Scene of Crane Accident on the I-10 in Cathedral City

Cathedral City – California

A woman was seriously hurt when her car crashed into a crane on the eastbound Interstate 10 Tuesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash near Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City caused traffic delays on the freeway.

Three out of four lanes were closed on the I-10 in the area. All lanes were not back open until 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

According to CHP Officer Joe Zagorski, 37-year-old Meadow Sanchez of Beaumont was driving the black 2005 Toyota Prius that crashed into a construction crane just before 6:30 a.m.

Zagorski said the crane operator, 52-year-old John Rogers of Cathedral City, had his crane stationed in the center median, while he was putting steel in place for a construction project at Date Palm Drive.

He said Rogers moved the crane and entered the number one lane of the eastbound I-10.

At that time, the Sanchez’s Prius collided with the back of the crane and overturned, blocking three eastbound lanes.

Zagorski said Sanchez sustained major injures and has been transported to Desert Regional Medical Center.

Rogers, the crane operator, was not injured.

It appears to me that by moving the construction crane from the median, into lane number 1, the crane operator and therefore Caltrans, and the private contractor will most likely be liable for this horrendous accident.

Imagine driving down the freeway and all of a sudden a crane ends up in your lane.

If you or someone you know has been injured due to a defective road, negligent construction worker, or another driver in Cathedral City or anywhere in the State of California, you may call us for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x.1 or check out or website at www.thepersonalinjury.com

Cathedral City and California Car Accident Website

California Personal Injury Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez

As a California Personal Injury Lawyer, I give free consultations to injury victims throughout the State of California almost every day.

Inevitably about 5% of the people I talk to have either tried handling their California personal injury matter on their own, or are very reluctant to “get lawyers” involved because of what they heard about lawyers, or are clueless about how the legal system works.

Ultimately, out of the 5% of the people mentioned above, about 1% or 1 out of 100 people I talk to decide to handle the matter on their own.

To me, an experienced California Personal Injury Attorney, it is inexplicable why someone would choose not to retain an attorney to handle their personal injury case. Let me tell you why.

Firstly, most people have no clue that they are entitled to recover the following damages in a typical personal injury matter:

Out of Pocket Expenses: All out of pocket expenses flowing out of the personal injury matter such as: loss of wages, medical cost, prescription cost, cost of travel to and from the doctor, prescriptions, loss of use of vehicle, either the repair cost of a damaged vehicle, or the fair market value of a damaged vehicle when the repair cost exceeds the fair market value, rental car, loss of future wages, future medical expenses, etc.

Non Economic Expenses: Pain & Suffering, Emotional Distress, Loss of Enjoyment of life (loss of enjoyment of life consists of compensation to a person for not being able to do things that they used to do, while they are injured. Such as cleaning, cooking, walking, dancing, going out, etc.)

In a nutshell a typical person has no clue that they are entitled to the things mentioned above, how to value such things even if they know about it, and most importantly, how to get it.

Going further, if an injured person is married, they typically do not know that their spouse also has a cause of action against the person who injured them for loss of consortium. Hell most personal injury lawyers in California do not even go for loss of consortium.

Loss of consortium in a nutshell is damages that a spouse of an injured party are entitled to, for the loss of the things that their spouse used to do with and for them in the marriage, because of their injury. In many cases loss of consortium can amount to a substantial amount of money.

I have just touched the tip of the iceberg with this article. Ultimately, only a fool has themselves for an attorney.

I can assure you that in 99% of cases, a person without an attorney will get less than a person with an attorney in a California Personal Injury case.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a California Personal Injury matter you may call my personal injury hotline 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 extension 1. You may also check out my personal injury website at http://www.thepersonalinjury.com.

By California Personal Injury Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © February 10, 2011

The second accident occurred at 11:38 a.m. just north of Atherton Avenue and blocked the two left lanes, said Officer Peter Van Eckhardt of the California Highway Patrol.

The wreck involved blue and silver pickup trucks, a small sedan and a gold Lexus. The sedan was lodged under the blue truck, trapping two people, Van Eckhardt said. They were transported to a local hospital; additional details were unavailable.

