Tag Archive: Car Accident

A 37 Year Old Women Passenger Killed on I-5

California Personal Injury Lawyer Blog NewsA 37-year-old Montebello woman was killed Monday in a one-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 5 near Los Banos, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The woman was identified by the Merced County coroner’s office as Josephine Rendon.

Rendon was a passenger in a 2004 Ford F-250 pickup that was traveling about 60 mph south of Highway 165.

The truck was being driven by 34-year-old Jose Serna of Los Angeles. Alvaro Velasquez, 35, also was a passenger in the truck.

The right rear tire of the truck had a tread separation, and Serna reacted by turning the truck to the left. He lost control of the truck, which spun counterclockwise and traveled across the southbound lanes. The truck then overturned in the center divider.

The victim was partially ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.

She wasn’t wearing a seat belt, the CHP reported. Velasquez and Serna were unhurt.

DUI wasn’t a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.

If you or your family have been the victim of a truck crash, car crash, or other motor vehicle accident in Los Banos, Merced County, or anywhere in California call us for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x. 1, or go to http://www.thepersonalinjury.com

Los Banos Wrongful Death Attorney Website

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Two young students hospitalized after being hit by car in Azusa, California

Scene of Azusa California Pedestrian Accident

Scene of Azusa California Pedestrian Accident

AZUSA – California

Two 14-year-old students were hit by a car while walking to school Tuesday morning, leaving them hospitalized in critical condition.

The boy, a student at Azusa High School, and the girl, a student at Foothill Middle School, were crossing Baseline Road near Rockvale Avenue about 7:30 a.m. when they were struck by a white Nissan Maxima driven by an Azusa woman.

Azusa police Cpl. Donald Manley said a preliminary investigation indicated the driver was not speeding nor was she under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Her view of the street may have been obscured by the morning sun, Manley said.

It has not been determined if she had a green light at the time of the accident.

Ashlie Makroglous, 20, lives in a home next to the intersection. She said it looked as though the girl was injured worse than the boy.

Both students were taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center by a Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter that landed on the field at Azusa High School a short time after the accident.

“They were here within minutes,” Manley said.

Kathleen Miller, spokeswoman for Azusa Unified School District, said counselors are visiting both schools to speak with students who witnessed the accident. She also said a letter explaining the situation will be sent home to parents.

“We’re praying for the best for both their families,” she said.

The students aren’t the first to be struck by a car in the intersection. In September 2008, 11-year-old Martin Solorio was hit and killed by a car while riding his bike home from his first day at Foothill Middle School.

Makroglous said she didn’t understand why no crossing guard has been posted at the intersection – used by many students who live south of the 210 Freeway.

“That’s now three kids,” she said.

Azusa Mayor Joe Rocha said the city and school district “work together as a team” to provide crossing guards – the city pays for them and the district places them where they are needed.

Rocha said he’d like to see more crossing guards used throughout the city, especially in that intersection.

“I know it is a pretty high speed area,” he said. “You see many kids using the pedestrian bridge and it empties right out into Rockvale.”

Fred Vel, 47, lives next to the intersection and said he was saddened by the accident. He hopes something will be done.

“It would be great to have a crossing guard here,” he said. “Anything to help this out.”

If you or your family has been injured anywhere in the State of California, you may contact our law firm for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 ext. 1, or submit your case through our website at http://www.therpersonalinjury.com

Azusa California Car Accident and Pedestrian Accident Attorney

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California snowstorms leave one dead and dozens injured in 40 vehicle pile-up

Scene of the 40 vehicle pileup west the Yuba Gap

Scene of the 40 vehicle pileup west the Yuba Gap

A huge 40 vehicle pile-up has left one man dead and several others injured, after heavy snowfalls battered the Sierra Nevada region of California.

The busy Interstate 80 was shut for several hours 70 miles north east of Sacramento while emergency services battled to clear the road after a big rig carrying highly explosive liquid Hydrogen jack-knifed.

The tanker blocked both lanes and as it turned onto its side dozens of cars and trucks ploughed into its side.

Auburn resident Douglas Swasey, in his 60s, was killed in the accident.

The truck was not damaged, officials confirmed, but had it done the hydrogen could have exploded causing even more fatalities.

Three feet of snow fell, creating hazardous conditions for drivers on mountain roads.

The crash at 1.30pm on Friday left the I-80 shut for several hours and caused massive tailbacks, with the route not opening until early this morning.

One driver told News 10 he heard the sound of metal hitting metal for five minutes after the first impact.

