Southern California Injury Law Blog

Shortly after 6:00 p.m. on Monday, December 26th, 60-year-old Karen Lee Henthorn was killed in a pedestrian accident in San Bernardino. While traversing the intersection of Mountain Avenue and Lynwood Drive in a crosswalk, Henthorn was struck by a blue 1994 Honda sedan. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m. Authorities are investigating the accident, explains a California personal injury lawyer.

San Bernardino County accounted for 39 of the 596 fatalities and 472 of the 13,083 injuries suffered by pedestrians in traffic accidents throughout the state in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. That year, pedestrian fatalities declined by 9.2 percent in California.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of Karen Lee Henthorn, the pedestrian who was killed in the accident in San Bernardino last Monday.

Resources for accident victims and their families, including links to pedestrian advocacy groups and articles on pedestrian rights and 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 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday, December 14th, the driver of a Chevrolet Corvette caused the crash that killed 56-year-old Thomas Williams in Camarillo. While traveling southbound on Highway 101 near Pleasant Valley Road, 65-year-old Paul Mailhot, of Newbury Park, veered from the far left lane and collided with the Lexus sport utility vehicle Williams was driving, the impact sending both vehicles off the road. The Lexus rolled multiple times before striking a chain-link fence, and finally stopping on its roof. Williams was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are investigating the accident, explains a California personal injury lawyer.

Camarillo accounted for 3 of the 50 fatalities and 432 of the 4,259 injuries suffered in motor vehicle collisions throughout Ventura 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 cities with similar populations, giving those with the poorest records the worst rankings, with 1st place considered the worst. That year, Camarillo ranked 15th out of 104 cities for traffic safety.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of Thomas Williams, the driver who was killed in the crash involving the Corvette last Wednesday.

The Ventura County Star originally reported this Camarillo accident.

Resources for accident victims and their families, including articles and books 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 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13th, a driver crashed into a Fillmore Starbucks and killed 30-year-old Sergio Mendez. While traveling in an SUV westbound on Ventura Street, 30-year-old Michael Cedarland swerved south across opposing lanes of traffic, struck two curbs, and slammed into the coffee shop. The SUV pinned Mendez to the wall near the front door. Using the Jaws of Life, firefighters extricated Mendez from the wreckage. He was transported to Ventura County Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries. Although authorities do not believe drugs or alcohol contributed to the accident, they are investigating whether a loss of consciousness caused Cedarland to lose control of the vehicle, explains a California personal injury lawyer.

Fillmore accounted for none of the 50 fatalities and 37 of the 4,259 injuries suffered by motor vehicle occupants in Ventura County in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. Traffic fatalities in the state decreased by 10.3 percent, from 3,434 in 2008 to 3,081 in 2009.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of Sergio Mendez, the man who was killed when the driver crashed through the Fillmore Starbucks last Tuesday.

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 speak with a California personal injury lawyer, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

The National Transportation Safety Board, the agency charged with determining the cause of transportation accidents and promoting transportation safety, recently recommended that all cell phone use in vehicles be banned. This was the conclusion the agency reached after a December 13th, 2011 meeting to discuss a tragic highway accident in Gray Summit, Missouri, the cause of which was attributed to distracted driving, explains an auto accident lawyer in Orange County.

On August 5th, 2010, the 19-year-old driver of a pickup truck sent and received a total of 11 text messages in the 11 minutes before he rear-ended a tractor truck, setting off a chain-reaction crash. A school bus filled with students subsequently crashed into the back of the truck, and then was rear-ended by another school bus. A 15-year-old and the driver of the truck were killed in the accident and 38 others were injured.

In addition to several other decisions concerning the accident, the NTSB concluded that the 50 states and the District of Columbia should ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices for drivers. The agency recommended that states utilize the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration model of high visibility enforcement to support these bans, as well as campaigns to educate motorists about the dangers of distracted driving—an activity that claimed 5,474 lives in 2009.