The single-vehicle big-rig accident at 6 a.m. blocked one lane of traffic that remained closed till 11:30 a.m. while workers emptied a load of vegetables, Van Eckhardt said.

The accident occurred when the Save Mart Supermarkets big-rig overturned just north of San Antonio Road, Van Eckhardt said. The cause of the wreck was under investigation.

The driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Van Eckhardt said.

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

Novato California Truck Accident and California Car Accident Website

 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

Remember you are deemed to know the law; ignorance of the law is no excuse for violating it.

AB 9 (J. Perez) – Political Reform Act: FPPC – this law clarifies what constitutes improper campaign activity by a local government or agency during an election for a candidate or initiative.

AB 14 A motor vehicle can be declared be a public nuisance and impounded for up to 30 days when the motor vehicle is used in the commission of specified crimes related to prostitution.

AB 58 Now an Infraction to participate in a betting pool with less than $2,500 at stake.

AB 91 New “Ignition Interlock Device” Law requires first-time DUI offenders to install a device in their vehicles in a test program in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulare counties.

AB 144 (Ma) – Last year in San Francisco, law enforcement confiscated over 1,000 illegal disabled placards. The widespread abuse has not only taken away parking opportunities for people who really need them, but has also exacerbated the difficult parking environment in San Francisco. The current penalty is a $100 fine.

AB 144 not only increases the fine for fraudulent use to $1,000, but also gives parking control officers the ability to cite violators. Currently, only police officers have the ability to cite violators in many instances.

AB 166 (Lieu) – Creates a cost-effective solution to deal with the growing number of abandoned boats in California’s waterways. The bill will establish a vessel turn-in program that permits boat owners to transfer ownership of their dilapidated vessels before they become an environmental hazard.

AB 171 (Jones) – Establishes basic consumer protection standards governing credit cards and loan products that are arranged in dental offices. The law is designed to protect elderly, low-income or limited-English-speaking dental patients who unwittingly signed credit card applications. The new law prohibits arranging credit while patients are under anesthesia, requires notice in the patient’s primary language, and requires refunds if dental services have not been provided within 15 days.

AB 232 (Hill) – Allows the California State Teachers Retirement System to implement technology improvements such as switching from paper transactions with customers to online and e-mail transactions. The changes will reduce environmental impacts and save the state about $1 million annually.

AB 242 (Nava) – Strengthens penalties for spectatorship at a dogfight in California.

AB 260 (Lieu) – Will bring trust and security back to the state’s mortgage market, protect borrowers from the most abusive lending practices that caused the home foreclosure crisis, and reassure the secondary market that loans bought in California are sound.

AB 262 (Bass) – Makes the technical and administrative changes necessary to ensure that $113M in federal economic stimulus energy funding (i.e. local energy efficiency grants and state energy program monies) will be allocated in the most efficient and effective manner.

AB 303 (Beall) – Hospital Seismic Safety Financing; allows designated hospitals to meet state deadlines for earthquake safety improvements. The bill permits the hospitals to leverage local funds in order to draw down federal money to pay for seismic safety facility upgrades.

AB 305 (Nava) – Allows prosecutors to seek jail sentences for polluters who knowingly make a false or misleading report about an offshore oil spill. AB 305 also extends the statute of limitations for violations of Hazardous Material Release Response Plans and Inventory related violations from 1 to 5 years to bring it into accordance with other hazardous material and hazardous waste laws in the same Division of the Health and Safety Code.

AB 329 (Feuer) – Reverse Mortgage Elder Protection Act – a bi-partisan measure that will protect the growing number of senior citizens who are considering a reverse mortgage. This bill would amend California reverse mortgage law to strengthen existing counseling and cross-selling provisions and would provide the borrower with a checklist prior to counseling that highlights the risks and alternatives to reverse mortgages.

AB 343 (Saldana) – Allows California to enter into a compact with 26 other states to ease coordination of interstate school transfers and to remove some of the barriers to academic success military children face due to frequent relocation of active-duty parents. An interstate commission, in coordination with state education officials, will monitor implementation of the compact, address emerging issues, and reconcile disputes between states.