More than a dozen other people taken to hospitals in Sacramento and Reno with minor or moderate injuries.

Another driver, Ty Bombach who tried to help the injured told the press: ‘We found a gentleman by the liquid hydrogen truck and I checked his vitals but he was already gone.

I was surprised more people weren’t hurt because of the carnage that was there when we got there and what followed.’

Blizzards and snow up to three feet deep will hit the Sierra Nevada region falling as low as 4,000 feet and will continue over the weekend.

The storms will bring flooding rains, snow and strong winds across much of California.

Heavy rain will affect the central coast and valleys to the Southland from late tonight until Monday, which could bring possible flooding and mudslides.

Coastal regions will suffer up to three inches of rain but south and west-facing foothills and mountains could have as much as seven inches of rain.

Make sure you take it easy out there on the highways.

If you or your family has been injured anywhere in the State of California, you may contact our law firm for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 ext. 1, or submit your case through our website at http://www.therpersonalinjury.com

Sacramento Car and Truck Accident Attorney

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When a Bad Road Causes a Car or Motorcycle Accident in California.

Dangerous and Defective Roads Kill and Injure Many People Each Year

Dangerous and Defective Roads Kill and Injure Many People Each Year

Many of you may not know that you can recover damages if a dangerous or defective road causes you to crash in your vehicle.

I have dealt with all sorts of defective and dangerous road cases. Some cases involve holes, bumps, debris, rocks, gravel, poorly maintained roads, defectively designed roads, curves, intersections, signals, guard rails, etc.

Some of these types of cases are utterly devastating to the victims.

I recently saw a TV news special where it was flat out stated that many defective roads are known about, but are not being repaired due to budget deficits related to the recession.

The recession and the economy do not excuse anyone from maintaining a dangerous or defective road.

If you are on a public road in California, and the road caused you to crash and become injured, you will need to file a governmental claim with the appropriate governmental agency within 6 months from the day you had your accident.

If the governmental entity rejects your claim within 45 days of receipt of claim, you have 6 months from the date of the rejection to file a lawsuit against the governmental entity.

If they do not reject the claim, you have 2 years to sue from the date of the accident.

If you are on a private road on private property, you have 2 years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit.

Defective and Dangerous road cases are very complex to such an extent that many personal injury attorneys do not do these types of cases.

I handle these types of cases. If you or a loved one has been injured due to a dangerous or defective road, give me a call for a free consultation 7 days a week, 24 hours a day at 800-816-1529, ext. 1, or you may submit your case to us through the blog by clicking here.

By California Personal Injury Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © March 9, 2011

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Distracted by cell phone, driver injured in Sutter County crash

Sutter County Car Accident Caused by Distracted Driver on Cell PhoneA Gridley woman who looked down to answer her cell phone in her car suffered major injuries Saturday in a Sutter County crash, the California Highway Patrol said today.

The accident happened about 3:30 p.m. on Larkin Road south of Brubaker Road, just south of the Butte County line.

The CHP said Virginia Hewitt, 31, was driving south on Larkin when her cell phone rang. Her speed was estimated at 50 to 65 mph.

As she looked down, her 1993 Ford Taurus drifted off the road and onto the gravel shoulder.

Hewitt attempted to steer back onto the road and lost control of the vehicle, which skidded across the northbound and southbound lanes, the CHP said.

The front of the vehicle struck an AT&T relay box. The car then jumped across an irrigation ditch, which paralleled the east side of Larkin Road, the CHP said.

The front of the car struck the east side of the ditch embankment. The impact propelled the car south, and it rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise.

The vehicle came to rest in a private driveway.

The CHP said Hewitt suffered major injuries. She was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center.

Using your cell phone while driving is dangerous. This accident is a perfect example of why you should not use your cell phone while driving.

What if this driver would have hit and killed someone simply because she wanted to answer her cell phone?

Sutter County Car Accident Attorney Website

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A Fatal Napa Valley Accident Tied to Speeding

A Fatal Napa Valley Accident Tied to SpeedingFour people who died in a horrible SUV versus big rig truck crash on Jamieson Canyon/Highway 12 Thursday morning have been identified as three generations of a family from Oregon and two eastern states.

The Napa County California Sheriff’s Office identified the dead as Matthew Jay Smith, 48, of Ashland, Ore., Laura Katharine Smith, 19, of Downingtown, Pa., and Richard Smith, 80, and Sally Smith, 74, both of Simbsbury, Conn.

