California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Consumer Protection – Jury Scam

June 7, 2012 | by Robert Walch

There is a new identity theft scam preying on potential jurors that you should tell your friends and relatives about. As you may know, our judicial system, whether criminal (to decide whether a person is guilty or not guilty of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt) or civil (usually to decide monetary damages by a preponderance of the evidence for a civil harm or injury, such as damages resulting from a car accident), relies upon a sworn body of people convened in court to render an impartial verdict on a question or questions submitted to them by the court. This body of people or group, consisting of laypersons and not professional jurors, is called the jury.

Unfortunately, criminals have created a new scam or con, at the core of which is jury service. The con involves calling someone and advising there is a warrant out for that person’s arrest for not reporting as required for jury service. The person obviously protests and is scared, worried and caught off guard. The caller then explains that perhaps there is an error and it can be cleared up by providing the person’s full name and, for identification, their date of birth, Social Security number and one credit card number. This has been verified by the FBI.

This con is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us
take those summonses for jury duty very seriously, but enough people skip
out on their civic duty that this new kind of fraud has become prevalent.
The caller may claim to be a jury coordinator, city clerk or other official. If you
protest that you never received the summons for jury duty, the scammer
then asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or
she may verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out
any of this information to this unknown caller and your identity was just stolen.
The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including California, New York,
Illinois, Colorado, Arizona and more. This con is especially
insidious because the callers use intimidation over the phone to try to bully
people into giving information by pretending they are with the government or court
system.

Hemet High School Accident – Possible Mechanical Failure and Products Liability

May 31, 2012 | by Robert Walch

New information has emerged in the Hemet High School accident that occurred yesterday. According to The Press-Enterprise, there are claims that a mechanical problem in the 1994 Ford Ranger pick-up truck may have contributed to or caused this Hemet pedestrian accident.

The California Highway Patrol’s Major Accident Investigation unit will be thoroughly examining the vehicle to determine if in fact there was a mechanical defect that caused this horrific accident. The driver of the vehicle involved, Daniel Carrillo, who is 18 years old, reportedly claimed that his breaks failed, causing him to run the red light and strike and run over students in the crosswalk.

According to investigators, about 30 students were crossing in the crosswalk when the vehicle ran the red light, at a speed higher than the 25 mile per hour speed limit. Thankfully, the three students who were first reported to be in critical condition now have a good prognosis. Two students however remain in critical condition after suffering serious or catastrophic injuries.

10 Students Injured in Hemet High School Pedestrian Accident

May 30, 2012 | by Robert Walch

We are receiving early reports of a serious pedestrian accident in Hemet, California, earlier today. The car versus pedestrian accident apparently occurred outside Hemet High School, and ten students of the high school were injured when they were hit by a car. The Hemet car accident resulted in three of the students suffering critical injuries. All ten injured students were taken to local hospitals. Two other students reported minor injuries in the Hemet accident but did not require emergency transportation.

The Riverside County Fire Department and California Highway Patrol apparently responded to the Hemet High School accident, which occurred at approximately three o’clock this afternoon. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Hemet students were hit by the car near the front of the school, on Stetson Ave.

UPDATE: The Press-Enterprise is reporting that witnesses said that a Ford Ranger pick-up truck, driven by a student of the school, allegedly ran a red light and hit the students who were crossing the street in a crosswalk. Apparently the truck versus pedestrian accident was recorded on school cameras and the student was detained by the California Highway Patrol.

“Hot Coffee” – Documentary Exposes How Corporations Try to Deny You a Fair Trial

May 23, 2012 | by Robert Walch

We previously posted about the “Hot Coffee” documentary by Susan Saladoff, which exposes how corporations, like big insurance companies, spend millions of dollars so that injury victims do not receive fair trials and are not fairly compensated for their personal injury damages.

They have used one case, the “McDonalds coffee” case, to brainwash the general public (including jurors and politicians) into believing there are too many frivolous lawsuits and that lawsuits cause prices and insurance rates to go up.

For the truth, please watch this great documentary. You can watch it on HBO GO, or purchase the DVD on Netflix, from the “Hot Coffee” website or Amazon. It will also be able to be downloaded from iTunes in July.

“Hot Coffee” Documentary Addresses Corporate Brainwash of Consumers

May 22, 2012 | by Robert Walch

Recently, I had a client tell me that she felt there were too many “frivolous” lawsuits filed in the United States. When I asked her to back up her statement, she referred to the lady who sued McDonalds after suffering injuries from spilled coffee. When I asked for other examples, my client could not think of any, but still had this belief, from this McDonalds coffee case, that people can cause harm to themselves and receive millions of dollars. My client told me that she thinks that lawsuits such as these drive up the costs for everyone else.

Unfortunately, this is a commonly held belief of many Americans, who hear about a sensational case on the news, and think there is an epidemic. This is no different than people watching the news, hearing about one crime, and immediately concluding that there is too much crime and feeling unsafe, even if overall crime is going down.

The media does not report about how much safer our lives are due to the fact companies are held financially responsible for their unsafe behavior. Without this regulation, companies would act with impunity, neglecting the safety of consumers, as can be seen by the unsafe business practices in many other countries. Instead, sensational stories get the headlines and attention.

