Southern California Injury Law Blog

Shortly before 8:30 a.m. yesterday, a driver was critically injured in a crash in Laguna Beach. The collision occurred at the intersection of Glenneyre Street and Mountain Road, the impact causing one of the vehicles to rollover. The driver was cut free from the wreckage and transported to Mission Hospital for treatment. The other driver sustained minor injuries. Orange County authorities are investigating the cause of the car accident, explains a local attorney.

Laguna Beach accounted for 184 of the 18,867 fatal and injury motor vehicle traffic collisions that occurred throughout Orange County in 2009, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety’s most current data. The OTS compares the traffic safety statistics of cities and counties with similarly sized populations, giving those with the worst records the highest rankings, with 1 being the highest. That year, Laguna Beach ranked 9th out of 98 cities.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish the driver who was critically injured yesterday a full recovery. We would also like to wish a full recovery to the driver who suffered minor injuries.

The Orange County Register originally reported this crash.

Resources for accident victims and their families, such as books and articles on the process of pursuing an injury claim, are available to the public free of charge.

If you would like to request one of these free resources, or to speak with an Orange County car accident attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

Shortly after 5:32 a.m. on Monday, July 25th, two people were injured in a crash involving two trucks on the 5 Freeway in San Clemente. A semi triggered the accident when it sideswiped a Honda, leaving it in the path of a boxed truck. When the truck swerved to avoid the vehicle, it rolled over, blocking several lanes. The drivers of the Honda and the truck were both injured, explains an Orange County attorney. The driver of the semi failed to remain at the scene; however, a California Highway Patrol officer speculated that he or she might not have noticed striking the Honda.

San Clemente accounted for 144 of the fatal and injury motor vehicle traffic accidents that occurred throughout the state in 2009, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. Nationwide, crashes involving large trucks accounted for 3,380 of the 33,808 traffic fatalities and 74,000 of the 2,217,000 injuries, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish a full recovery to the two people who were injured in the crash involving two trucks.

The Orange County Register originally reported this San Clemente collision.

Resources for accident victims and their families, such as books and articles on the process of pursuing an injury claim, are available to the public free of charge.

If you would like to request one of these free resources, or to speak with an Orange County truck accident attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

On the night of Tuesday, July 19th, 53-year-old Silvia De Sanchez, of Farmersville, was critically injured in a car accident near Ivanhoe. While traveling northbound on Road 132 in a Buick Century, Sanchez was broadsided when the driver of a Jeep Cherokee, 19-year-old Joshua Labogin, ran a stop sign at Avenue 336. Sanchez was airlifted to a hospital to receive treatment for major trauma. Her passenger, 49-year-old Teresa Mendoza, suffered minor injuries, while Labogin was not hurt in the crash. Authorities are investigating the accident, explains a California personal injury attorney.

Tulare County accounted for 2,624 of the fatal and injury motor vehicle traffic accidents that occurred in the state in 2009, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. Over the last five years, the number of traffic-related fatalities has steadily declined in the state, from 4,333 in 2005 to 2,715 in 2010. The OTS attributed the decrease to various factors: reduced traffic due to the poor economy, high visibility enforcement, sobriety checkpoints, safer cars and road design, and more efficient emergency services.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish Silvia De Sanchez , the woman who was critically injured in Ivanhoe last Tuesday, a full recovery. We would also like to wish a full recovery to her passenger, Teresa Mendoza.

The Fresno Bee originally reported this car accident.

Resources for accident victims, including books and articles on the injury claims process, are available to the public free of charge.

If you would like to request one of these free resources, or to speak with a California personal injury attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

Shortly before 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 13th, a 66-year-old man was struck and seriously injured while crossing the street in downtown Long Beach, explains a California personal injury lawyer. The driver had stopped her Lexus SUV for pedestrians traversing Magnolia Avenue in a crosswalk located between Ocean Boulevard and Broadway before hitting the man. Although authorities have not yet determined if the man was in the crosswalk at the time of the accident, in the past police have conducted sting operations at the location due to the high number of motorists who neglect to follow traffic rules, reported the Long Beach Press Telegram. Paramedics transported the man to a local hospital for treatment. Police are investigating the incident and have asked that witnesses call LBPD Accident Investigation Detective Richard Birdsall at 562-570-7355.

Long Beach accounted for 305 of the fatal and injury motor vehicle traffic accidents involving pedestrians that occurred throughout the state in 2009, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. Nationwide, such accidents claimed the lives of 4,092 pedestrians and injured another 59,000 that year, accounting for 12 percent of all traffic fatalities.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish the man who was struck and seriously injured while crossing the Long Beach street last Wednesday a full recovery.

Resources for accident victims, such as links to pedestrian advocacy groups and articles on the process of pursuing an injury claim, are available to the public free of charge.