Napa Sheriff’s Capt. Tracey Stuart said Sally and Richard Smith were on vacation in the Napa Valley. They were returning to Napa after picking up their son and granddaughter when the deadly chain-reaction collisions occurred.

The California Highway Patrol said a westbound big rig driven by Gustavo Lopez, 42, plowed into the back of the victims’ Suburu Forester that was stopped in heavy rush-hour traffic.

The Forester was pushed into the path of an eastbound tractor-trailer hauling concrete pipe. The big rig, driven by Woodland resident Luis Marabilla, 44, crushed the car, pushing it back across the westbound lane onto the shoulder of the road.

Lopez’s truck continued west and side-swiped a Chevrolet flatbed truck that Hilario Trujillo Jr., 33, was driving.

The victims were declared dead at the scene, the CHP said. Trujillo and Marabilla were uninjured, and Lopez was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center with minor injuries.

It appears Lopez was driving too fast for the conditions, based on the slow traffic and the size of the truck he was driving, CHP spokesman Jaret Paulson said.

Lopez told officers that traffic was stop-and-go as he traveled along Jamieson Canyon Road. 

He had stopped just prior to the crash, then accelerated through his gears. 

When traffic stopped again ahead of him, he had too much velocity to stop in time, CHP Officer Ryan O’Day said.

Lopez likely wasn’t speeding, but he was going too fast for conditions, Paulson said.

“It just looks like gross inattention at this point as to what caused the collision,” O’Day said.

Under federal law, commercial drivers must submit to a chemical test if they are in an accident. There was no sign that Lopez was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, O’Day said.

Lopez had started his trip in Woodland so he likely hadn’t been on the road long enough for fatigue to be a factor, O’Day said. Lopez wasn’t carrying a load so he wasn’t in a hurry, he said.

The CHP will decide whether to forward the case to the Napa County District Attorney’s office for prosecution. 

“Being that four people are dead because of inattention, I would be surprised if they didn’t press some sort of charges,” O’Day said.

They could range from reckless driving to vehicular manslaughter, he said.

Thursday’s crash brings the fatality total this year to eight victims from five crashes on Napa County roads.

The last time four people died in one crash was on Nov. 15, 2008, on Deer Park Road near Sanitarium Road outside of Angwin, O’Day said.

Napa County hasn’t seen a crash that killed more than four people since it started keeping records in 1999, he said.

The last time someone died on Jamieson Canyon Road was in December 2004, Paulson said.

Napa Valley California Truck and SUV Accident Attorney Website

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3 People Killed this morning In Crash On 101 Freeway In Sherman Oaks, California

3 People Killed this morning In Crash On 101 Freeway In Sherman Oaks, CaliforniaSHERMAN OAKS, Calfornia
Motorists exchanging information after a crash on the 101 Freeway in Sherman Oaks were hit by another vehicle, causing a second accident that killed three.

Authorities say motorists exchanging information after a crash on the Ventura (101) Freeway in Sherman Oaks were hit by another vehicle, causing a second accident that killed three.

The fatal accident happened at about 2:10 a.m. Sunday on the freeway near the Coldwater Canyon Avenue exit, CHP Officer Anthony Martin said.

The California Highway Patrol says three people had been involved in a prior accident and had stepped out of their vehicles to exchange information when they were struck by another vehicle. Three other people were injured.

The identities of the deceased were withheld pending notification of next of kin.

How much do you want to bet that the person or persons who hit and killed the persons on the side of the road exchanging information were drunk or under the influence of drugs and alcohol?

Sheman Oaks, Calfornia Car Accident Attorney Website

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Three Whittier California children killed in morning crash on the 5 Freeway

5 people killed in santa clarita / newhallSANTA CLARITA – Newhall,  California

Three of five people killed in a chain-reaction crash on the southbound 5 Freeway near the 14 freeway, early Monday were local children, authorities said.

Cynthia J. Hernandez, 9, Edgar A. Hernandez, 8, and Xochitl M. Hernandez, 5, all of Whittier, were killed after the car they were riding in collided with an overturned pickup truck at 12:14 a.m. on the southbound 5 just before the Balboa Boulevard exit, said California Highway Patrol Officer Jon Lutz.

Their cousin, Luis Villegas, 12, of Oakland was also killed.

The back of the Nissan the children were riding in caved in when the car was then rear ended by a Chevrolet Suburban, Lutz said. No one in the SUV was seriously injured.

The children’s mother, who is in her 30s, survived and was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. Another man in his 20s was also in the car and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, Lutz said.