Susan Saladoff’s documentary film, “Hot Coffee,” attacks the brainwashing that corporate America, especially very large billion dollar insurance companies, has inflicted on the American public. This film gives us the facts that many people do not know about the McDonalds coffee case. For instance, many people forget that this one incident occurred in 1992, over 20 years ago, but they still think that it represents an epidemic of lawsuits. Further, prior to this incident, McDonalds received hundreds of complaints that they were serving their coffee too hot, but did nothing to rectify it.

[For all the facts of the McDonalds coffee case, including answers to frequently asked questions, click here.]

Woman Rescued After Sherman Oaks Truck Accident

May 10, 2012 | by Robert Walch

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.

2 Killed in California Bicycle Accident Wrongful Death

April 10, 2012 | by Robert Walch

The 17 year old driver of a Cadillac Escalade was allegedly driving erratically when he struck a family of bicycle riders, killing a father and his daughter in a tragic California bicycle accident wrongful death. The driver of the Cadillac sustained minor injuries in the Northern California bike accident.

According to the Los Angeles Times, witnesses reported that the driver of the Cadillac was speeding, passing cars and changing lanes erratically. The family was riding on the sidewalk when they were struck by the SUV. The deceased were Solaiman Nuri, a 41 year old man, and his daughter Hadessa Nuri, only nine years old. Another daughter sustained minor injuries in the bike accident in California.

The Concord, California police sergeant Matthew Morrissey said the driver of the Escalade was arrested and faces charges of vehicular manslaughter and may be charged as an adult. Further, authorities are investigating whether the teenager was using his cell phone at the time of the California bicycle crash.

This tragic auto versus bicycle collision should have been avoided. It appears from the facts that the driver of the sports utility vehicle was reckless and careless in the operation of his vehicle. The surviving family members of the victims of this California wrongful death bicycle accident should contact a California bicycle accident lawyer to help them recover the full amount of California wrongful death damages available to them.

Riverside Dog Attack Injures Young Boy

April 8, 2012 | by Robert Walch

A Riverside dog attack on Friday resulted in dog bite injuries to an eleven year old boy. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Riverside dog bite occurred when a pit bull dog, belonging to a neighbor, somehow escaped from a leash and attacked the boy. The father of the boy then got his gun and shot the dog.

Riverside police said the pit bull dog attack victim should recover fully from his dog bite injury. The dog was taken by animal control and is expected to be put down. It was not reported what part or parts of the body of the boy were bitten by the pit bull dog. Usually, the wounds occur to the hands, arms or legs, as these are the areas that dogs frequently strike.

Some very serious dog attack injuries occur when dogs bite near the head or neck area of a victim. These dog bite wounds may leave unsightly scars and/or cause severe emotional distress in their victims. Many dog attack victims often suffer from nightmares associated with the incident and have trouble getting back to their normal lives, including trusting other dogs.

The California dog bite law is that the owner of a dog is strictly liable for the damages caused when the dog bites another person. This means that the owner is responsible for any dog bite damages, regardless if the dog has attacked anyone in the past. Some people mistakenly think that there is a “one bite rule” in which the owner is not responsible the first time his or her dog attacks and bites a victim. However, it does not matter if there was a prior bite in the dog’s history or what type of dog is involved.

Car Accident in Westminster Injures 2 and Causes 1 Wrongful Death

April 5, 2012 | by Robert Walch

A wrongful death car accident in Westminster occurred earlier today. A female passenger in one of the cars was killed in the Westminster crash. Two other people were seriously injured in the auto accident. The female passenger died at the scene of the accident and the other two injured people had to be extricated from a vehicle by firefighters.

According to the Los Angeles Times, one of the vehicles was traveling north on Hoover and the other car was going south. Police did not say if this was a head on collision, but under the circumstances this seems likely. The two critically injured people were taken to local trauma centers in Santa Ana and Irvine.

The Orange County car accident occurred near the intersection of Hoover St. and Hazard Ave., at about five o’clock in the afternoon. Police are investigating what caused this fatal Orange County crash. These types of collisions, possibly a head on collision, can be caused by one driver’s inattentiveness or by a distraction such as a cell phone. Sometimes a driver tries to avoid an obstacle in the road or another car and ends up swerving into opposing traffic.

Hit and Run Accident Causes Los Angeles Wrongful Death

April 2, 2012 | by Robert Walch

Police have not yet apprehended the motorist who struck a pedestrian in a Los Angeles wrongful death pedestrian accident on Sunday. According to the Los Angeles Times, a man was crossing the street, in a crosswalk, at the intersection of Normandie Ave. and W. 5th Street, in Koreatown, when he was hit by a car making a right turn. The driver of the vehicle involved in the Los Angeles pedestrian accident was going east on W. 5th Street, turning onto Normandie, when he struck the man crossing the street.

The suspect in the Los Angeles hit and run accident then left the scene without providing aid and without identifying him or herself. Police said the pedestrian was deceased at the time first responders arrived at the scene of the Koreatown accident.

Anyone with information as to the car or driver of the vehicle, no matter how insignificant the information may seem, should call the Los Angeles Police Department and give the information to investigators. Oftentimes small tips add up to enough information to locate the suspect.