AB 359 (Nava) – Requires digital mammography screening to be covered under the “Every Woman Counts” (EWC) Cancer Detection Program administered by the California Department of Public Health when analog mammography is not available.

AB 370 (Eng) – Would ensure that a victim of contractor fraud is eligible to obtain restitution for economic loss caused by that contractor. Further, this bill increases the maximum potential fine for a first offense from $1,000 to $5,000. For a second and subsequent offense, this measure increases the current mandatory fine from $4,500 up to $5,000. Third offenders will also be required to serve a mandatory jail sentence (as is currently required of second offenders.). Finally, this measure would apply the mandatory minimum fine to repeat offenders who enter into a contract with the victim, or take money from the victim, but do not perform any of the contracting work.

AB 457 (Monning) – Requires claimants intending to file mechanic’s liens to notify homeowners that a mechanic’s lien is being recorded against their property. Specifically, the bill amends the 20-Day Preliminary Notice to make it more prominent and easier to read ,and enacts a requirement that property owners be served with a Notice of Mechanic’s Lien that provides information on how to deal with a mechanic’s lien, along with a copy of the actual lien that will be filed.

AB 474 (Blumenfield) – California is in its third straight year of drought. This creative bill will harness market forces by increasing water conservation by residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial property owners by authorizing cities, counties, water districts and municipal utilities to offer up-front financing to property owners who wish to install water conservation systems. It is a rare bill supported by the Sierra Club and the Chamber of Commerce.

AB 494 (Caballero) – Allows farmers who wish to build housing for farm workers on land zoned for agriculture, to change the zoning, and be able to build housing while retaining the agricultural integrity of the property.

AB 524 (Bass) – To curtail the potentially harmful situations and other problems created by out of control paparazzi, AB 524 extends the “invasion of privacy” laws to persons that purchase, publish, and print images or recordings of individuals, if these persons knew that the images or recordings were obtained illegally.

AB 530 (Krekorian) – This measure continues to provide local law enforcement an important tool in freeing our neighborhoods of violent drug and gang activity. AB 530 reauthorizes two pilot programs allowing city attorneys and prosecutors in participating cities (Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Palmdale, Sacramento, and San Diego) to bring eviction proceedings in the name of the people against a tenant for unlawful activities regarding controlled substances, firearms, and ammunition. This statute assists landlords who are intimidated from bringing eviction proceedings against tenants engaged in drug-related crimes and illegal possession of weapons or ammunition on the premises. This measure also protects other tenants living in the same apartment complex or the neighborhood who have been forced to tolerate criminal behavior or move away from their homes.

AB 532 (Lieu) – Will protect victims of domestic violence, their families and our communities from potential gun-related danger. The bill will allow law enforcement officers to obtain a warrant to seize firearms or deadly weapons that remain inside a house after a domestic violence or mental health incident.

SB 598 will give a repeat DUI offender the opportunity to apply for a restricted driver license with an ignition interlock device placed on their vehicle.

AB 626 (Eng) – Required that no less than 10% of the $139 million appropriated from prop 84 for IRWMP to fund projects that provide direct benefits to disadvantaged communities. However, there was some confusion in the Department of Water Resources on whether they can award the entire 10 percent for disadvantaged communities across every hydrological region. Disadvantaged communities around the state struggle to meet basic water related public health functions including supplying safe drinking water to their communities and maintaining basic wastewater infrastructure. AB 626 makes it clear that disadvantaged communities in each region of the state receive this minimum investment.

AB 636 (Jones) – Increases penalties for charter bus companies and drivers for failure to comply with safety and licensing regulations. Introduced after last year’s tragic Colusa bus crash that took the lives of several residents of Jones’ Sacramento district, the new law permanently rescinds the operating permit of a bus company if it is found operating without a permit or on a suspended license, knowingly hires an unlicensed bus driver, or fails to register its buses with the Department of Motor Vehicles. The law also suspends unlicensed bus drivers for a period of 5 years.

