California Injury Lawyers Blog

A multi-vehicle collision in the express toll lanes of the 91 Freeway has claimed the life of a 47-year-old Sun City man. Enrique Aniceto was standing by his disabled car at around 5:15 am on Saturday when he was hit by another vehicle. Another vehicle was also reportedly involved in the Anaheim car accident.

Aniceto, who police say appears to have died instantly, wasn't the only one to lose his life from injuries he sustained on a Southern California freeway this weekend. An Irvine motorcyclist died from injuries he suffered early Sunday on the southbound 55 connector to the southbound I-5 when his bike veered of the road. The biker was thrown off his motorcycle, and he was then struck by a number of vehicles.

Also on Sunday, Compton resident Brandon Davis Brown was pronounced dead on the I-405N after his Toyota Tercel rear-ended a sport utility vehicle that witnesses say was stopped in the carpool lane close to the Culver City exit. The driver of the SUV then left the Los Angeles car accident site without rendering aid. Police are looking for the missing motorist.

Unfortunately, freeway accidents are not uncommon in Southern California, where traffic can get congested and people are often rushing to and from their destinations. Common causes of highway accidents can include:

• Speeding motorists
• Drivers who are not keeping up with the pace of traffic
• Motorists that wait too late to merge from the carpool lane to the exit lane
• Drunk drivers
• Stopping on the freeway without getting into the emergency lane
• Pedestrians attempting to run across a busy freeway
• Distracted drivers
• Motorists who text or talk on a cell phone while driving

Driver Killed In Crash On FasTrak Lanes In Anaheim, CBS22, January 19, 2010

Motorcyclist Killed In Crash On Tustin Freeway, CBS2.com, June 20, 2010

Fatal accident snarls 405 Freeway through the Westside, Los Angeles Times, June 20, 2010

Related Web Resources:
California Highway Patrol

California Department of Motor Vehicles

Continue reading "Anaheim Car Accident on FasTrak Lanes Kills Sun City Man " »

Taylor Tolleson, a former professional cyclist, is suing driver Thomas John Legan for California personal injury. Tolleson, 25, claims that his career was ruined when Legan, also 25, allegedly struck him on July 23 during a hit-and-run car crash. Tolleson was riding a motorcycle at the time and he broke his vertebra and sustained a traumatic brain injury. Also named as a defendant in the California motorcycle accident lawsuit is Legan's dad, Thomas Louis Legan, who is the owner of the Audi suspected of striking Tolleson.

Fortunately, another driver called 911 and Tolleson was flown to a hospital. Police discovered the Audi about two hours later and impounded it. While searching the car, they say they found two prescription drugs in the younger Legan's name.

Legan turned himself in to the authorities later that month and he was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run. He has not been criminally charged but the case may be reopened. Last December Legan was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of reckless driving. He also has several speeding tickets. Tolleson, In his California motor vehicle crash lawsuit, accused Legan of being a drug addict.

Tolleson was expected to fully recover form his injuries. However, he continues suffer from mood swings and memory loss, has a hard time concentrating, and experiences pain in his L1 vertebra if he is hunched over a bike for too long. Tolleson says that pro cycling was both his passion and livelihood before it was taken away from him during the California motorcycle crash.

Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents claim too many lives and cause injuries to tens of thousands of people each year. In the event that a rider is thrown from a bike, pinned under a vehicle, or propelled into a wall or another nonmoving object, he or she is at risk of sustaining a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or other catastrophic injuries.

It is so important that the drivers involved in collisions involving motorcyclists contact 911 immediately. The sooner the victim receives medical help the greater the chances of recovery.

Former pro cyclist sues over hit-and-run that ended his career, Mercury News, May 14, 2010

Pro Cyclist Taylor Tolleson Injured in Hit-and-Run, TPGOnlineDaily, August 1, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Race Results for Taylor Tolleson, USA Cycling

Motorcyclist Facts, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

NHTSA

According to preliminary figures provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, the number of traffic fatalities in California, went down last year compared to 2008. While there were 3,401 California traffic deaths in 2008, there were just under 3,100 California traffic fatalities last year. In Orange County, California, 155 people were killed in 2009, while 162 died in 2008.

