In late 2006, Wolters was working for Econolite and was performing routine inspection on the bridge when he fell through a gap in the center of bridge. His widow then brought suits against Orange County, Rancho Santa Margarita and the California Department of Transportation.
Orange County Superior Court judge Sheila Fell last week dismissed the case after settlement. Both sides were represented by attorneys arguing who was negligent, but in the end, the lawyers resolved the matter without going to trial.

The complicated legal issues arising from a wrongful death require careful analysis because of the many parties are involved. However, it is a shame that with this as the second death, from the same bridge gap, the City of Rancho Santa Margarita did not attempt to resolve the case before suit had to be filed.

It is worth your while to consult with an Orange County personal injury attorney to evaluate a potential cause of a wrongful death. Otherwise, the family can be left without any recovery when a life was wrongfully taken.

During the police chase, the suspect’s vehicle reached speeds between 80 and 100 mile per hour on surface streets. The suspects then ran a red light and after that smashed head on into another truck and small car. The impact of the crash pushed the suspect’s truck about 100 yards down the street and it ended up on its side.

The man in the pick-up truck died immediately and the original two suspects as well as the person in the small car were taken to nearby hospital with critical injuries.

Unfortunately, high-speed chases are almost common place here in Southern California. Police chases are necessary to stop fleeing felons, but rules are in place to protect the public. It is always a balancing act between capturing the suspects and protecting the public. Unfortunately, fleeing felons do not care about the safety of the public. T

hat is why the penalty to them for fleeing must be so great that they care about their well being and likely prison term. Stiff sentences should be automatic, and heavy when fleeing law enforcement. Incarceration should not be in the general population pens where they can commune with other felons. Maybe it is time to review putting these people back onto "hard labor" chain gang work? Take the fun out of the escape by adding the back side payback, and you will reduce the fleeing suspect attempts.

As a Orange County personal injury attorney we see the devastation and destruction caused by these fleeing felons. It would be better to stop it before the attempted escape starts, rather than try to chase the felons "carefully." I say throw the book at them.

James Ballidis is a Newport Beach accident attorney practicing in Orange County California.

Unfortunately, this seems backwards. Companies that are owed money get paid first, as long as they have a lien or secured interest. the government gets paid and even the workers get paid. After the dust settles, the victims, through no negligence of their own, get left holding the bag. when the injuries are serious by the way, there is rarely enough insurance and so the public pays for the victim' medical and health care for the rest of their life.

You can change this, at least with the GM non-sense. Gm will not assume liability for already pending claims, unless you voice an opinion. Please contact your congressional members and urge that they sign to Jeremy Warrimer Consumer Protection Act. The bill makes automakers retain their insurance for liability claims for any defective products made by them. Call or write today!

The dog bite happened in the early morning hours of August 16th, 2008. Police officers were searching a neighborhood for an armed robbery suspect. The police asked the homeowner if they could search the surrounding property and garage. The homeowner agreed, but had f a guest sleeping in the garage. When the officers and dog entered the garage, they found Alicia Quinonez, 22 sleeping. Quinonez was startled awake and may have kicked or swiped at the dog, that fact is disputed at this point. She was taken to a nearby hospital with severe bites to her right leg.

Her attorney claims that a police dog should be have been better trained. The city is now conducting a full investigation. Whether a governmental official or private citizen, a dog owner is responsible for the behavior of his/her dog. When ever someone ifs bitten wrongly, a California personal injury attorney specializing in dog bite cases can provide a meaningful evaluation of your right to bring a claim.

James Ballidis is an attorney practicing in Orange County California and specializes in Dog bite and personal injury claims.

In the first case, West Alamitos Health Care center was fined $100,000 for the death of a woman who was not given enough fluids. She got so severely dehydrated that she was transferred to the hospital and died six days later of acute kidney failure. How a facility to withhold fluids is just beyond comprehension and the fine certainly does not value the life of this woman.

The second facility fined $80,000 was at Huntington Valley HealthCare Center in Huntington Beach. In this case, the nurses did not call 9-1-1 when the patient was having a heart attack, even though his advanced directive specifically stated he wanted CPR in an emergency situation. The staff misread the instructions and the patient subsequently died.

In both cases, the personnel involved have are no longer employed by these facilities. But is this really enough? Two people died because of inattentive medical staff! Orange County Personal Injury attorneys frequently see elderly clients mistreated and abused by facilities with inadequately trained staff or staff that is apathetic to the needs of their patients. It is simply unacceptable, and fines that nothing more than a slap on the hand are unacceptable when a death occurs.