AB 637 (Hill) – Requires the California Public Employees’ Retirement System contracting agencies to use Electronic Funds Transfer for payments which will reduce paper transactions and lead to cost savings worth hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

AB 647 (Yamada) – Requires California’s Department of Motor Vehicles to comply with federal law and allow consumer access to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). Established under the Anti-Car Theft Act of 1992, NMVTIS is an electronic vehicle-history database maintained by the Department of Justice that enables states, law enforcement agencies, and consumers to verify and exchange auto titling, theft and brand data.

AB 669 (Fong) – Removes barriers for foster youth to attend California community colleges. Specifically, the bill gives current and former foster your residency status, in order to avoid paying higher tuition fees.

AB 671 (Krekorian) – The California Golden Shield Act, establishes an official California State honorific that pays tribute to our peace officers, firefighters and other public safety officers who sacrifice their lives for the safety of Californians. This statute requires that the Governor present the California Golden Shield, on behalf of the State of California, to the families of the fallen public safety officers killed in the line of duty.

AB 672 (Bass) – Allows local transportation agencies with approved Prop 1B projects to expend their own funds to move the projects along and be eligible to be reimbursed from Prop 1B bond funds.

AB 688 (Eng) – Seeks to protect victims of domestic violence from re-victimization by clarifying that a person charged with a misdemeanor domestic violence may not be released on their own recognizance until they first appear before a judge or commissioner. Currently, there are discrepancies in state law that potentially allow for the release of a person charged without ever appearing before a judge or commissioner. If this bill is vetoed, the existing inconsistencies in state law will continue to endanger people’s lives by potentially permitting some perpetrators to go back into the community without the proper screening of a judge or commissioner.

AB 708 (Huffman) – The illegal poaching of fish and wildlife poses a serious threat to California’s wildlife species and biodiversity. Poaching cases are on the rise and California is particularly impacted because the current fines and penalties have proved insufficient to serve as an effective deterrent. AB 708 will establish minimum mandatory fines and increased revenue to local prosecutors to prosecute the egregious poaching of fish and wildlife in order to provide a serious deterrent to this illegal activity.

AB 719 (Lowenthal) – Provides one year of federally-funded food stamps to foster children who “age-out” of the system at 18. In addition to providing needed benefits to these at-risk youth, the program will also bring federal funds to give needed economic stimulus effect at the local and state level: Every $10 in new Food Stamp benefits generates $18.40 in economic activity, which results in more funds to the state General Fund.

SB 748 would provide that no person, state or local public agency, or private entity shall post the home address, the telephone number, or personal identifying information that discloses the location of any witness or witness family member participating in the Witness Relocation and Assistance Program (WRAP) with the intent that another person imminently use that information to commit a crime involving violence or a threat of violence against that witness or witness’ family member.

AB 750 (Bass) – Provides Superior Courts the ability to operate deferred entry of judgment (DEJ) reentry programs in lieu of jail time for low-level, non-violent offenders. AB 750 is modeled after a program ” Back on Track” developed by the City of San Francisco. The year-long program requires participation in workforce training, educational training, drug counseling, and has a proven track record of reducing recidivism among its participation.

AB 758 (Bass/Skinner) – Establishes a comprehensive statewide program to improve the energy efficiency of the state’s existing residential and commercial building stock. Such a program will include energy audits, financing options, public outreach efforts, and workforce training. AB 758 will produce a significant return on investment — reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing energy consumption.

AB 856 (Caballero) – Protects consumers who buy organic produce from California, and protects the integrity of California’s organic farmers by increasing the authority of the California Department of Agriculture to regulate manufactures of organic fertilizers.

AB 890 (J. Perez) – City of Maywood Safe Drinking Water Act — this law directs the water providers within the City of Maywood to develop an action plan to improve the water delivery infrastructure and reduce contaminant levels in the water, and includes several provisions to force the water providers to operate with more transparency and responsiveness to community concerns about the water quality.

AB 906 (Hill) – Helps local governments take advantage of existing energy efficiency programs without violating state laws that prohibit economic conflicts of interest. (Effective upon signature by Governor)

AB 951 (Lieu) – Increases penalties on negligent and unscrupulous charter bus companies that jeopardize passengers’ lives by violating safety standards. This bill was introduced in response to a tragic bus crash that occurred last year in Colusa which killed 11 and injured 40 passengers.

