Tag Archive: law matter

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.

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CHP Cruiser hits Pickup Truck in Santa Rosa, California; Driver Critically Injured.

Santa Rosa California Crash Involving CHP, Pickup Truck, and MotorcycleSanta Rosa – California

A California Highway Patrol cruiser spun out of control and struck a pickup truck, critically injuring the driver, on Highway 12 just east of the Highway 101 interchange in Santa Rosa Saturday night, the CHP said.

Officer Blair Hardcastle took evasive action when a motorcycle merged onto the highway from the Maple Street onramp about 6:30 p.m., driving partly onto the dirt center strip, Sgt. Kevin Mensior said.

The motorcycle crossed over to the fast lane in front of Hardcastle, who was responding to a call with lights and siren activated, Mensior said.

The cruiser spun across both lanes, struck the guardrail and hit the pickup, a 1991 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Cynthia Mae Dempsey, 44, of Santa Rosa. The pickup rolled over onto its roof, the CHP said.

Dempsey, who sustained a forehead cut and an injury to the right side of her head, was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the CHP said.

Dempsey was in surgery late Saturday and was listed in critical condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Officers said they had not determined if Dempsey was wearing a seatbelt.

The motorcyclist, Justin Lee Oliver, 36, of Santa Rosa was not injured and his bike, a 2000 Kawasaki ZR-Z, was not struck.

Mensior said no citations or arrests had been made, and that the accident was still under investigation. A special accident investigation team was en route to the scene at 9 p.m.

Alcohol was not involved, Mensior said.

Westbound traffic on Highway 12 was detoured off the highway onto side streets from Farmers Lane to Santa Rosa Avenue. Officials said the detour might last until midnight.

Hardcastle sustained scrapes to the forearm, likely from his airbag deploying, the CHP said. His cruiser was totaled.

Santa Rosa Truck Accident, Car Accident, Motorcycle Accident Attorney Website

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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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San Diego Band “A City Serene” involved in a Horrific Bus Accident.

city-sereneA few days into their first tour, promoting their debut album “The Art of Deceiving Perception” the San Diego band called “A City Serene” were involved in a horrific bus accident on Interstate 5 in Kern County, south of Bakersfield.

Six members of the band were traveling north on I-5, approximately a mile and a half south of Grapevine when the accident occurred. According to the California Highway Patrol, a driver in a Ford pickup heading south, lost control of the vehicle, and hit a dirt berm causing it to travel 100 feet before impacting and going over the center divider.

The truck then hit a Honda Civic, which crashed into the bus resulting in another collision. All of the members were air lifted to multiple hospitals in the Central Valley. The band members include singers Xander Bourgeois and Carly Baker, guitarists Kris Renfro and Michael Sherman, bassist/vocalist Marc Koch and drummer Mike Buxbaum.

The band manager Billy Candler released Information regarding their injuries, but for privacy reasons, details on who sustained each injury were left out. Four of the band members suffered concussions and broken bones that required surgery and intensive care. The remaining two musicians are in a coma.

Candler states, “The other two are still in a coma. One has signs of responsiveness. But we’re definitely not even close to being out of the water at all for either of them. Right now it’s kind of a waiting game with them. They are the two we are obviously the most worried about. (The doctors) said it was a good sign they’ve made it this far.”

The crash has impacted the families tremendously. Currently they are staying in hotels near the hospital to be closer to their children.

A City Serene’s CD release show was scheduled to take place Oct.3 at Soma. The show has now become a benefit for the band member’s families to help the large medical bills. The benefit will include Adestria, Casino Madrid, I Am The Heart Attack, Thy Kingdom Come, The Subtle Way and Welcome Seraph.

Tickets are $10 and are available at www.somasandiego.com. There are also a few ways to donate online. Please visit their merchandise website or a pay pal account manager Billy Candler has set up.

“Right now, I can’t stress how important it is for you to help spread the word about the band, their situation, and do anything you possibly can to help raise money for their families. The accident took place near Bakersfield and the whole ACS crew will be up there for a while and it will be expensive.” Band representatives ask to please follow updates @ACitySerene on Twitter and the band’s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/acityserene.

The driver of the Ford pickup truck is obviously at fault in this accident. We send our prayers and condolences to the band and their family.

Bakersfield, Kern County, and San Diego, Bus Accident, and Car Accident Attorney

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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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Edison power pole knocked over in Silverado Canyon; Injuries Sustained.

Orange County California Personal Injury AttorneySILVERADO CANYON – California

A traffic collision on Black Star Canyon Road just north of Silverado Canyon Road at 3:07 p.m. Saturday caused an Edison power pole to go down, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A truck carrying six people knocked over the pole, injuring multiple people in the vehicle.

An ambulance responded to the scene of the accident, along with Southern California Edison.

Though the accident itself didn’t disrupt power, an Edison spokesman said crews turned off power to 1,544 customers for about four minutes.

12 other customers remained without power as crews continued to work, though it remained unclear when power would return.

What is unclear is whether the driver was at fault in the accident, or that there was some other contributing factor in the accident. What is clear is that the passengers who were injured in the accident could assert personal injury claims against the drivers liability insurance.

If the driver of the truck was at fault, all of the passengers in the truck should be able to recover for their personal injuries from the truck drivers and/or owners liability insurance coverage. The injured parties should consult with a California Personal Injury Attorney as soon as possible.

If you, a friend, or a loved one have suffered a personal injury, or have been a passenger in a car or truck such as the one that collided in Siverado Canyon, and were injured, you may call us now for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 ext. 1. We will tell you over the phone if you have a good case. You may also submit your case online by clicking here now.

By Orange County California Personal Injury Attorey

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