John Blackburn, 54, of Frazier Park, who was the driver of the pickup truck that triggered the accident when it hit the center divider, spun out of control and overturned, was killed.

If you our your family has been injured in a car accident call us for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x. 1.

Santa Clarita Car Accident Attorney and Wrongful Death Attorney Website

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Fiery crash in Winters California kills one Person

Fatal Car Crash in Winters CaliforniaThe California Highway Patrol is attempting to ascertain the identity of a motorist killed early Friday in a fiery car crash near Winters.

A CHP spokesman said the exact time and circumstances of the crash remain under investigation and, due to the fire that engulfed the car shortly after the early morning collision, neither the identity, sex or age of the driver could be confirmed.

Officer Marvin Williford said the crash occurred sometime before 6 a.m., when the car, a Mercedes-Benz, was traveling north along Winters Road south of Putah Creek Road. It apparently swerved out of control across the southbound lanes of the narrow rural roadway and ran off the pavement and into an orchard.

Traveling at an unknown rate of speed, the car slid sideways, sheered off a large walnut tree, then caught fire.

The smoldering wreckage wasn’t discovered until about 6 a.m. when a local laborer reported the crash. When firefighters arrived, they found the fire was out and the car had been reduced to a charred shell. One occupant was found in the wreckage.

Because of the extensive damage to the Mercedes sedan caused by crash impact and the fire, CHP investigators were not immediately able to determine the exact year, model or registration of the car. The most accessible vehicle identification numbers of the car also were obliterated.

On Friday night, the Solano County Coroner’s Office said the victim is believed to be a male, but other identifying information is pending further investigation.

Anyone with information about the crash can contact the Solano area office of the CHP in Fairfield at 428-2100.

Winters, California and Fairfield, California Car Accident Attorney

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EMT assisting at accident scene struck and killed by vehicle

Fatal Accident Victim Esteban BahenaOne accident turned into a second deadly accident Thursday morning on rain-soaked SR 163 just south of Robinson Ave.

According to authorities, an emergency medical technician with San Diego Medical Services who was responding to an accident was struck and killed by a car.

Law enforcement said Esteban Bahena and his partner stopped to help a stranded driver on northbound SR-163 at around 7 a.m. While they were there, an accident happened in the same stretch of highway when a pickup truck and a Toyota Scion collided.

Bahena reportedly crossed the freeway to set up flares to let oncoming drivers know about that accident when he was hit by a Chrysler Sebring.

Bahena’s partner began CPR and after a nearby fire crew stopped to help, they loaded Bahena up and took him to Mercy Hospital in his own ambulance. He was pronounced dead at 8:32 a.m.

According to the California Highway Patrol, a fifth car might have been involved due to the fact the Sebring has rear end damage with blue paint left on the bumper. Officers say a blue car may have struck the Sebring but left the scene.

Bahena, who had been with the city as an EMT for two years, was the first EMT or paramedic to be killed in the line of duty in the company’s 13-year history as the city’s paramedic provider.

The driver of the Sebring was transported to UCSD Hospital in serious condition.

San Diego Car Accident Attorney and Wrongful Death Lawyer

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Toyota sued over deaths in horrendous California crash

Toyota Product Defect AttorneyLos Angeles – California

Relatives of a California state trooper and three family members whose fatal car wreck helped spark Toyota’s wide-ranging safety recall have sued the automaker for defects they say caused the vehicle to speed out of control and crash.

The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in San Diego Superior Court, was the latest in a wave of product-liability cases and other legal action brought against Toyota Motor Corp over complaints of sudden, unintended acceleration in its vehicles.

But the fiery August 28 crash near San Diego of a Lexus ES 350 sedan driven by off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor drew intense media attention and renewed government scrutiny of safety problems that led to the recall of some 8.5 million Toyota vehicles worldwide.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company’s founder, extended his condolences to the Saylor family in an apology he delivered to a congressional hearing last week.

Saylor was driving his wife, their 13-year-old daughter, and his brother-in-law on a family outing when their car “began to accelerate on its own” and sped out of control despite Saylor’s attempts “to apply the brakes and otherwise do everything possible to stop” the car, the lawsuit says.

The car reached speeds of up to 120 miles per hour before it struck another vehicle, plowed through a fence, hit a berm and flew through the air, then rolled several times into a field and burst into flames.

The family’s final moments before impact were captured in the recording of a frantic 911-emergency cell phone call placed by Saylor’s brother-in-law, Christopher Lastrella, in which he is heard telling the dispatcher, “Our accelerator is stuck … We’re in trouble … there is no brakes.”