AB 952 (Krekorian) – This new statute allows Taft-Hartley trusts (health plans governed by the federal Department of Labor) to administer benefits for their enrollees in an efficient manner. AB 952 seeks to provide a remedy for Taft-Hartley plan administrators and allow them to work better in California. A new provision will be made in the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act to allow protected health information necessary for the administration of health benefits for Taft-Hartley enrollees, while maintaining the more rigorous privacy benefits provided by California law.

AB 962 requires gun sellers to record sales of ammunition, and requires the fingerprinting and identification of the purchaser.

AB 975 (Fong) – Encourages water conservation by requiring private water corporations to install water meters.

AB 992 (Lieu) – Addresses a spike in property tax reassessment scams resulting from the rapid decline of housing prices over the past few years. The bill prohibits the collection of advance or late fees for property tax reduction services and requires written authorization from the property owner before any reassessment requests are filed.

AB 1031 (Blumenfield) – California colleges have suffered severe budget cuts and must reduce their costs. Yet they cannot get credit on their utility bills for renewable energy they generate, unless the electricity is used in the same structure where it is generated. This bill requires utility companies to give credit to state colleges and universities for all power they generate on campus.

AB 1070 (Hill) – Increases the Medical Board of California’s ability to protect health care consumers by clarifying their ability to enforce proper reporting, licensing and regulation of physicians and surgeons.

AB 1083 (J. Perez) – Health Facilities: Security Plans – this law requires hospitals to annually review and update the security and safety plans to help ensure patients and workers do not become victims of violence.

AB 1093 (Yamada) – “Taneka’s Law” clarifies that a workers’ comp claim can not be denied based solely on a personal characteristic of the victim and a third party’s hatred of that characteristic such as race, religion, or gender.

AB 1130 (Solorio) – This bill revises the school accountability system to include a growth measurement of the academic performance index (API) that increases the validity and accuracy of academic progress of the same students over time, an important step toward comprehensive academic achievement measures.

AB 1160 (Fong) – Protects non-English speaking consumers from mortgage fraud by requiring mortgage lenders to provide a written translated summary of the mortgage contract.

AB 1196 (Blumenfield) – California is expected to receive more than $50 billion in federal stimulus funds in the next 2 years, 7% of which is predicted to be lost to fraud by government contractors. This legislation will strengthen and expand the “false claims” law, which enables private citizens to report intentional fraud by a contractor, and if the claim is true, reap a significant portion of the damages awarded by a court. Without Bob’s bill, billions of state dollars would not be protected by against fraud, including CalPERS, CalSTRS, UC funds and government subcontractors.

AB 1217 (Monning) – Requires the Ocean Protection Council to develop and implement a voluntary sustainable seafood promotion program.

AB 1319 (Krekorian) – A comprehensive consumer protection bill to stop abusive and deceptive practices in the entertainment, talent, and modeling industries that sets guidelines under which legitimate businesses can operate, alerting consumers to dishonest business practices and by providing law enforcement with the tools necessary for investigation and prosecution. AB 1319 does not affect legitimate talent agents or talent managers who earn money strictly through commissions and do not charge their clients advance fees. This new law ensures that talent listing services are providing accurate information to clients, requires that talent services maintain records and supporting proof and documentation and updates and revises consumer protection statutes created a decade ago. This law is strongly supported by a broad coalition of law enforcement, labor, industry leaders, and consumer protection organizations.

AB 1390 (Blumenfield) – Keeping children safe at school must be a top priority. Nationwide, 357,000 students are expelled or suspended for gun and other incidents annually. Many of these events are not reported to local law enforcement, depriving police of information that helps them track gang violence and take preventive action. This bill will close this loophole by requiring school personnel to report serious campus crimes to local police.