When you leave an elderly loved one in a nursing home, make certain that the staff reads and understands the medical directive. As a Orange County personal injury attorney, I recommend that you even insist on meeting the staff members that are primarily assigned to care for your family member. It is harder for them to ignore your loved one if they will also have to answer to you and you can make a judgment call if the staff member is not adequately trained to care for you family. Additionally, check the facility out with the state and county licensing boards to check for various fines.

Written by James Ballidis, a California personal injury and auto accident attorney with 25 years experience practicing in Newport Beach California.

In the last two weeks, a one year old boy from Aliso Viejo and a 47 year old man from San Juan Capistrano have died from drowning. The one thing these two calls as well as the other 12 have in common is that no one was watching. At a party or a public pool, don’t always think that someone else is watching your child. Lifeguards often times are distracted and can’t always see everyone in the pool! Additionally, just because someone is an adult doesn’t mean that they can swim.

Officials from the OCFA will soon begin a new water safety campaign to provide safety tips for parents. The most important tip is to assign someone to watch your pool during large gatherings, and it goes without saying that children should be monitored at all times.
.
If someone you know has experienced an pool related drowning or injury in a pool setting, don’t hesitate to call an experienced Orange County accident lawyer or a personal injury attorney that specializes in pool drowning claims. Call us at any time for a free consultation at 1 888 752-7474 for any personal injury needs you may have.

There were reports of several injuries as well as diesel fuel spills which brought hazmat teams to clean up the dangerous materials. Many of the injured were transported to nearby hospitals with minor to moderate injuries.

The Cajon Pass in Southern California is the major artery East of Orange County. It transports traffic between the low desert cities and Riverside County. It was closed for most of the day causing huge traffic delays during the massive clean-up.

Our firm is all too familiar with the Cajon pass and the injuries and damages it causes to others. Whether it is fog, snow, rain or simply trucks traveling too fast, it is a major source of personal injury to motorists. If you have been injured in an accident similar to this one, you need a California personal injury attorney to handle your case. Multi-car accidents can be more complicated and you need an expert on your side. Contact Allen, Flatt, Ballidis and Leslie for a comprehensive review of your situation.

Qi Zhao and her two sisters and a niece were all riding the tram to return to your car after a fun day at the Disney theme park. The family had been at the park about 10 hours and they were tired. During the short tram ride Zhao fell asleep and when the tram drove around the turnaround to reverse direction.

Zhao sustained major head trauma when her head hit the pavement. Additionally she suffered a fractured skull and was in a coma for three weeks. Her other sister only had minor injuries.

The family brought a lawsuit against Disney for dangerous tram rides that travel at too fast for conditions and patrons likily to be tired from a long day at the park. Do you think that a person who falls asleep should be paid for their injuries on a tram? Disney counterclaimed that the family did not pay attention to the safety announcements, and was responsible for their own injuries. The decision was to be put into the hands of a jury, but Disney and the Plaintiff have now settled the claim with the Zhao family for an undisclosed figure.

Typically, Disney does not settle any cases it feels it can win. We will never know what the settlement was, $5,000 or $500,000 because the settlement was confidential. I suspect both parties had some points to raise, but I would be curious of the outcome at trial. I think an Orange County jury would have been hard pressed to award any sums in this case unless shown some really compelling evidence of liability in litigation.

Have you been injured in an amusement park accident, or any other accident due to the negligence of another? If so, you should have an investigation conducted to ascertain the real cause of the accident. While this person fell asleep, I suspect Disney had other motivations to settle because of negligence in their way of transporting patrons. I am sure Disney settled because they feared some type of loss at trial, even with a conservative Orange County jury. Protect your rights by learning what caused your injuries. Speak with an Orange County attorney familiar with personal injury claims to evaluate your rights.

Witnesses reported seeing a BMW 325 change lanes quickly before clipping the Tahoe. The driver of the BMW is Soroosh Mehdi from Irvine. Police are still looking for a silver Mitsubishi or Volkswagen that may have been racing or speeding with the BMW before the accident.
Jasmine’s aunt and other passengers had injuries and were taken to Mission Hospital but were expected to recover.

Have you been in an auto accident in Huntington Beach, Lake Forest or Orange County through no fault of your own? You need a California personal injury attorney on your side to sort out the facts and assist you through the insurance process. Allen, Flatt, Ballidis and Leslie are experienced personal injury lawyers that will guide you through the process.