Others in the car are heard saying, “hold on” and “pray” as the call ended, the lawsuit said.

The suit names Toyota, its U.S. division and other corporate entities as defendants, along with the Lexus dealership where Saylor was given the doomed car as a “loaner vehicle” while his own Lexus was being serviced.

Although the suit makes no specific allegations as to the root cause of the unintended acceleration, it says the car in question “was defective when it left the control of each defendant” and that “adequate warnings of the danger were not given.” The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages on behalf of the parents of Saylor and his wife.

Toyota officials have said they do not comment on pending litigation.

San Diego County Sheriff’s investigators concluded the crash likely was caused by the gas pedal becoming stuck in an all-weather rubber floor mat designed for a larger vehicle but placed by the Lexus dealership in the sedan loaned to Saylor.

But the accident report said “other avenues of unintended acceleration could not be explored,” mechanical or electrical, due to catastrophic damage to the vehicle.

The report also revealed that another driver who had been loaned the same car a few days earlier told investigators the vehicle raced out of control on him when the gas pedal jammed in the floor mat, which he managed to free after placing the gear shift into neutral.

He complained to a dealership receptionist when he returned the car, the receptionist told investigators she alerted the detail specialist on duty, but the detailer claimed never to have received such a complaint, the report said.

Toyota has recalled more than 5 million vehicles in the United States for slipping floor mats. Another 2.2 million U.S. recall notices were issued for sticking accelerator pedals.

The Transportation Department has said that complaints of unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles are linked with more than 50 U.S. crash deaths under investigation over the past decade.

If you or your family have been the victim of a car crash in a Toyota due to sudden acceleration or other product defect anywhere in California call us for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x. 1, or go to http://www.thepersonalinjury.com

Toyota Product Defect Attorney

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EZ Lube CEO arrested for Drunk Driving after Newport Beach, California Crash.

EZ Lube CEO in Drunk Driving AccidentNEWPORT BEACH – California

 A man arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after crashing twice within a city block is the chief executive officer of EZ Lube, an oil-change chain.

Mark David Goodman, 41, has not been charged with a crime since posting bail Tuesday afternoon.

Goodman, who was not injured, was arrested shortly after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, after his 2009 Cadillac Escalade crashed into a psychic-reading business.

Goodman held senior executive positions at McDonald’s, Walmart and 1,200-store Save-A-Lot before joining EZ Lube recently.

On Tuesday, Goodman’s Escalade jumped a curb along East Coast Highway, knocking over a parking sign, and smashing straight into a knee-high brick planter at Directors Financial Group.

Goodman then apparently backed off the parking sign, and continued a block north, jumping the curb again, breaking another parking sign, scraping a palm tree, and continuing down a sidewalk before smashing into a bus stop bench and finally coming to a stop inside the Crystal Lotus, 3100 E. Coast Highway, in Corona del Mar.

Goodman did not return a call for comment.

Anita Marie Laurie, an EZ Lube spokeswoman, said, “I spoke to him and he said he’s just grateful that no one was injured.”

Goodman took his current job three months ago, when EZ Lube came out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

EZ Lube, a chain of 85 or so oil-change shops based in Southern California, ran into financial troubles after two investigations found evidence that the company routinely defrauded customers.

In December 2007, EZ Lube agreed to a $5 million settlement with the Orange County district attorney to end legal action. The company paid $3 million toward the settlement, but declared bankruptcy in December 2008 before paying the rest.

EZ Lube is the latest stop for Goodman, who once ran U.S. strategy and operations for McDonald’s.

After McDonald’s, Goodman had stints as a top executive for two other companies.

For 14 months, Goodman was an executive vice president for marketing at Sam’s Club. Four months after he left, he got a job in April 2007 as chief operations officer for Save-A-Lot, where he stayed for 15 months.

Bottom line folks, do not drink and drive; you could kill someone and then end up in jail for a very long time.

Newport Beach Car Accident Attorney Website

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Head-on car crash on I-8 traps two in Southern California

East County California — Two motorists were trapped and had to be extricated from their cars Sunday night after a head-on collision east of Alpine on Interstate 8, authorities said.

The accident was reported about 9 p.m. on I-8 west of state Route 79. A 66-year-old woman traveling westbound on I-8 in a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina, going about 75 mph, for unknown reasons drove off the south side of the road through a dirt and grass divide and onto the eastbound lanes of I-8, where her vehicle struck two cars, said California Highway Patrol Brian Pennings.