AB 1398 (Blumenfield) – California is the birthplace of the high tech industry, yet current law still contains a prohibition on school districts’ spending funds to purchase digital textbooks. This bill will remove this prohibition. This prohibition has meant that students have unnecessary back strain and health issues, that many students have access to only old and out of date textbooks and almost all students are missing out on the learning potential of interactive learning made possible in today’s information age.

AB 1422 (Bass) – Due to the state’s fiscal crisis, and the resulting General Fund reductions, the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB) requires approximately $196M to support the Healthy Families program. AB 1422 extends the 2.35% gross premiums tax to Medi-Cal managed care plans until January 1, 2011. Extension of this tax will generate approximately $157M, which in turn will generate approximately $97M in additional federal matching funds for the Healthy Families Program. AB 1422 ensures the solvency of the Healthy Families program and that it will not have to disenroll almost 600,000 children. (Effective upon signature by Governor)

AB 1465 (Hill) – Helps California meet its drought and water shortage challenges by ensuring that urban water suppliers that are members of the California Urban Water Conservation Council are in compliance with the Urban Water Management Planning Act.

AB 1494 (Eng) – This bill strengthens the state’s open government meeting laws by preventing a member of a state board or agency from holding individual meetings with a majority of members behind close doors to work out an agreement on an agenda issue before that board or agency.

California Personal Injury Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez

You neck jerks back, and then forward, your body hits the seatbelt going across your body. You are shocked. You did not imagine that a mild rear end car accident would sound so loud, or violently jerk your body like it did.

You heart starts racing as you realized what happened. You may not feel pain yet because your body is producing chemicals which mask pain, or your may feel mild pain or stiffness at this point.

You head feels light as you unbuckle your seat belt and get out of the car. The person who hit you is a nice clean cut guy or gal. They run over to you apologizing greatly about how sorry they are, and that they did not mean to hit you.

They offer to pay for the damage to your car, sometimes on the spot. They usually have the same story; they do not want to get their insurance involved because their rates will go up, or their spouse will get upset, etc.

You empathize with the person who hit you; you know that they are required to exchange insurance information with you, but they are so nice, and they are offering to pay, you actually feel bad for the person who hit you. They are talking a good game. They give you a $100 or $200. You go on your way; later that night you realize that you cannot turn your neck and you have the worst headache in history. It turns out that you are going to miss work for a couple of weeks recovering.

You find out later that you have $3,000 damage to the back of your car.

What have you done; you screwed yourself out of thousands of dollars in just compensation that you were entitled to because you let an accident scammer and con artist talk you out of doing what was right.

Make no mistake about it; there is no way to know right after a vehicle accident what your damages are. I have seen people who thought they were not injured after an accident, turn up with shooting pains a numbness hours later, they had nerve damage.

The California vehicle code requires all persons involved in a vehicle accident to stop after an accident, and to exchange identifying information and insurance information. You can be nice after an accident, but firm at the same time.

The first thing you should do is to call the police if you can, and then ask the other party to produce their driver’s license and insurance information. Ask them if the address on the license is current, and request their phone number.

If they try to play the same old con I discussed above simply tell them, look the law requires that we exchange information and I cannot take a chance on getting in trouble, can you please give me your drivers license and insurance information? If they refuse, tell them that you have already called the police.

Make sure that you note the model and make of their car along with the license plate information.

The vast majority of persons out there will comply with the law. However, there as those few asocial assholes that will try to scam and con their way out of not being responsible when they cause harm. Don’t let yourself be a double victim by being injured by them, and then turning around and letting them get off for a few hundred dollars.

If you have been the victim in a motor vehicle accident anywhere in California, call my firm ASAP for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x.1, or go to http://www.thepersonalinjury.com .

By California Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney and Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2009

You will be the only one getting screwed with tort reform; mark my words.

 I hear a certain political party constantly preaching about tort reform this and tort reform that in a way to demonize personal injury attorneys as the fall guys for excessive costs of medical care, insurance, and everything else you can imagine.

You see they like to blame attorneys for taking on big business, the insurance companies, the big pharmaceutical companies, and big medicine, when they screw up and harm you.

Hell, 99.9% of the time, we are the only way you are going to be compensated when you are harmed due to the negligence of big business, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, or big insurance companies.

