Tag Archive: california

Do not Walk or Run into Freeway Lanes; A CHP Warning to Pedestrians

Capital City Freeway Accident Pedestrian on freeway killedThe California Highway Patrol is warning people to stay out of freeway lanes; even if they have spilled or dropped something from their vehicle; after a woman was fatally struck Saturday morning while trying to retrieve a lost box on the Capital City California Freeway.

Instead, people should pull over in a safe place and call the CHP for help, said spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton.

“You never want to be running out in the freeway,” she said. “Ever.”

About 6 a.m. Saturday, a woman died after being struck multiple times by cars as she tried to retrieve a box of hooded sweat shirts that had fallen from the pickup truck she was riding in, Dutton said.

She and a friend, who was driving, apparently were on their way to sell the sweat shirts, possibly at an open air market, Dutton said.

At least one box came loose from the secured load and spilled onto eastbound Capital City Freeway just west of Watt Avenue. The driver pulled over, and the woman ran out into the slow lane when an approaching vehicle struck her.

The driver of that car saw her and tried to brake, but was unable to avoid the woman, Dutton said. Upon impact, the woman was thrown into the next lane, where she was again hit by vehicles. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Tuesday, the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office was still trying to identify the woman.

Dutton said alcohol and drugs do not appear to be involved in the incident. Instead, it appears to be an unfortunate accident resulting from unsafe actions, she said.

The woman was wearing dark clothes at the time of the accident, it was still dark outside, and, Dutton said, “pedestrians don’t belong in the roadway.”

California Pedestrian Accident Attorney Website

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Have a Great Veterans Day

Norman Gregory Fernandez discusses veterans dayFrom California Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, I would like to wish all of our nation’s veterans a happy Veterans Day.

Veterans Day is a day to honor all of those of who have served in our nations armed forces. Thank you all veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the Coast Guard.

I myself served in the Air Force and then the California Air National Guard.

I was recently at an event in another State where there was a Marine official function going on. I saw our proud marines all dolled up in their dress uniforms with their medals on. They looked real young. I got a bit choked up as I thanked them for their service. It appeared to me that all of these young men are veterans of the current war going on.

There is a war going on right now; young men and women are fighting and dying for our freedom as I type this.

This is a day to honor our nation’s veterans and our nation’s heroes.

May god be with you, and god bless America.

By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq.

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Three killed in another accident on Highway 46 North of Bakersfield, California.

Highway 46 North of Bakersfield fatal car accident.Three people were killed in a head-on crash Wednesday afternoon on Highway 46 north of Bakersfield. Friday, four people were killed in an accident on the same highway.

The accident happened at about 2:53 p.m. on Highway 46 just east of Wildwood Road. That’s between Wasco and Interstate 5, not far from Wasco State Prison and the Wasco Valley Rose golf course.

California Highway Patrol officer Robert Rodriguez said a small Toyota was attempting to pass another car on the two-lane road. When the driver of the passing car realized he didn’t have enough room, he tried to get back into his lane, but lost control.

The Toyota slammed head-on into a Dodge Ram pickup, Rodriguez said.

All three people in the Toyota were killed instantly, he said. The driver of the pickup was taken to Kern Medical Center with moderate injuries.

On Friday, one car passing two trucks slammed head-on into another car, killing two people in each.

Highway 46 is sometimes known as “Blood Alley” because there have been so many accidents. It is two-lanes in most places between Highway 99 and Paso Robles.

California Wrongful Death Lawyer and Bakersfield Car Accident Attorney Website

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Los Osos California couple dies in car accident in Kern County California

Kern County Couple dies in Deadly Los Osos Accident A deadly accident in Kern County claims the lives of two Los Osos, California residents.

The California Highway Patrol said 62-year-old Shirlene Soto and her husband, 84-year-old Walter Elliott, were among the four people who died in a car crash on Highway 46 east of Highway 33 Friday morning.

The CHP said a man driving a Chevy on the eastbound lane tried to pass a tractor trailer, when he collided head-on with the vehicle Soto and Elliott were riding in.

They say Soto and Elliott died on impact. The 25-year-old man driving the Chevy, and his one-year-old passenger were also killed on impact. Another passenger in the Chevy suffered major injuries.

Family members said Soto and Elliott were both former Cal Poly professors. Soto later worked for California State University Northridge, and Elliott worked for Rocketdyne.

A family member released a statement: “They were both extremely cheerful, energetic people who loved life, friends, and family.”

Kern County Wrongful Death Attorney and Car Accident Attorney

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A Woman and 2 LAPD officers injured in car accident in Los Angeles

Los Angeles California Car Accident AttorneyLos Angeles – California

The crash occurred at the intersection of Venice Boulevard and Glyndon Avenue around 12:20 a.m. All three accident victims were transported to hospitals.

