Southern California Injury Law Blog

At around 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 26th, 44-year-old Francisco Donato, of Pomona, was critically injured in a bicycle accident in Chino. While riding on East End Avenue near Chino Avenue, he was struck by a 2001 GMC Yukon that had entered the bicycle lane. Paramedics transported him to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he died from his injuries on October 28th. Authorities are investigating the accident, explains a California personal injury attorney.

Chino accounted for none of the 5 fatalities and 27 of the 280 injuries suffered by bicyclists in traffic accidents in San Bernardino County in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. That year, the number of bicyclists killed in collisions throughout the state decreased by 9.2 percent, from 109 in 2008 to 99 in 2009.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of Francisco Donato, the bicyclist who died from the injuries he sustained in the accident last Wednesday.

Resources for accident victims, 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 speak with a California personal injury attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

At about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 23rd, a drunk driver struck and killed 73-year-old Marschelle Syverson in Morgan Hill. While traveling in a 1991 Lexus SUV, 83-year-old Dick Chappell ran a red light near Jarvis Drive, crashing into Syverson as he traversed Butterfield Boulevard on a Segway. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries. Police arrested Chappell on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and felony DUI, explains a California personal injury lawyer.

Morgan Hill accounted for none of the 21 fatalities and 1 of the 470 injuries suffered by pedestrians in traffic accidents in Santa Clara County in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. The California Office of Traffic Safety compares the accident statistics of counties with similar populations, ranking those with the worst records the highest. That year, Santa Clara County ranked 24th out of 58 counties for pedestrian fatalities and injuries.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of Marschelle Syverson, the man who was struck and killed by the drunk driver last Sunday.

The San Jose Mercury News originally reported this Morgan Hill 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 speak with a California personal injury lawyer, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

At about 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 20th, 31-year-old Daniel Silverman, 21-year-old Lukas Warren, both of Meadow Vista, and 21-year-old Christian Mayorga, of Auburn, were killed and a 17-year-old girl from Eugene, Oregon was moderately injured in a DUI crash in Placer County. While negotiating a turn on Applegate Road north of Boole Road, the 17-year-old driving the group collided with a tree. The Eugene girl and the driver were taken to local hospitals to receive treatment, the latter of whom was later arrested on suspicion of felony vehicular manslaughter and felony driving under the influence, explains a California personal injury attorney. The owner of the 1997 Subaru involved in the accident has indicated that she sometimes allowed the group, including the teenager, to consume alcohol at her residence.

Placer County accounted for 11 of the 1,146 fatalities and 140 of the 17,976 injuries suffered by motor vehicle occupants in traffic accidents that involved alcohol in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. Under state law, an adult who knowingly furnishes alcohol at his or her residence to a person younger than 21 years of age may be held liable if that individual subsequently causes an accident resulting in injuries or fatalities.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the families of Lukas Warren, Daniel Silverman, and Christian Mayorga, the three passengers who were killed in the DUI crash last Thursday. We would also like to wish a full recovery to the girl who was injured.

KOVR, channel 13, originally reported this Placer County 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 speak with a California personal injury attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

At around 7 p.m. on Monday, October 17th, three people were injured in an off-road crash involving a suspected drunk driver in Boulder Creek. While traveling on Empire Grade Road, 22-year-old Brittany Beus lost control of her 1991 Honda Civic south of Jamison Creek Road. The car rolled onto its roof, trapping and critically injuring the passenger in the back seat. Firefighters had to remove the vehicle’s door to extricate the 24-year-old man. Beus and the passenger in the front seat were also injured. All three were transported to hospitals for treatment, one of them by helicopter. Police have arrested Beus on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, explains a California personal injury lawyer.

Santa Cruz County accounted for 19 of the 2,373 fatalities and 1,239 of the 207,651 injuries suffered by motor vehicle occupants in traffic accidents throughout the state in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. That year, alcohol contributed to 8 of the fatal and 161 of the injury crashes that occurred in Santa Cruz County.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish the three people who were injured in the off-road crash in Boulder Creek last Monday a full recovery.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel originally reported this drunk driving accident.

Resources for accident victims, including 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 a California personal injury lawyer, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

Shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 13th, a recreational vehicle struck and seriously injured a parking attendant in Santa Barbara. The driver rammed the RV into the attendant’s vehicle while she was writing a ticket for one of its occupants, pushing it into a parked delivery truck. She was extricated from the vehicle and transported to a local hospital. Police apprehended the occupants of the RV and are investigating the accident, explains a California personal injury lawyer.