According to the California Highway Patrol, increased enforcement, a slower economy (prompting people to drive less), and safer vehicles being made are some of the reasons why traffic deaths in the state have gone down. Also, 540 CHP officers have been hired since 2006.

Having gone down 29% over three years, the California traffic death rate, says the CHP, is at its lowest ever. That's approximately 700 less fatalities and 19,000 less injures in areas that the CHP patrols.

Our Anaheim car accident law firm applauds all successful efforts made to decrease the number of injuries and deaths on state and local roads. In the work that we do, every day we are faced with the catastrophic consequences that can impact someone who was injured in an Orange County, California motor vehicle crash. The more that can be done to make sure that people stop getting hurt in traffic collisions, the better.

In the meantime, the traffic collision injury and death count for 2010 continues to go up. Just today, someone died in an Orange County, California car accident after a Honda Civic drove off the side of the southbound 57 freeway.

Last month, a woman died after she was injured in a Santa Ana pedestrian accident. The victim, Maria Rivera-Garcia was hit by a pickup truck while she was in a crosswalk. Police say that the driver ran a red light. In another Orange County traffic crash, a pregnant woman had to be taken to the hospital after she was involved in 3-vehicle collision on the north bound 55 freeway. All three autos were in the slow lane when the Costa Mesa car crash happened.

Fewer people dying in traffic accidents, OC Register, May 5, 2010

California traffic deaths head toward all-time low, SFGate.com, April 15, 2010

Woman hit by pickup truck dies, OC Register, April 25, 2010

Pregnant woman hospitalized after crash, April 29, 2010

Related Web Resources:
California Office of Traffic Safety

California Highway Patrol

Continue reading "State Reports Approximately 155 Orange County, California Traffic Deaths in 2009" »

A Los Angeles Triathlon volunteer who became a paraplegic after he sustained a spinal cord injury while helping officiate the bicycle segment of the 2007 race in has settled his California personal injury lawsuit with the city of LA for $7 million. Steve Albala was in the hospital for over two years following the 2007 Los Angeles motorcycle accident.

Albala was flung some 20 feet from his motorcycle when he was struck by a vehicle that had entered an intersection, per a traffic officer's guidance.The then-60 year old fractured his vertebrae and had to undergo numerous surgeries. Police blamed the traffic collision on Albala, who they say was speeding.

The city also settled a Los Angeles injury case with the race official who was riding with Albala for $250,000. The motorist that struck Albala has settled his Los Angeles car accident case with the city for $500,000.

Spinal Cord Injuries
Motorcyclists are at risk of sustaining serious injuries during a collision. A SCI can lead to permanent disability and paralysis, and the injured biker may become a quadriplegic or a paraplegic. A person with an SCI may also experience bowel problems, sexual dysfunction, bladder control issues, respiratory issues, pneumonia, osteoporosis, heterotopic ossification, spasticity, decubitus ulcers, autonomic dysreflexia, deep vein thrombosis, cardiovascular disease, syringomyelia, and neuropathic pain.

Losing the ability to use the lower and/or upper half of your body can be traumatic, and the SCI patient will likely require costly, ongoing care and specialized equipment for life. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, just 15 days in a hospital can cost an SCI patient about $140,000. A lifetime of medical care for a serious SCI costs approximately over $1,000,000.

While many people wrongly believe that all motorcycle riders tend to be careless or reckless, this is often not the case.

L.A. settles accident lawsuit for $7 million, Los Angeles Times, March 9, 2010

Possible complications, SpinalInjury.net

Related Web Resources:
Motorcycle Accident Overview, Justia

City of Los Angeles

National Spinal Cord Injury Association

Findings from a new study by the Highway Loss Data Institute are raising questions over whether distracted driving laws that ban texting and the use of handheld cellular devices while driving is having any effect. The answer may be no.

The HLDI examined insurance claims from car crashes in California, Washington DC, New York, and Connecticut after such bans became laws. Not only did claims rates not go down but also there was no noticeable change in patterns when findings from these states were compared to nearby states where bans have not been instituted.