“The two officers are still at the hospital being treated for their injuries, but I don’t know their current condition,” Lt. Paula Kreefft, a watch commander at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Division, said before dawn. She said the accident was not a result of a police pursuit or response to a call for service.

Officer John Farish of the LAPD’s West Traffic Division, which was investigating the crash, said the squad car was traveling on Venice Boulevard “when a woman tried to enter onto Venice from Glyndon Avenue, where there is a stop sign.”

“The final report will have to sort out who was at fault,” he said

It appears to me that based upon the description, the woman entering the intersection was probably at fault, and the officers who were injured will not only be able to file a California Workers Compensation claim, but also a personal injury action against the woman who entered the intersection.

They should contact an attorney such as me immediately.

If you have had a car accident anywhere in California you may call my California Personal Injury Hotline at 800-816-1529 ext. 1.

Los Angeles California Car Accident Attorney

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Woman Crushed to Death by a Bus in a Motorcycle Accident

Map of where motorcycle passenger was killed in CaliforniaTecate, California –

A 42-year-old woman from La Mesa was crushed to death by a bus while riding on the back of a motorcycle on a steep, winding grade just northeast of the Tecate border crossing with Mexico on the California side in Tecate, California.

Debra Louise Allen, 42, of La Mesa, was on the back of a 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle at about 10 a.m. Saturday when the crash occurred on Highway 94 just east of the Tecate junction, according to a report by the medical examiner.

The motorcycle was passing the bus on the winding hill and hit it while moving back into the lane, said a California Highway Patrol dispatcher.

Allen was run over and crushed, and the driver of the motorcycle was pushed to the side of the road. His name was withheld, and the CHP did not have the extent of the driver’s injuries.

The bus was operated by a private charter company and was transporting people detained by federal immigration agents. The bus driver told CHP officers the motorcycle’s driver had cut him off.

California Motorcycle Rider, and Passenger, Accident and Wrongful Death Attorney and Lawyer

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Bus Driver is convicted in Colusa gambler bus crash; Charter Bus Safety Act, AB636

Quintin Joey WattsDriver Quintin Joey Watts faces a maximum of 76 years in prison for his role in the gambler’s special bus crash that killed 11 passengers on their way to Colusa Casino Resort last year.

A jury of six men and six women deliberated for three hours Thursday before convicting Watts of 11 counts of gross vehicular manslaughter and 21 counts of causing great bodily injury, stated the Colusa County District Attorney today.

“I believe this is the first case in California of gross vehicular manslaughter based strictly on sleep deprivation,” said the DA. “There was no alcohol, no drugs, no medication in his system, it was simply exhaustion.”

Watts, 53, had slept no more than three or four hours in the 27 hours prior to the Oct. 5, 2008 Sunday night crash on a rural road, the DA said.

Watts repeatedly told investigators, “I was hecka tired,” the DA stated.

“On the day before the accident, he got up at 4:40 a.m. and didn’t go back to bed until 4 a.m. and got up an hour or two later,” stated the DA.

Watts was on his third casino run in a day-and-a-half when he fell asleep at the wheel, three witnesses said.

One was Chouangseng Saechao, 48, “who was very badly hurt and had almost every bone broken in her body,” stated a case worker at Lao Family Community Development who is helping some of the 23 passengers who were injured in the crash.

“I’m happy he’s been convicted and will be in jail forever, but I feel very sad I have to carry this injury forever,” Saechao said through her case worker. “Any bus driver has to be checked and has to be a good driver.”

The California Legislature has passed The Charter Bus Safety Act, AB636 — sponsored by Assemblyman Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) — which will revoke operating permits of bus companies operating without proper permits or qualified drivers. The bill will suspend unlicensed bus drivers for five years.

Watts had a commercial driver’s license but did not have the proper DMV certificate to allow him to drive a bus with 10 or more passengers, said a spokeswoman for Jones. “And the bus company was registered as non-operational, even though the bus in the crash was still being used,” she said.

“The tragic loss of 11 of my constituents to a rogue bus operator demonstrates the need for the ‘one strike and you are out’ approach,” Jones said. “I have no patience for those who undercut the process, thumbing their nose at regulations, and making California roads unsafe for us all.”

Gov. Schwarzenegger has until Oct. 11 to sign or veto the bill.

California Bus Accident Attorney

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Biggest Recall in Toyota History; Stuck Accelerators; Important Info for Toyota and Lexus Owners!