You don’t hear members of this political party telling you this do you?

One thing they don’t tell you is that since the 1970’s, there has already been a cap on general damages in medical malpractice cases of $250.000 in the State of California.

This means that if a doctor screws up and let’s say cuts out your only good kidney, or let’s say misdiagnosis an illness like cancer, you only get $250,000 for general damages in the State of California. Does this seem right to you? Hell no!

The laws of the State of California basically protect doctors from their negligence and the laws have done so since the 1970’s. States such as Texas have in the past couple of years, recently enacted their own tort reform laws. My understanding is that in Texas there is a $750.000 cap on general damages.

California is way behind the eight ball in this regard; we can only get $250,000 for general damages. It is time to either remove the cap in California or to increase it to reflect the inflation that has occurred since the 1970’s.

Look if you are the victim of medical malpractice, how much would the pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and emotional distress be worth to you if let’s say a doctor screws up and cuts off the wrong leg, or even caused the death of a loved one?

Do you want some law to prevent you from recovering from your loss? This is tort reform. It is time to get educated folks and stop believing those talking heads who pocket big bucks from those who would save money with tort reform.

This is the essence of tort reform; it is taking away your legal rights, to protect a class of persons or corporations from the harm that they cause by limiting what you can get from them if they screw up your life.

You will see that one political party preaches about less government, and less regulation and intrusion, and they in the same breath will argue to regulate your legal right to obtain compensation as an individual when you are harmed. Who are they protecting? Big business, big medicine, insurance companies, everyone but you. These people are full of shit.

It does not matter what political party you are from when your life gets turned upside down in a personal injury case does it. In the end we are all the same; when we are sitting on our couch injured and hurting due to the negligence of another, all we want is to get better, to get compensated, and to get our lives back. Tort reform prevents this. This is what pundits do not tell you.

These are the same guys that are saying that providing medical coverage to millions of Americans, and prohibiting insurance companies from denying you coverage for pre-existing coverage is a bad thing. These guys are despicable.

It is time to expose the lies America. Tort reform is against your interest and your freedom as Americans.

This is another way to screw the little guy and protect those who are already making a fortune at your expense!

It is time to become educated folks. I am on the front lines of this fight on a daily basis. Any one of you could be sitting in my office looking for help for your personal injury case; you never know. What you should know is tort reform is bad for you; it is bad for all of us.

By California Personal Injury Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2009

There have literally been hundreds of car, truck and other motor vehicle accidents over the past week all over the State of California. Everybody is blaming the bad weather, but in 99% of all cases, the fault is on drivers who were not being careful while driving in the bad weather.

Everyone needs to be careful out there on the roads. I flew in to Los Angeles International Airport last night from San Francisco. Although it was not raining in Los Angeles, the traffic was horrible because of the rain earlier in the day. There were still your ubiquitous assholes on the road, not letting people switch lanes, tailgating, driving recklessly, you name it.

To protect yourself against the bad drivers you need to make sure that you have uninsured motorist coverage and under insured motorist coverage in a decent amount to protect yourself against these bad drivers with bad insurance.

If you are hit, the first thing you need to do is make sure you get a police report, go to the emergency room if you need it, and call me for a free consultation on your car, truck, or any other motor vehicle accident, anywhere in California, at 800-816-1529 x. 1. As all of my clients all over the State of California know; I am an attorney that cares about my clients. I will do what I can to take care of you.

By California Accident Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2009

The voluntary recall applies to all Maclaren strollers sold in the U.S. since they were introduced in 1999.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Maclaren have received reports of 15 incidents in which children were hurt over the past ten years.

The affected models include Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller, according to the stroller company. The strollers, which are manufactured in China, are sold nationwide.

Maclaren, in cooperation with the CPSC, is providing consumers and retailers free repair kits which will cover a joint on the faulty hinge mechanism.

Consumers should stop using the strollers immediately and call Maclaren toll-free at (877) 688-2326, the company said.

If your child has been injured while you were using a Maclaren umbrella stroller give us a call for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 ext. 1.