HLDI says it is gathering more information to find out why there has been no improvement in car crash rates in the wake of the cell phone and/or texting while driving bans. It said that one reason may be that more drivers are using handsfree phones now that handheld devices are off limits.

Contrary to earlier misconceptions, talking on a handsfree cell phone while driving is actually quite dangerous and can also lead to distracted driving car accidents. On January 12, the National Safety Council announced that at least 1.6 million US car crashes each year involved drivers texting or talking on their cell phones.

Our Anaheim car accident lawyers are concerned about the number of Orange County, California car crashes that continue to happen because drivers are texting or talking an a cell phone. Fortunately for the injury victim and his/her family, there are ways to obtain recovery from liable parties.

Meantime, the federal government continues to take steps in its bid to win the fight against distracted driving with a national ban that now makes it illegal for commercial bus and truck drivers to text while driving. Recent findings show that texting increases a commercial truckers' crash risk by up to 23 times.

Study: Distracted driving laws don't stop crashes, Washington Post, January 29, 2010

U.S. Bans Texting by Truck and Bus Drivers, BusinessWeek, January 26, 2010

National Safety Council Estimates that At Least 1.6 Million Crashes are Caused Each Year by Drivers Using Cell Phones and Texting, National Safety Council, January 12, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Cell Phone Laws, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Distraction.gov, US Department of Transportation

Continue reading "Number of California Car Crashes Not Going Down Despite Handheld Cell Phone and Texting while Driving Bans, Says HLDI" »

A 24-year-old Orange, California motorcyclist is dead after he was involved in a Garden Grove motorcycle accident with two autos on Tuesday. David Tanner was riding on Orangewood Avenue when he was involved in a collision with a BMW sedan that made a left turn in front of him onto Mac Nab Street.

Tanner and his bike went down and that was when he was struck by a Ford Mustang. He died at the Orange County, California motorcycle crash site. Police are investigating the cause of the fatal collision.

Motorcycle riders are always at a disadvantage when involved in a California motor vehicle crash. They only have their helmet and protective clothing to cushion them from impact. In many instances, this is not enough to prevent catastrophic injuries or death. While motorcycle crashes can occur because of rider error, many motorcycle injuries and deaths happen because the other driver was careless or reckless or did not see the motorcyclist.

Nolo.com lists the most common cause of motorcycle accidents:

• Head-on crashes
• Autos making left-hand turns
• Lane splitting
• Speeding
• Drunk driving
• Collisions involving fixed objects
• Road hazards, including road defects and potholes
• Motorcycle defects
• Red light running
• Rear end crashes

Our Garden Grove motorcycle crash attorneys know how upsetting it can be to have the course of your future irrevocably altered because another party was negligent. The consequences of becoming the victim of an Orange County, California motorcycle accident can wreak havoc on many aspects of one's life, which is one of the many reasons that it is so important that you obtain compensation for the harm you have suffered.

Motorcycle rider hit twice, killed, OC Register, December 30, 2009

Motorcycle Accidents: Common Causes, NOLO

Related Web Resources:
Motorcycle Helmet Use and Head and Facial Injuries, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (PDF)

Summary of the Hurt Report

Continue reading "Garden Grove, California Motorcycle Accident Claims Life of Orange Rider Struck by Two Vehicles" »

On Monday, Youn Bum Lee, A 42-year-old former Hyundai executive, was sentenced to a 9-year prison term for causing the hit-and-run, drunk driving Santa Ana car accident that killed a 23-year-old Fountain Valley motorcyclist on the 55 Freeway on October 19, 2005.

Ryan Dallas Cook was riding his motorcycle in the carpool lane when he was struck by the Hyundai SUV that Lee was driving. Lee was coming back from attending a Hyundai sponsored event at the Seoul Korean BBQ Restaurant in Garden Grove. The impact of the vehicle and motorcycle colliding caused Cook to be thrown from his bike and onto the freeway where he was run over by several other vehicles. He was pronounced dead at the Santa Ana motorcycle crash site.