Among the many deaths and serious injuries are several persons from Orange County. Last month, a family from Garden Grove was seriously injured and the father died when their off-road vehicle flipped over.

If you have been injured in this type of off-road vehicle, you talk with an Orange County personal injury attorney immediately about this dangerous product. A good lawyer will offer a free consultation and will give you an overview of your options.

Orange County Fire Authority stated that there was a party in progress and that someone had found him unconscious at the bottom of the pool. It is not known whether there was any lifeguard on duty but many community pools only have safety personnel during the summer season; which begins on Memorial Day weekend and runs through Labor Day.

Whether it is a community or a backyard pool, when a large group of people are attending along side a pool, it is helpful to hire a local swimming lifeguard trained in CPR. For a few extra dollars, tragedy can be avoided. Just because a person is an adult doesn’t mean that he or she can swim, or is safely able to swim under the conditions. Even if a guest has a medical issue while swimming, the chances of another person noting it quickly are less than if a life guard is hired and present. Unfortunately, a drowning often occurs when there are many people present.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a wrongful death or serious injury, contact an experienced California personal injury attorney immediately.

In addition, while the in-flight emergency is quickly happening, the captain makes a deadly decision—pulling up instead of bringing the nose down while the plane was stalling. It was later confirmed by Colgan air, owners of the commuter jet that the captain had never been trained on this type of “stick pusher” in the simulator, and had in fact never been fully trained in emergency procedures.

The Federal Aviation Administration is now looking into allegations of over pilot scheduling, fatigue, training issues and lapses of discipline in the cockpit.

Pilot error may have contributed to this injury and victims should seek advice from a competent attorney in aviation law. James Ballidis is an attorney practicing in personal injury law in Orange County California, but our office does not do aviation lawsuits. For a referral however, feel free to call us at 1 888 752-7474.personal injury attorney immediately to know your rights.

The accident occurred several weeks ago when the three youths were driving at around 2:30am in Berggren’s pickup truck. According to Fullerton police investigators, the teens were speeding around 70mph in a 25mph residential area when the car lost control, skid, went off the road, and flew up a hill then hit a tree.

Both passengers were ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. Berggren’s blood alcohol level was .10 percent and it was later discovered that all of the teens had been drinking earlier in the evening.

The facts and accidents like this are repeated yearly with staggering regularity. Youths and alcohol make a dangerous component. Have you been injured as a passenger in a car accident or are you the family member of a wrongful death victim? Speak with an Orange County personal Injury attorney today to answer your many questions and know your rights under the law.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHSTA, GM automobiles that were built between 1997 to 2003; models Regal, Impala, Lumina, Monte Carlo, Intrigue and Grand Prix are all affected. These cars all have a 3.8 liter, V6 naturally aspirated (non-turbo) engine.

In some cases of hard braking, drops of engine oil can sometimes drop down on the exhaust manifold and start a small fire. If left unchecked, the fire can easily spread into a major engine fire which could cause the occupants of the vehicle serious personal injuries.

If your car is one that has unfortunately been recalled, see your local GM dealer for explanations and repairs. If you have been injured in a car fire caused by a faulty manufactured part, you have a claim for product liability. Contact an attorney that handles product liability cases. Anyone that is hurt becasue of the conduct of another, feel free to consult with a personal injury attorney for free. We can help guide you through the maze of difficulty.

On Friday night for some unknown reason, a sheriff vehicle spun out of control and hit the center median while traveling eastbound on the 210 freeway in Southern California.

While passing the accident scene, a big rig truck traveling westbound rear-ended another truck driver traveling in the same direction that had slowed to observe the accident across the road.

The freeway was temporarily closed to tow away the vehicles and transport the sheriff’s deputy who had sustained injuries. The California Highway Patrol is still investigating the cause of the original car crash but the second one will obviously be caused by some sort of distraction while driving. Whose fault is it, the party that rearended the other or the Lookie-loo? An argument can be made that the driver behind should be watching the road and the truck ahead of him, while he may argue that he had no reason to suspect the driver would slow to observe the accident across the road. In either case, the factual and witness evidence will be crucial to identify the real cause. Witness statements are very important in cases such as this and can mean the difference between success and failure in an auto accident case.

Have you been injured in an accident that involved a big rig or truck? Access the expertise of a truck accident lawyer. Allen, Flatt, Ballidis and Leslie are personal injury attorneys helping accident victims’ since 1974.