California Products Liability Attorney & Defective Product Causing Injury Attorney

New signs advising motorists of the 40 mph speed limit on the S-curve, reflective striping and radar boards flashing drivers’ speeds are among the changes in store in the aftermath of the crash, Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney said at a news conference Monday.

There have been at least 43 accidents in the curved area since it opened Sept. 8 as part of the eastern span replacement project, but the truck plunge was the first in which someone died.

The California Highway Patrol said the primary factors in the accident were the driver’s speed and the shifting weight of his cargo, not any problems with the S-curve’s design.

10 mph over limit

The crash happened about 3:30 a.m. as the big rig, loaded with pears, was traveling on the westbound upper deck at about 50 mph – 1o mph over the speed limit in that zone – said CHP Sgt. Trent Cross.
The truck tipped over the 3-foot-high concrete rail on the northern side of the S-curve and plummeted onto Yerba Buena Island, landing on its wheels and disintegrating into countless pieces. Security guards who were first on the scene said it was clear that the driver, a 56-year-old Hayward man whose name has not been released, died instantly.
The driver was an independent operator who bought the big rig several months ago, authorities said. For the past eight months, he had been a subcontractor for JM&R Trucking in Oakland.
“He was a good person, a prompt person, always on time,” said Mike Russell, the firm’s owner. “He was a safe driver, absolutely.”
Investigators suspect that the driver’s load of pears shifted as the rig hit the S-curve, something that could have helped propel the truck over the side of the span.

Weeks-long probe

Caltrans inspected the bridge and reopened the far-right lane to traffic at 7:45 a.m.

About 15 CHP investigators were collecting evidence on Yerba Buena for a probe that is expected to take weeks. Overhead, a mattress, apparently from the truck’s cab, could be seen balancing on the bridge railing.

Cross said CHP officials believe the S-curve is safe. “We don’t believe it’s a design flaw,” he said. “There’s nothing tricky or complicated about the curve. I can stand here with confidence and say that if you drive the posted speed limit, you will make it through the curve safely, just as thousands of drivers do every day.”

Cross said there was no video from security or traffic cameras on the bridge that captured the crash.

On Oct. 14, a Safeway big rig truck flopped across four lanes when it hit the S-curve, tying up westbound traffic for hours. The driver was unfamiliar with the new turn and was going too fast, the CHP said.

Tough adjustment

Some drivers have had difficulty adjusting to the 40 mph limit on the S-curve, a 10 mph decrease from the rest of the span. The increase in accidents and drivers’ complaints had already led Caltrans and the CHP to install new signs and flashing lights.

The CHP has ordered radar units, the electronic boards that flash the speed of an approaching car, but it is unclear when they will be installed.

Today, crews will begin adding 6-inch-wide reflective strips on the barriers on either side of the S-curve on both decks, Ney said.

At some point, crews also will install a large overhead sign warning westbound motorists of the 40-mph zone ahead, Ney said. That sign, which will be accompanied by flashing lights, will be placed near the top of the incline on the upper deck, Ney said.

Hours after the accident Monday, Caltrans began posting warnings on electronic message boards on Bay Bridge approaches warning truck drivers to slow to 35 mph at the curve, an advisory speed limit. The legal limit remains 40 mph.

Caltrans has considered installing “rumble strips” – rows of traffic dots extending across the roadway – in the area of the S-curve, but has no immediate plans to do so, Ney said.

Steps taken

The agency has already made several changes in hopes of getting drivers to slow down. Last week, crews painted solid white lines to discourage lane changes and added raised pavement markers – some traffic dots and some reflectors – to jar drivers moving to one side or the other. It also added a large overhead warning sign on the eastbound approach to the S-curve.

The CHP said the majority of S-curve crashes have been fender benders. The crashes have been split relatively evenly between the upper and lower decks and have occurred mostly during noncommute hours, when traffic typically moves faster, officials said.

“From day one since we had this S-curve open, we’ve tried to instill in the motoring public that you really have to watch your speed in this area,” Cross said. “Speed has always been a factor in every traffic collision that has occurred in this S-curve.”

San Francisco and Oakland California Truck Accident Attorney Website