Meantime, Lee, who investigators say was inebriated and driving without lights, fled the Orange County, California motorcycle accident site. He backed his car into a parking space at Hyundai's Fountain Valley offices in an alleged attempt to hide the vehicle damage.

Within less than 24 hours, a Hyundai employee took Lee to Los Angeles International Airport where he took a flight to South Korea. His wife and child stayed behind in Irvine. After prosecutors filed criminal charges against Lee, he was extradited to Orange County, California last December.

Last month, the 42-year-old former Hyundai executive pleaded guilty to charges of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and fleeing a crime scene.

Cook's family is suing Lee and Hyundai Motor Company of America for Orange County, California wrongful death. They are accusing the company of encouraging a corporate culture that promotes drinking at work events.

The host of the Hyundai event that Lee attended supposedly made a number of toasts. During a conditional exam for the criminal case, one Hyundai staffer testified that it is considered rude if guests don't drink when the host makes a toast. 14 bottles of Soju and numerous drinks were consumed by Hyundai employees who attended the work event.

Cook's family is also suing Hyundai for helping Lee leave the US after the Santa Ana motor vehicle collision.

The wrongful death trial is scheduled to begin in Orange County Superior Court on May 17, 2010.

Former Hyundai exec sentenced to 9 years in cycle death, Press-Telegram, December 8, 2009

Former Hyundai executive gets 9 years in DUI death, OC Register, December 7, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Drunk Driving (DUI/DWI) Overview, Justia

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

A 39-motorcyclist was transported to UCI Medical Center after he was injured in an Orange County, California motorcycle accident on Wednesday. Jorge Perez was struck by a black Toyota Sequoia on the 57 Freeway.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of motorcycle fatalities continues to increase each year. 5,290 motorcyclist deaths happened last year--up 2% compared to the 5,174 motorcyclist fatalities during 2007. 96,000 motorcyclist injuries were reported for 2008. The NHTSA reported 537 California motorcyclist deaths for 2008.

While other kinds of motor vehicle crashes have decreased in number, the rise in the number of deadly motorcycle crashes continues to be an issue of growing concern. The US Department of Transportation says that from 1997 to 2008, there has been a 150% jump in the number of motorcycle deaths that occur annually. The federal government hopes to better tackle this problem with a new study into what causes motorcycle accidents and how to prevent them from happening. This will be the first motorcycle crash causation probe that the US government will have conducted since it published The Hurt Report in 1981.

Motorcycles can move at the same speed as the drivers of other motor vehicles yet their riders lack the protection provided by a vehicle's body, safety belts, air bags, and other safety technology in the event of an Orange County, California motorcycle accident.

Motorcyclists are prone to falling to the ground, getting thrown off their motorcycles, sustaining road burns, and getting flung into road barriers, oncoming traffic, or straight into a large truck or another vehicle during a California traffic accident. Statistics show they have a 26 times greater chance of dying in a motor vehicle crash compared to auto occupants. This means that more often than not, the injuries sustained during a California motorcycle collision can be catastrophic. Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, road burn injuries, and permanent disfigurement are just some examples of life changing motorcycle accident injuries.

Motorcyclist hit by SUV on freeway, OC Register, November 18, 2009

Federal Government To Study Motorcycle Crash Causation, Chicago Now, October 9, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Motorcycles, NHTSA (PDF)

Hurt Report Summary

Continue reading "Man Sustains Injuries During Orange County, California Motorcycle Accident on 57 Freeway" »

Too little sleep doesn't go a long way when it comes to driving safely. According to the National Sleep Foundation's new poll, in the last year alone up to 1.9 million drivers were either in a car crash or almost in one because they were driving while drowsy. Unfortunately, many motorists are unaware that driving while exhausted or sleepy can turn into negligent driving and become grounds for an Orange County, California car accident lawsuit if someone is injured or killed.

Each day, about 250,000 US drivers fall asleep while driving. The National Transportation Safety Board says there are about 8,000 drowsy driving-related deaths and 60,000 serious injuries a year.