Toyota recallYou may have read an article we wrote below about a fatal accident involving a family test driving a lexus and allegations that there may have been a defect that caused the accident.

Federal investigators have said of the 102 accidents caused by stuck gas pedals on Toyota vehicles, there are four possible causes involving the floor mats: The mats are too long or too thick, they weren’t properly secured, the gas pedal design is flawed or the floor geometry is defective.

The wide array of causes presents a challenge to Toyota engineers who are trying to come up with a way to fix the problem that is leading to a recall of 3.8 million vehicles, including the Camry, the top-selling car in the U.S.

“We’ve evaluated a number of different years, makes and models of Toyota and don’t believe that there is a one-size-fits-all answer as to why these incidents are occurring,” said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesman Rae Tyson on Tuesday. “I think Toyota is going to have a challenge on its hands to come up with a remedy that is going to address the problem.”

Toyota spokesman John Hanson acknowledged the problem is more complex than vehicle floor mats alone, but involves the way the floor mat interacts with other parts of the vehicle.

“Other factors may be coming into play here,” he said. “That’s why we feel that probably the remedy could be different from vehicle to vehicle.”

On Tuesday, the Japanese automaker issued a safety advisory urging owners of 3.8 million car and trucks — including popular models like Camry, Prius and Tacoma — to remove driver-side mats. It wants drivers to watch out for loose or incorrect mats that could slide out of position and cover pedals.

Toyota is still studying the problem. Once it comes up with a fix, it will issue a recall of the models. It will be Toyota’s largest-ever U.S. recall, accounting for about 15 percent of all the automaker’s vehicles on U.S. roads, the company said.

The safety advisory was prompted by an accident last month killing four people near San Diego. In that incident, a floor mat trapped the gas pedal on a 2009 Lexus ES 350, causing it to accelerate out of control, strike an SUV, launch off an embankment, and burst into flames.

NHTSA said it had received reports of 102 incidents in which the accelerator may have become stuck on the Toyota vehicles involved. The problem has led to 13 crashes, 17 injuries and 5 fatalities in Toyota vehicles, according to NHTSA.

Toyota’s warning affects the following vehicles:
2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry;
2005-2010 Toyota Avalon;
2004-2009 Toyota Prius;
2005-2010 Tacoma;
2007-2010 Toyota Tundra;
2007-2010 Lexus ES350; and
2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350.

If you, your family, or friends have been in a Toyota vehicle, and had the accelerator stuck resulting in an injury accident in the State of California, you may be entitled to compensation, under California product liability laws.

Please call our Personal Injury Hotline at 800-816-1529 or click here now.

By California Product Liability Attorneys

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Man killed, Six Injured in Truck Accident outside Salinas, California.

Salinas California Car and Truck Accident AttorneyA Salinas Valley farmworker was killed and six other people were sent to hospitals Wednesday when a truck smashed head-on into a car on Alisal Road outside Salinas, California.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened shortly before 7a.m. about a mile north of Hartnell Road.

Juan DeLeon Alcantar, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene after a Chevrolet Silverado stuck his Toyota Camry, the CHP said.

The driver of the Silverado, Jose Tinoco, 68, of San Luis, Ariz., was driving north on Alisal Road when the truck crossed over the double yellow lines, officers said. The truck sideswiped a Honda Accord traveling south and continued, colliding head-on with the Toyota.

Two of Alcantar’s passengers, Jose Ricardo DeLeon, 33, and Guadalupe Montoya, 33, suffered major injuries and were taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, the CHP said. A third passenger, Javier Escobar, 38, suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Natividad Medical Center.

All of the men in the Toyota are from Salinas, and Monterey County coroner’s officials said the men were headed to Chualar to work in the lettuce fields.

Tinoco suffered minor injuries in the crash and was taken to Natividad Medical Center.

The driver of the Honda, Yesenia Flores, 21, of Salinas, suffered minor injuries when her car skidded out of control and went into a drainage ditch, the CHP said. She was also taken to Natividad.

A passenger in Flores’ car, Juana Robles, 20, of Salinas, was taken to

Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, but CHP officers did not say if she was injured.
The CHP said there was fog at the time of the crash but the cause of the collision is under investigation.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call the CHP Salinas office at 796-2100.

Salinas California Truck Accident and Car Accident Attorney Website

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Motorcyclist suffers major injuries in Highway 1 crash in San Luis Obispo

Fatal Motorcycle Accident in San Luis Obispo, California

Fatal Motorcycle Accident in San Luis Obispo, California

San Luis Obispo – California

A 24-year-old San Luis Obispo man riding a motorcycle was taken to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center this morning with major injuries after colliding with a stopped semi truck on Highway 1, the CHP said.

