Northern California Injury Lawyer Blog

If soaring gas prices and environmental consciousness aren’t enough to convince Bay Area drivers to ride BART, perhaps the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s latest report will sway some minds. The Commission’s annual traffic congestion survey reveals that drivers are spending more time waiting in traffic than ever before. In 2006, the number of hours that Bay Area commuters were delayed rose by 6 percent, slightly down from a 9 percent increase in 2005, but still noticeable to those experiencing the delays. MTC’s report also ranks the area’s most congested roadways; not coincidentally, the top ten are all major commuting paths:

1. Morning drive on westbound I-80 from Highway 4 to the Bay Bridge metering lights;

2. Evening drive on eastbound I-580 from I-680 to El Charro Road east of Dublin;

3. Morning drive on westbound I-580 from around North Flynn Road to Airway Boulevard in Livermore;

Continue reading "Increase in Traffic" »

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Posted In: Dangerous Road Conditions

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While any auto accident is sobering, those involving children are especially disheartening. The greater Bay Area experienced a rash of such accidents over the past weekend, reminding all of us to be a little more careful when minors’ lives are at stake.

On Saturday, 8-year-old Isias Munoz was killed when he was hit by a car at the intersection of Branham Lane East and Lyric Lane in San Jose. Isias was riding his bicycle when he was struck by the car in what appears to have been a careless mistake, as the driver was not under the influence and is not being charged with a crime.
http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_6167830?nclick_check=1

The next day, near Greenfield, a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old were flown to the hospital with serious injuries after the car they were riding in tumbled 250 feet down a cliff. The driver, John Eric Velasquez of Soledad, was intoxicated when the crash occurred and was arrested before being taken to the hospital.
http://thecalifornian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070618/NEWS01/70618010/1002

Continue reading "Children Inolved in Auto Accidents" »

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Posted In: Auto & Car Accidents

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As Monday morning’s events indicate, even the law’s best attempts at public safety are often not enough to protect individual welfare. Mandatory reverse warning signals on commercial vehicles, for example, are of little consolation to friends and family of Jose Mario Gonzalez, who was killed when a garbage truck ran him over as it was backing up.

The truck accident occurred at approximately 7:50 a.m. on Bridgeway Street in Sausalito as Mr. Gonzalez was crossing the street on his way to work at a nearby restaurant. In this case, the facts so far offer no evidence that either party was overtly breaking the law—according to the investigating police officer, the truck appears to have been in full compliance with state safety regulations, and Mr. Gonzalez was not crossing the street illegally. Rather, the accident seems to have been the result of those factors which no safety law can eliminate: misapprehension of risk and simple human carelessness.

As the summer months approach and many of you begin traveling, please keep in mind that many disasters on the road can be averted by careful attentiveness to the vehicles around you.

For more information on our firm, please contact us at 800-840-2111.

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Posted In: Truck Accidents

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The San Jose Mercury News reported on a devastating crash on the Peninsula earlier this month.

A jackknifed big-rig struck the center median on Highway 101 in Redwood City created a shower of concrete upon impact prior to catching fire. Several chunks flew through the windshield of an SUV, severely injuring the driver. A young woman in the passenger seat was also taken to the hospital.

The big-rig was only traveling at about 55 mph, and was in the slow lane, but its driver lost control and jackknifed for reasons that the CHP has yet to ascertain. Both the truck driver and his passenger did not suffer any injuries. The front portion and about half of the big-rig, which caught on fire, burned for several hours after the crash, according to the Mercury News report.

The truck apparently belonged to Travis Berry Transportation of Gilroy. The company’s owner said this was the worst accident in the trucking company’s history, and confirmed that the driver who caused the accident had only been with the company for a month. The accident led to complete gridlock, shutting down both sides of 101 for hours. CHP officials remarked that it has been several years since even one direction of the highway has been shut down for such a lengthy period.

Despite the fact that the driver appeared to be obeying the speed limit and displaying courtesy to other drivers by using the far right-hand lane, this accident serves as a reminder to give plenty of leeway to big-rigs at all times when you’re driving on freeways or other high-speed roadways.

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Posted In: Truck Accidents

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The 10th anniversary of a gruesome fatal rollover crash in Orange County has passed—and apparently the condition which caused the rollover still exists, according to a recent article in the Orange County Register.

A community that mourned the death of a high school student and significant injuries to ten others still knows that “the S curve” in Irvine Avenue is to be approached with caution.