Groups most likely to drive while drowsy are young people, shift workers, truck drivers, business travelers, and people with untreated or undiagnosed sleeping disorders. About 40 million people are believed to be suffering from some type of sleeping disorder that may make it hard for them to stay awake during the day.

Drowsy driving, not unlike drunk driving, delays reflex response times, impairs judgment, clouds the mind, and makes it hard for a motorist to pay attention. Some studies indicate that a person who has been awake for over 20 hours exhibits an impairment equivalent to someone with a .08% blood alcohol concentration.

A sleepy driver may not even realize that he or she has nodded off. Even just shutting one's eyes for a few seconds can cause the driver to drift into another lane, into oncoming traffic, or off the road, resulting in an Orange County truck accident, motorcycle crash, pedestrian accident, or bus collision.

In an effort to increase awareness about the dangers of driving while sleepy, National Sleep Foundation has declared November 2 - 8, 2009 Drowsy Driving Prevention week.

Signs you may be drowsy driving:
• Your head keeps nodding downward
• You suddenly notice that you are tailgating the vehicle in front of you
• You can't remember the last few miles that you drove
• You are having a hard time keeping your eyes open
• Focusing on the road is proving a challenge
• You keep yawning
• You just missed your exit

If possible, pull over and take a break. Caffeine helps. A better solution is to get a good night's rest and don't drive while drowsy. If you have to drive for hours at a time, take a break every 2 hours or 100 miles.

1.9 Million Drivers Have Fatigue-Related Car Crashes or Near Misses Each Year, Reuters, November 2, 2009

Drowsy-driving tragedies preventable, Boston.com, August 3, 2009

Related Web Resources:
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Drowsy Driving, National SLeep Foundation

Continue reading "Sleepy Driving is Distracted Driving Habit that Causes Orange County, California Car Accidents" »

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 36 Orange County, California motorcycle deaths last year--a 44% increase from the 25 motorcycle fatalities that occurred in Orange County in 2007. This increase becomes even more significant number-wise when you consider that there were less total traffic deaths--163 fatalities in 2008--compared to the 194 Orange County, California motor vehicle deaths in 2007.

The California Highway Patrol says the common causes of motorcycle accidents in the state include:
• Improper turning
• Riding at an unsafe speed
• Improper passing
• Unsafe lane changes
• Lane splicing

California is the only US state that doesn't ban lane splitting, which involves a motorcycle driving between two lanes of traffic. Under California law, lane splitting is allowed as long as the maneuver is done safely. The California Department of Motor Vehicles handbook for motorcycle riders, however, acknowledges that lane splitting is not safe.

Last Wednesday, motorcycle rider Jason R. Doerr was killed on the 405N at the 22 freeway when his 2006 Harley-Davidson bumped into a Toyota Matrix. Doerr fell off his bike and was run over by a Buick sedan. He died at the crash site. The California Highway Patrol believes that Doerr was lane splitting when the catastrophic Orange County, California motorcycle crash happened.

Lane Splitting
Lane splitting can be dangerous because it allows motorcycles and cars to travel at such close proximity to one another. This gives both drivers less time and space to maneuver to avoid a potential traffic accident. Although it may seem that the motorcyclist would be held responsible for the motor vehicle crash by choosing to split lanes, there are cases when Orange County, California traffic accidents involving lane splicing were caused by a trucker or a car driver or a bus driver who acted negligently.

Motorcyclists reflect on lane-splitting after death, OC Register, August 17, 2009

CHP: Rider killed in crash may have split lanes, OC Register, August 12, 2009

Motorcycle Accidents: Lane Splitting, Nolo

Related Web Resources:
NHTSA

California Motorcycle Handbook, DMV (PDF)

Continue reading "Number of Orange County, California Motorcyclist Deaths Rose in 2008" »

Continue reading "Preventing Orange County, California Motor Vehicle Accidents this Memorial Day Weekend with DUI Checkpoints, "Click It or Ticket" Campaign, and Travel Safety Tips" »

Continue reading "Why Orange County, California Traffic Accidents Happen" »

Continue reading "Two Orange County, California Motorcycle Accidents Claim the Lives of Motorcyclists" »