Additional information on distracted driving, transportation safety, auto accidents, and the injury claims process is available to the public free of charge.

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

At around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, December 12th, four people were injured in a major accident on Interstate 5 near Newhall. The collision, involving about a dozen semis, occurred in the truck tunnel of the freeway, closing several lanes for hours as nearly 55 firefighters responded to the crash. Hazardous materials specialists were also inspecting a gas-tanker truck that leaked approximately 30 gallons of fuel. Authorities are investigating the incident, explains a California truck accident attorney.

Santa Clarita accounted for 5 of the 390 fatalities and 772 of the 64,178 injuries suffered by motor vehicle occupants in crashes in Los Angeles County in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. Throughout Los Angeles County, large trucks accounted for 46 of the 236 fatal and 1,464 of the 4,874 injury accidents that occurred in the state.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish the 4 people who were injured in the major accident involving semis near Newhall on Monday a full recovery.

The Los Angeles Times originally reported this Interstate 5 crash.

Resources for accident victims and their families, 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 truck accident attorney, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

At around 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday, December 7th, a DUI driver struck and seriously injured motorcyclists Stuart and Elizabeth Lessing in Fallbrook. The collision occurred at the intersection of South Mission Road and Almond Street, when 57-year-old Randall Arnold turned his truck left into the path of the couple’s 2010 Kawasaki motorcycle, the impact throwing them from the bike. They suffered major trauma and were transported to a nearby hospital. Police arrested Arnold on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, explains a California personal injury lawyer.

San Diego County accounted for 37 of the 383 fatalities and 1,026 of the 10,479 injuries suffered by motorcyclists throughout California in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. The California Office of Traffic Safety ranks counties for traffic safety based on comparisons to the accident statistics of other counties with similar populations. Higher rankings are considered poor, with 1st place being the worst. That year, San Diego placed 38th for motorcycle safety out of 58 counties.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to wish a full recovery to Stuart and Elizabeth Lessing, the motorcyclists who were struck by the DUI driver and seriously injured last Wednesday.

The North County Times originally reported this accident.

Resources for accident victims and their families, including articles on motorcycle accidents and 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 discuss a specific legal matter with a California personal injury lawyer, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

Shortly before 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 6th, the driver of a pickup truck struck and killed a motorcyclist in Huntington Beach. The 1983 Chevrolet Silverado collided with the 2009 Yamaha near the intersection of Brookhurst Street and Adams Avenue. The rider was declared dead at the scene. Authorities are investigating the accident and have asked witnesses to call 714-636-5666, explains a motorcycle accident lawyer in Orange County.

Huntington Beach accounted for 3 of the 17 fatalities and 67 of the 759 injuries suffered by motorcyclists in traffic accidents throughout Orange 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 cities with similar populations, ranking those with the poorest records the highest, with 1st place being the worst. That year, the city ranked 2nd out of 56 cities for motorcycle safety.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of the motorcyclist who was struck and killed by the truck yesterday.

The Orange County Register originally reported this Huntington Beach crash.

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 motorcycle accident lawyer in Orange County, feel free to call 866-981-5596.

Shortly before 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 3rd, a vehicle struck and killed 61-year-old pedestrian Domingo Nava at the intersection of Sierra Avenue and Reed Street in Fontana. He suffered major trauma and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:22 p.m., according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department. Authorities are investigating the accident, explains a California personal injury attorney.

Fontana accounted for none of the 39 fatalities and 44 of the 472 injuries suffered by pedestrians in traffic accidents throughout San Bernardino County in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. Recently, the traffic safety coalition Transportation for America ranked the Riverside-San Bernardino metro area as the fifth-most dangerous in the nation for pedestrian safety.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of Domingo Nava, the pedestrian who was struck and killed by the vehicle in Fontana last Saturday.

Resources for accident victims and their families, including links to pedestrian advocacy groups and articles on pedestrian rights and on the personal injury and wrongful death 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.