The crash, which happened a three weeks before graduation, killed one student, voted “Life of the Party” in his senior yearbook, and left a cheerleader in a coma with a severe brain injury.

Continue reading "Dangerous Road Condition Still Exists on Irvine Avenue in Newport Beach" »

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Posted In: Dangerous Road Conditions

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A recent study by UC-Irvine researchers suggests that the widely-held assumption that males are more likely to be involved in drunk driving accidents may be a myth. The incidence of young women’s involvement in these accidents has increased alarmingly, according to results of a study posted on UC-Irvine’s website.

The study, led by emergency medicine physicians with the Center for Trauma and Injury Prevention Research at the UC I Medical Center, reports an increase in the risky behavior among women between 1995 and 2004. While seatbelt use increased for both young men and women, strangely enough, the increase among women was smaller.

Meanwhile, auto accidents remain the leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults, a fact compounded by the effects of alcohol and failure to use seatbelts, the study states.

The UC-I team reviewed accident data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.gov) from 1995-2004. They found that about 139,000 fatal crashes in the age groups 16 to 24 occurred during the time of the study, and that the increase in alcohol-related crashes was more pronounced in the older age group—those between ages 21 and 24.

This study is significant because it somewhat dispels the myth that women are far safer drivers than men. DUI crashes and incidents are typically considered a male domain, as is lack of seat belt use. Driving under the influence and not buckling up are two of least safe driving practices, which can lead to tragedy for the driver – man or woman -- and other motorists and pedestrians who may be in the path of his/her vehicle.

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Posted In: Auto & Car Accidents

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Huntington Beach police recently arrested a 22-year old on suspicion of DUI and vehicular manslaughter, according to a news report in The Orange County Register.

The suspect, Adrian Gomez, was arrested after he lost control, ran into a center median and slammed his 1997 Honda into a tree. The accident killed his passenger, also a 22-year-old Huntington Beach man. The incident happened about 5 a.m. Gomez himself suffered a few minor injuries and was booked on suspicion of DUI after he was treated at UCI Medical Center.

The Register article also states that this was not Gomez’s first encounter with the law. In January 2006, he pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, a felony, as well as being under the influence of a controlled substance and unauthorized possession of a hypodermic needle, both misdemeanors.

We read these stories every day. Not many drivers realize that if they drink and drive, they are putting their passengers in grave danger. Most often, as in this case, the person who is driving under the influence will be held liable, as well as criminally charged if his or her passenger dies in the crash.

If you know someone has been drinking, do not accept a ride in his or her vehicle. The danger of severe injury or even death is overwhelmingly high, as this news report reminds us.

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Posted In: Auto & Car Accidents

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Sonoma County officials expect to file charges in connection with a tragic crash on Highway 101 four months ago, which killed five people and injured a young boy, according to an article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat (http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070522/NEWS/705220307&SearchID=73281939970596). County prosecutors told the newspaper this week that vehicular manslaughter charges with or without gross negligence is very likely in the case against Ryan Karr, 26, driver of the Mitsubishi coupe that smashed into the back of a Honda Civic in January.

The only survivor of the crash is 5-year-old Christian Carlos, who was badly burned in the crash and continues to recover from the injuries at Shriner’s Hospital in Sacramento. Family members are obviously concerned about the child, who has already had his right arm and right leg amputated. He is also going through reconstructive surgery on the right side of his face, which was also badly burned, the newspaper reports. He is expected to be released from the hospital in two to three months.

The family was returning from a visit to Sonoma County Jail to see Christian’s father who was incarcerated on drug charges. Christian will return home to his father when he is discharged from the hospital. His mother, Edith Medina, died in the crash of burn injuries. Other than his mom, the child also lost his grandmother, 7-year-old brother and two aunts in the crash.

Karr, a Windsor resident, was heading north on the freeway when he hit stopped traffic. He told officials that he “wasn’t paying attention” when he crashed into the Honda. Officials say an important part of the investigation is a close look at Karr’s driving and criminal history. Karr had plead no contest in 2001 to driving without a license and felony receiving stolen property in 2002, the newspaper reported. He paid $260 in fines in the driving case and less than a year in jail on the felony charge. Meanwhile, CHP officials have conducted witness interviews, car inspections and examined coroner’s reports on what has turned out to be a complicated investigation.

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Posted In: Wrongful Death

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