Santa Barbara County accounted for 35 of the 2,373 fatalities and 2,203 of the 207,651 injuries suffered by motor vehicle occupants in traffic accidents in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. That year, traffic fatalities decreased by 10.3 percent in the state.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish the parking attendant who was struck and seriously injured in Santa Barbara last Thursday a full recovery.

Resources for accident victims, 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 a California personal injury lawyer, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

Shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 11th, five people were injured in a DUI crash in Huntington Beach. While traveling north on Beach Boulevard in a Toyota Camry, 22-year-old Forrest Leland Kelly broadsided a Dodge Durango at Newman Avenue, the impact causing the SUV to rollover. The driver of the Dodge, 28-year-old Thomas William Barrett, and his three passengers were transported to local hospitals for treatment, as was Kelly. Police later arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence. Authorities are investigating the accident and have asked witnesses to call 714-536-5666, explains an Orange County car accident attorney.

Huntington Beach accounted for 9 of the 101 fatalities and 1,204 of the 16,620 injuries suffered by motor vehicle occupants in traffic collisions throughout Orange County in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. Alcohol contributed to 62 of the fatalities and 1,340 of the injuries drivers and passengers suffered in the county that year. The California Office of Traffic Safety compares the accident statistics of cities with similar populations, giving those with the poorest records the highest rankings, with 1st place considered the worst. Huntington Beach ranked 1st out of 56 cities.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish the five people who were injured last Tuesday a full recovery.

The Orange County Register originally reported this DUI crash.

Resources for accident victims, such as 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 an Orange County car accident attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

Shortly after 11:30 on Friday, October 7th, a car accident claimed the life of 96-year-old Costa Mesa resident Ruth Brown and injured five other people. The crash, which involved five vehicles, occurred on Adams Avenue near Bushard Street when a blue 2005 Mercedes Benz stalled in the westbound lanes. Three of the four vehicles traveling behind the car—a silver 2004 Jaguar, a silver 2002 Mercedes Benz, and a white 2005 Toyota—all stopped; the fourth vehicle, a 2006 Mitsubishi Endeavor crashed into the line of cars, triggering a chain-reaction accident. Paramedics transported the victims to the hospital, where Brown died from her injuries. Authorities are investigating the collision and have requested that witnesses call Officer Dennis Fulton at 714-536-5670, explains an Orange County car accident lawyer.

Huntington Beach accounted for 9 of the 101 fatalities and 1,204 of the 16,620 injuries suffered in motor vehicle collisions in Orange County in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. The state’s Office of Traffic Safety compares the accident statistics of cities with similar populations, giving those with the poorest records the highest ranking, with 1st place being the worst. That year, Huntington Beach ranked 5th out of 56 cities.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of Ruth Brown, the woman who died from the injuries she sustained in a car accident last Friday. We would also like to wish a full recovery to the five people who were injured.

The Orange County Register originally reported this Huntington Beach crash.

Resources for accident victims and their families, such as 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 speak with an Orange County car accident lawyer, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

Shortly after 4 a.m. on Saturday, October 1st, a teenage drunk driver struck and killed pedestrians Carol Shea and Hengameh Saghafi in Anaheim. The 17-year-old was traveling south on Harbor Boulevard when he collided with the women as they traversed a crosswalk in the 1600 block. They both sustained major trauma and died from their injuries. Police arrested the driver, who faces charges for driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, explains an Orange County injury attorney.

Anaheim accounted for 8 of the 41 fatalities and 110 of the 914 injuries that were suffered by pedestrians in Orange County in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. That year, 4,092 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents throughout the country, a decrease of 7 percent from 2008.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the families of Carol Shea and Hengameh Saghafi, the pedestrians who were struck and killed by the teenage drunk driver last Saturday.

The Orange County Register originally reported this Anaheim accident.

Resources for accident victims and their families, such as links to pedestrian advocacy groups 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 speak with an Orange County injury attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

At about 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28th, a motorist opened his car door in the path of a cyclist, the impact ejecting the man from his bicycle. He suffered major head trauma and was transported to a nearby hospital. The 25-year-old man was riding west on University Avenue in San Diego when the accident occurred. Authorities are investigating the incident, explains a California personal injury attorney.

San Diego County accounted for 9 of the 107 fatalities and 991 of the 12,043 injuries suffered by cyclists in traffic accidents throughout California in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. That year, the number of cyclists killed in crashes decreased by 9.2 percent, the lowest on record since 1984.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish a full recovery to the cyclist who suffered major head trauma after being struck by the car door on September 28th.

The San Diego Union-Tribune originally reported this bicycle accident.

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

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