The man, whose name has not yet been released, was riding northbound in the highway’s fast lane when traffic stopped in front of him to allow a semi truck to make a right turn onto Stenner Creek Rd. around 9:05 a.m., according to CHP Officer Joe Vega.

The semi had to take up both lanes on the highway to safely make the turn, Vega said, and it appears the motorcyclist didn’t see the stopped cars behind it in time to slow.

“He swerved to the right,” Vega said, “squeezed between both lanes in attempt to avoid the stopped cars but then collides into the right rear corner of semi.” Drugs or alcohol don’t appear to be a factor in the accident, he added, and no other injuries were reported.

Investigators haven’t yet determined how fast the motorcyclist was going.

Most people would not realize it, but the motorcycle had the right of way in this instance and the truck driver will most likely be held to be at fault.

In California, a driver is not allowed to make a turn unless the coast is clear, notwithstanding the fact that drivers may have stopped for him. Secondly motorcyclist are allowed to lane split in the State of California, so long as they are not going more than 15-20 miles per hour faster than the flow of traffic.

This is an unfortunate accident.

If you or your family has been the victim of a wrongful death in the State of California, or you have had a motorcycle, car, truck, or other motor vehicle accident, feel free to call my firm for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 ext. 1.

California Wrongful Death Attorney, Car, Truck, Motorcycle Attorney Website

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Van tried to evade head-on Collision east of Meridian, CA.

Meridian, Yuba City California Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Attorney LawyerThe driver of a van carrying 10 unbelted passengers swerved to try and avoid the head-on collision that killed a Yuba City woman, a California Highway Patrol official said Monday.

Lorretta Lynn Deniz, 22, of the 400 block of Emerson Avenue, was pronounced dead at the scene of the Saturday night accident on Highway 20 east of Meridian. Passengers in the van, all from Oakland, had injuries ranging from a broken leg to fractured spines and skulls, according to the CHP.

The collision occurred partly on the shoulder of westbound Highway 20, indicating the van driver, Adolfo Jiminez, 23, swerved to avoid Deniz’s eastbound 1998 Chevy Malibu, said Officer Jeff Larson.

A 7-month-old child in the van, Candy Carillo, suffered a fractured skull and was flown to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. All of the passengers were sitting on the floor of the 2002 Ford van, which had no rear seats, according to the CHP.

Investigators were trying to learn Monday what the van and its Oakland occupants were doing in the area, said Larson.

Also undetermined is why Deniz’s car was in the wrong lane. There was no immediate evidence that either driver had been drinking. Results of a tests on Deniz’s blood will not arrive for weeks, said Larson.

An autopsy Monday morning showed Deniz died from a blunt force injury to the head, said Sutter County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Brenda Baker.

Deniz graduated from Yuba City High School in 2004.

A passenger in the Malibu, Marcelino Garcia, 21, who lives on Lincoln Road in Yuba City, was treated for minor injuries at Rideout Memorial Hospital.

Jiminez had a broken leg and was also taken to Rideout.

None of the van occupants were believed to have life-threatening injuries. The other van passengers and their injuries were: Jose Perez, 20, fractured spine; Pedro Perez, 39, fractured pelvis; Efrain Godinez, 35, fractured spine; Maribel Godinez, 23, facial lacerations; Robert Perry, 20, fractured femur; Pedro Martin, 44, injuries not listed; and Jorge Aguilar, 21, cranial bleeding.

Two other passengers, Adolfo Godinez, 18, and Jose Felix, 24, were not injured.

California Car Accident Attorney Website

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Oxnard California Driver arrested in Bicyclist’s Death.

Oxnard California Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Attorney LawyerMALIBU – California

 An Oxnard man was arrested in a hit-and-run accident after his truck allegedly struck and killed a father and injured his son cycling along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

The incident occurred about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Cyclist Rodrigo “Rod” Armas, 45, of Kern County, died at the scene, while his 14-year-old son was taken to UCLA Medical Center and was in stable condition with numerous broken bones, Los Angeles County authorities reported.

The two were riding east on the shoulder of the 34000 block of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

Driver Robert Sam Sanchez, 30, drove about a mile south of the crash and ditched the truck, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported. He was found a short distance away and arrested, still displaying symptoms of alcohol intoxication, authorities said.

He was being held Sunday night on $100,000 bail.

Sanchez is a records clerk for the city of Malibu and lives in Oxnard, according to Lt. Scott Chew of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lost Hills station.

Authorities said the cyclists were on their way back to Malibu during the annual 200-mile Los Angeles Wheelmen “Grand Tour” event.