If you would like to request one of these free resources, or to speak with a California personal injury lawyer, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

At around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, July 4th, 24-year-old motorcyclist Walter Gutierrez was killed in a crash on PCH near Mugu Rock in Ventura County. The accident occurred near Point Mugu State Beach when 37-year-old Mindee Martinez exited a beach parking lot, crossing the southbound lane in which Gutierrez was riding to enter a northbound one, causing him to crash into the driver’s side of her Dodge Challenger. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Traffic was stopped for almost two hours while authorities investigated the accident, taking witness accounts from the group of motorcyclists with whom Gutierrez had been riding, explains a California personal injury attorney.

Ventura County accounted for 11 of the fatal and injury motorcycle accidents that occurred throughout the state in 2009, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety’s must current data. That year, the number of motorcyclists killed in traffic accidents in the state decreased for the first time since 1998, marking the end of an 11-year, 175 percent increase. Whereas there were 560 deaths in 2008, there were 394 in 2009, a nearly 30 percent decline.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of Walter Gutierrez, the motorcyclist who was killed in a crash on PCH on July 4th.

The Ventura County Star originally reported this accident.

Resources for accident victims and their families, including books and articles on the process of pursuing an injury or a wrongful death claim, are available to the public free of charge.

If you would like to request one of these free resources, or to discuss a specific legal matter with a California personal injury attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

Additional articles and blogs on accidents that have occurred throughout the state can be found at .

At around 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, July 3rd, 18-year-old Miguel Rojas was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Escondido. The incident occurred at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Elmwood Drive when 20-year-old Juan Carlos Carrillo crashed his 1995 Lexus ES300 into Rojas’ Dodge Caravan, the impact causing the van to burst into flames. Carrillo and two passengers fled the scene, leaving Rojas in the burning vehicle. The San Diego County Medical Examiner has concluded that Rojas died from smoke inhalation and burns he suffered in the crash. Authorities apprehended Carrillo at approximately 5:30 p.m. that day, charging him with felony hit and run and driving without a license, explains a California personal injury lawyer.

Escondido accounted for 844 of the 18,414 fatal and injury motor vehicle traffic accidents that occurred in San Diego County in 2009, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety’s most recent data. That year, there were 68 hit-and-run crashes in the city, which ranked 4th out of 56 cities with similar populations for such accidents. In the OTS ranking system, cities and counties that receive the highest numbers have the poorest traffic safety records, with 1st place being the worst.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of Miguel Rojas, the young man who was killed in the hit-and-run crash last Sunday.

Resources for accident victims and their families, such as books and articles on the process of pursuing an injury or wrongful death claim, are available to the public free of charge.

If you would like to request one of these free resources, or to discuss a specific legal matter with a California personal injury lawyer, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

Over the Independence Day Weekend, the California Highway Patrol made 69 DUI arrests in Orange County, 18 more than the previous year. In addition, there was one alcohol-related fatality, whereas no one was killed during the 2010 holiday weekend. As with in previous years, all CHP officers were on duty, patrolling the highways for drunk drivers, speeding motorists, and unbelted occupants from 6 p.m. on Friday, July 1st to 11:59 p.m. on Monday, July 4th. Statewide, CHP officers arrested 1,438 people on suspicion of driving under the influence and there were 23 alcohol-related fatalities over the last holiday weekend, explains an Orange County car accident attorney.

The incidence of drunk driving and other dangerous driving behaviors tends to peak during long holiday weekends. In 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded 473 deaths on Memorial Day Weekend, 468 on New Year’s Weekend, and 410 on Fourth of July Weekend. The California Office of Traffic Safety urges motorists to report drunk drivers by calling 911. Indicators that a driver may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol include wide turns, straddling the center of the road or lane marker, and weaving or zigzagging across the road. Visit the OTS’s website for additional suggestions for how to spot a drunk driver.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish you a safe summer.

Additional information, including books and articles on the process of pursuing an injury claim, is available to the public free of charge.

To request one of these free resources, or to speak with an Orange County car accident attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

Yesterday, the owners of two pit bulls that attacked and inflicted serious injuries to their neighbor were each charged with two felonies for owning dogs that caused serious bodily injury, three misdemeanor counts of failing to protect the public from a dangerous dog, and violating leash laws. On June 18th, the dogs entered the neighbor’s yard through a sagging area of the chain-link fence that divided the two yards and viciously attacked 75-year-old Emako Mendoza, biting her several times on the legs and arms. Mendoza underwent surgery to amputate her left leg and arm and may also lose her right leg. Last December, the pit bulls attacked another neighbor while he walked his dog; however, the owners were not charged in the incident, explains a California personal injury attorney.

Every year in the United States, dogs bite more than 4.7 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Such attacks send 800,000 people to seek medical attention, 386,000 of them in emergency rooms. Annually, an estimated 16 victims die from their injures. A CDC study of attacks that occurred between 1979 and 1998 found that pit bulls and Rottweilers were involved in more than half of recorded incidents.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish Emako Mendoza the best recovery possible.

The San Diego Union-Tribune originally reported that the pit bulls’ owners had been charged for this attack.

Resources for the victims of dog bites, such as books and articles on prevention and the process of pursuing an injury claim, are available to the public free of charge.

If you would like to request one of these free resources, or to discuss a specific legal matter with a California personal injury attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.