The woman was trapped in her vehicle until emergency crews could extricate her. She was taken by helicopter to a hospital with a broken right ankle and internal injuries, Pennings said.

A 27-year-old driver also had to be extricated from his 2007 Honda Accord, which was struck head-on by the Lumina. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital after he complained of pain, Penning said. The 34-year-old driver of the second car that was struck by the Lumina wasn’t injured.

All eastbound traffic was shut down at Willows Road after the 9 p.m. crash for about an hour, Pennings said.

If you or your family have been the victim of a truck crash, car crash, or other motor vehicle accident in San Diego, California or anywhere in California call us for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x. 1, or go to http://www.thepersonalinjury.com

San Diego Car Accident Attorney Website

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The Victim of head on car crash in Southern California mourned.

Wrongful Death Victim David Norman ReidFriends, family and students are mourning the loss of a 50-year-old father who was killed Friday in a head-on crash near Steele Canyon High School, where he often volunteered for his kids’ drama productions.

He was identified by the Medical Examiner’s Office Saturday as David Norman Reid, who lived with his wife and family in Spring Valley, California.

Reid was driving a Dodge Caravan east on state Route 94 about a mile west of the school when the driver of a Ford Mustang crossed over the double-yellow line and collided with him head-on, the California Highway Patrol said.

Reid’s 17-year-old son, who was in the passenger seat, suffered serious injuries and underwent surgery Saturday, said the school’s assistant principal, Jeff Kover.

The driver of the Mustang, former student Andrew Bellatti, 18, and his 16-year-old female passenger, a current student, also were injured. They were reportedly released from the hospital Saturday.

It was unknown why Bellatti had crossed into oncoming traffic, but investigators said speed was a factor.

The speedometer on the Mustang was frozen at about 80 mph, said CHP Officer Brian Pennings. He said there was no indication that Bellatti had been racing, or that drugs or alcohol were a factor in the accident.

The road was wet, but it was not raining at the time, he said.

Reid’s son followed in his older sister’s footsteps by joining the charter high school’s drama club, and their parents became well-known volunteers over the past several years.

Reid did everything from building sets and chaperoning to serving at concession stands during plays.
“He’s easily one of the nicest guys you could meet. He always had a good joke or story,” Kover said. “He was there any time we had an event going on, a production or a show. They were always helping out.”

High school records show that Bellatti, who graduated last year, was a pitcher and first-baseman on Steele Canyon’s baseball team. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays after turning down a scholarship offer to Cal State Fullerton.

Last summer, Bellatti pitched for Tampa Bay’s rookie team in the Gulf Coast League. Professional baseball’s spring training begins next month.

It would appear from the basic facts of this case that the driver of the Mustang was speeding way over the speed limit when he crossed into oncoming traffic and is most probably responsible for the wrongful death of David Norman Reid. We at the California Personal Injury Lawyer Blog send our prayers and condolences to his family.

If you or your family has suffered through the wrongful death of a loved one, you may call our office for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x. 1.

San Diego Car Accident Lawyer and San Diego Wrongful Death Attorney Website

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California Highway Patrol: Is Your Car Ready For Severe Weather?

California Highway Patrol: Is Your Car Ready For Severe Weather?Winterhaven – California

Experts say it’s very important to make sure that your car is ready for severe weather.

Experts say now is the time to make sure that your car is properly maintained and equipped for inclement weather. According to the Winterhaven California Highway Patrol, accidents in the Desert Southwest increase during rain and other bad weather. That’s why officers encourage you to leave yourself extra time when driving in bad conditions, and don’t follow too closely.

It’s important to make sure you have plenty of tread on your tires, and that they’re properly inflated. Officers say it’s also important to make sure that you have adequate windshield wipers and an appropriate emergency kit if your car breaks down.

Following an accident, officers ask that you pull to the side of the road, make sure that those involved in the accident are ok, and call the proper authorities.

Officer Steven Gronbach with the Winterhaven CHP Office says there are several reasons why people get in accidents during bad weather.

“Excessive speed, things of that nature, following too closely, sometimes the water will build up on the roads, and if it hasn’t rained, especially here in the desert for quite some time, oil will build up and cause a slick environment,” said Gronbach.

Officials say the most important thing you can do to keep yourself safe is wear your seatbelt.

Take it easy out there folks. If you or your family have been the victim of a truck crash, car crash, or other motor vehicle accident anywhere in California call us for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x. 1, or go to http://www.thepersonalinjury.com

California Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney Website

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