striking the girl on her bike, causing this California bike accident. This intersection in Imperial Beach is a rather busy intersection, and residents believe that something more needs to be done to prevent future incidents like this from happening in the future.

Thankfully, the teen was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay. The problem is that residents of the community say that this is going to continue until the city steps up to do something to protect people at this intersection.

Teen Driver Involved in Long Beach Fatal Crash

October 5, 2017 | by Robert Walch

On Wednesday, September 20, 2017, a man was involved in a fatal crash after a teen lost control of his car. The teen had allegedly been driving at high speeds and weaving in and out of traffic before the Long Beach wrongful death occurred along Pacific Coast Highway.

According to the OC Register, the 17-year-old had been driving a 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse by the intersection of PCH and Studebaker Road in the afternoon, and swerved to get around a turning vehicle rather than stopping. This caused his car to go into the eastbound lane hitting the 58-year-old driver’s 2016 Toyota Corolla that was going to turn right on PCH.

Hit-and-Run: Victim’s Rights After the Accident

September 23, 2017 | by Robert Walch

Recently, a vehicle struck two pedestrians on Foothill Boulevard in Rialto and kept going. One woman passed away from her injuries at the hospital, while the other is currently in critical condition. Police found what they believe is the subject vehicle at an apartment complex located on Beachwood Street. The car they found had damage to the front of the car. Police are still processing this case, and looking for the suspect that was driving the car at the time of the accident. We hope that the drive of the vehicle is located, so that he or she can be charged criminally for the hit and run, but also held responsible for the wrongful death and other personal injuries that were caused.

Penalties of Hit-and-Run Accidents

A hit-and-run accident can turn an everyday accident into a criminal investigation. Whenever you are involved in a car crash, you have a legal responsibility to stop at the scene.

Night Driving: How to Keep Yourself Safe

September 14, 2017 | by Robert Walch

One of the most dangerous times to be on the California roadways is nighttime. There’s a number of reasons behind why the darkness makes it inherently more dangerous. Did you know that when it comes to fatal wrongful death accidents, almost half of them happen at night, even though there are fewer people on the roadways at this time? It’s unfortunately true.

With that in mind, here are some tips to help you to be more aware of potential problems, and make you feel more confident about night driving.

Seatbelt: Too many people still ignore the need for their seatbelt. Your seatbelt is one of the first lines of defense against injuries and fatalities that can happen from a car accident. No matter the time of day or night, taking the step to buckle up your seatbelt can save your life.

Riverside Grandmother Critically Injured By Alleged Street Racers in Crash

September 7, 2017 | by Robert Walch

A car coming off of the 215 freeway in San Bernardino was hit by two cars that witnesses described as racing each other. A 62 year-old grandmother was in the backseat of the car when it was struck. Her injuries from this San Bernardino car accident are very serious and it is unknown if she will ever walk or talk again due to the injuries she sustained. She is currently being treated for a broken neck, severe internal injuries and traumatic brain injury.

According to CBS Los Angeles, the accident took place as the first car clipped the back end of the car that the grandmother was riding in. This caused the car to spin before it was struck by the second car allegedly involved in the illegal street racing. This second hit caused the car to roll. The first car fled the scene while the second car remained with those inside being injured themselves in the crash. The driver and passenger both were treated and released from the hospital, but no further information has been available about whether or not they’ll be facing charges.

California Laws and Street Racing

Knott’s Berry Farm Injury Lawsuit One of Several

August 31, 2017 | by Robert Walch

A California personal injury lawsuit was recently filed against Knott’s Berry Farm for several individuals that have been injured while riding the log ride at the theme park. The suit claims that improper maintenance of the ride was the cause of the injuries. One of the individuals involved in this lawsuit is a six-year-old child that had fractured his eye socket on the ride when it came to an abrupt halt after the final drop. The lawsuit notes that this injury is not an isolated occurrence, but that this ride has caused similar injuries in at least 10 other theme park guests.

The Los Angeles Times reports that California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigated this particular log ride for nine injuries reported on the ride between 2010 and 2012. These reports include injuries to the passengers including cuts around the eye and teeth that have been chipped from the force. As a result of these reports, an investigation was performed in 2015 by the California Department of Industrial Relations that found that there was a device in the ride that was not working correctly. Typically this device would monitor the level of water in the ride. Due to this maintenance problem, the park had to make the necessary repairs and had to pay inspection fees.