The bicycling event starts and ends in Malibu and wends through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Armas was a Los Angeles County deputy probation officer. He is survived by his wife, Shelly, his 14-year-old son and two daughters, ages 9 and 12.

This accident is a horrible tragedy for the loved ones of the father who was killed, and his son who was terribly injured.

If your family has been the victim of a wrongful death, or personal injury, you may call our office 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-816-1529 ext. 1.

Oxnard California Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Attorney Website.

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Inland Empire California Traffic mishaps have taken a deadly toll.

Inland Empire Wrongful Death Attorney, Inland Empire Personal Injury AttorneyInland Empire – California

At least six people have perished in a series of accidents in San Bernardino, Devore, Colton and near Hemet.

In the worst, a multi-car crash involving a hit-run driver killed three people on Highway 74 west of Hemet. The coroner identified the dead as 11-year-old Zaria Williams of San Jacinto, Cedric Page, 37 of Murrieta and Christine Giambra, 72, of Fountain Valley.

In San Bernardino, David Walters, 42, of Riverside was killed when a car made a left turn in front of his on Kendall Drive.

Near Devore, the California Highway Patrol says Victor Manuel Farias Jr., a 46 year-old resident of Apple Valley, was fatally hurt when ejected from a pickup truck that spun out on Interstate 15 early Wednesday.

In Colton, a motorcyclist was killed Wednesday when he skidded into the rear of another vehicle on Interstate 215 near the county line.

If you or your family have been the victims of  a personal injury or wrongful death you may call our office for a free consultation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-816-1529 ext. 1.

Inland Empire Wrongful Death Attorney

Inland Empire Personal Injury Attorney

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2 Killed In Car Crash On I-5 near Sacramento, California

Sacramento California car accident atorneySACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol said two men died after one driver crossed a center divider and struck another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.

Authorities said 38-year-old Albert Hu’s Toyota Camry crossed the divider on Interstate 5 at about 10:15 p.m. on Friday night near Sacramento.

His car hit a Honda Accord driven by 30-year-old Juan Carlos Reyes-Torres.

Both men died in the collision, and a passenger in Reyes-Torres’ car suffered minor injuries.

The CHP said witnesses reported that Hu’s car was driving recklessly before the crash, and authorities have not ruled out drugs or alcohol as a cause.

Sacramento Car Accident Attorney

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The Anatomy of a Slip and Fall / Trip and Fall Case in Plain Language!

California Slip and Fall, trip and fall CasesA slip and fall, and or trip and fall case is pretty much self explanatory. The case arises from a person slipping and/or tripping and falling, and sustaining injuries as a result.

However, there are special circumstances involved in these types of cases which would give rise to you actually being able to pursue a legal case for damages against a person or entity.

THE NECESSITY OF A DANGEROUS CONDITION
The Slip and Fall, and/or Trip and Fall, must be the result of a dangerous condition either on Public or Private Property.

Obviously most human beings slip and/or trip and fall many times in their lives. The law will not allow you to recover each and every time you slip and/or trip and fall.

However, the law will allow you to recover damages for injuries that result due to a dangerous condition on public and/or private property, that the owners or persons responsible for the property knew or should have known about.

WHAT IS A DANGEROUS CONDITION? There are literally an infinite number of dangerous conditions that could result in your slipping and/or tripping and falling. Some examples of dangerous conditions we have dealt with are:
• Dangerously slippery surface
• Water or other wet substance on floor
• Cracks in a sidewalk or walkway
• Poorly maintained stairs or hand rails
• Holes in grass, sidewalk, street, or walkway
• Uneven stairs or surface
• Food and or other objects left on the floor
• Debris left on the floor
• Negligently placed parking stops in parking lots
• Unmarked steps
• Ice on walkway or in parking lot, etc.

THE NECESSITY OF NOTICE TO THE OWNER OR PERSON CONTROLLING THE PROPERTY WHERE THE DANGEROUS CONDITION EXISTS; The owner or person controlling the property where you suffer a slip and/or trip and fall must either know about the dangerous condition, or should have known about the dangerous condition through reasonable inspections, before you can legally recover against them in these types of cases.

This part of a slip and/or trip and fall case is the most difficult to prove, which is why many lawyers do not take or handle these types of cases.

The testimony of an expert witness is required in many of these types of cases to prove that a dangerous condition existed and that the owner or controller of the property either knew or should have known about the condition.

I handle these types of cases. If you have suffered a slip and/trip and fall injury in California you may call me for a free consultation at 818-584-8831 ext.1 or go to my slip and fall website by clicking here for more information.

If you have suffered a slip and/trip and fall injury outside of California I highly recommend that you consult with a lawyer in your area.

By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq. , Copyright 2006

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