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

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Scene of Rollover Crash in Phelan, California

PHELAN - California

A 6-month-old infant who was not strapped into a car seat was thrown from a vehicle Monday morning during a rollover crash, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The baby was transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center. No details on the child’s condition were available.

A 13-year-old boy and 8-year-old girl who also weren’t wearing seat belts suffered minor injuries in the crash, as did the female driver of the vehicle. The driver was also taken to Loma Linda hospital for treatment.

At about 7:30 a.m., CHP officials received calls of a rollover on Johnson Road just north of Palmdale Road, according to Officer Matt Hunt.

When they arrived, they found the female driver holding the infant who had been thrown from the 2002 Dodge Ram pickup truck, Hunt said. The two older children were also outside of the vehicle.

According to an initial investigation, the 41-year-old woman was driving the truck south along Johnson Road toward Palmdale Road when she said she saw a dog in the road. She swerved to avoid striking the animal, causing the truck to roll over onto its roof.

“As it overturned, the infant was ejected from the vehicle,” Hunt said.

The incident is still under investigation and Hunt said no arrests had been made as of Monday afternoon. However, Hunt reminded drivers that anyone traveling with small children should always use a properly installed car seat and seat belts.

“Not only is it the law but it’s always the safest way to travel,” he said. “Anyone who may have problems with (car seats) can go to any CHP station to have assistance with properly installing them into their vehicle.”

Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact Hunt in the Victorville CHP office at (760) 241-1186.

This is an example of what I would consider to be endangering children.

There is absolutely no excuse for not having children in your car wearing seatbelts, or not having a 6 month old infant strapped into a proper child seat.

I am sure the mother who was driving the car feels terrible; however, she could have got all 3 of her children killed just because she did not take a little extra time to strap them in with seatbelts and child seats.

Even if you are going just around the corner, make sure your children are properly buckled in.

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A motorcyclist was killed Sunday in a crash on Topanga Canyon Boulevard near the Pacific Coast Highway about 2:30 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reported. The victim was pronounced dead at a hospital. Investigators were still on the scene, and no further details were available.

Also, a man died early Sunday when he was trapped under a flaming 1971 Chevy Monte Carlo that had been stopped on the shoulder of the southbound 110 Freeway near 52nd Street.

The 2:40 a.m. incident began when the 18-year-old driver of a 2008 Smart car slowed to avoid rear-ending a vehicle directly ahead, swerved onto the right shoulder and struck the Monte Carlo. Both vehicles burst into flames.

The Monte Carlo rolled over and fatally injured one of three men who had been standing near the car after it had broken down, the CHP reported. Two other victims were taken to hospitals, one in critical condition and one with lesser injuries.

The driver of the Smart car sustained scrapes and was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and driving under the influence, the CHP said. Names of the suspect and victims were not released.

About 11 p.m. Saturday, a pickup truck driven by a 17-year-old male overturned on the 710 Freeway, killing a female passenger and injuring three others. The accident occurred in the northbound lanes just south of the 91 Freeway, the CHP reported. No names were released.
A 23-year-old man driving a Honda Accord died late Saturday when he hit a power pole and tree on Somerset Ranch Road near Paramount Boulevard in South Gate.

The accident occurred about 10:50 p.m. when the driver exited the 105 Freeway at a high rate of speed, collided with another vehicle and slammed into the pole and tree, said South Gate Police Sgt. Mario Saldivar.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. A female passenger was in stable condition at a hospital with minor injuries. No names were released.

And a 43-year-old Irvine man was killed while trying to cross the eastbound lanes of the 101 Freeway after crashing his car near Laurel Canyon Boulevard about 9:40 p.m. Saturday, officials said.

The man had been driving west in a black Lexus when he drifted off the shoulder, struck a guardrail and came to rest in the number one lane, the CHP reported.

He got out of the car, tried to run across the freeway and was hit by a BMW driven by a 76-year-old Encino man. The driver of the Lexus was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was not released. The BMW driver was unhurt.

Last year, only one traffic-related fatality was reported in Los Angeles County during the first 36 hours of Labor Day weekend, according to the CHP. Statewide, the CHP has reported six fatalities so far, compared with eight last year.

In Los Angeles County, 227 people have been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, up from 209 last year, while statewide, the CHP has arrested 1,008 motorists on that charge, compared with 990 last year.

Traffic-related incidents so far this weekend are also higher than the July 4 and Memorial Day numbers this year, authorities said.
“There was a somewhat downward trend, and we were hopeful that would still be the case because people had gotten the message about safe driving,” said CHP Officer Ming Hsu. “Unfortunately, the numbers we have for this period are spiking.”

If you or your family has been injured anywhere in Los Angeles County or 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

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Scene of accident that killed 4 people near Mussel Shoals

Ventura – California

Four people were killed this morning when their truck left Highway 101 near Mussel Shoals and struck a tree.

The accident was reported shortly before 3:30 a.m. just north of Mussel Shoals, according to the California Highway Patrol, which is still investigating the crash.

The driver, Phet Chansy, 53; his wife, Holly Hamm, 40; and their 11-year-old son, Eric Chansy, were declared dead at the scene, said Armando Chavez, senior deputy Ventura County medical examiner. He said a family friend, Monica Sara Sang, 45, of Long Beach, was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, where she died in the operating room.

Chavez said Chansy’s cause of death was blunt force head injuries. Hamm, who was in the passenger seat, died of blunt force head and chest injuries, he said.

Eric died of blunt force chest injuries, and Sang died of multiple blunt force injuries.

Eric and Sang were in the back seat of the truck’s extended cab, Chavez said. Another son sitting in the back seat, also a juvenile, was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, Chavez said.

The pickup truck was towing a boat northbound on Highway 101. No additional information was available this afternoon from the CHP.

This accident is a horrible tragedy. It is unknown by us right now if any of the victims were wearing seatbelts or what caused the truck to go off of the road.

It is very important to make sure that everyone wears a seatbelt in a vehicle, and to slow down and be careful while driving.

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

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A Los Angeles fire spokesman say 11 people, including a pregnant woman, were hurt when a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus and car collided in the Jefferson Park area of Los Angeles.

Fire spokesman David Ortiz says a 30-year-old woman in the car was critically injured in the crash that occurred shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday at 7th Avenue and Adams Boulevard. A 25-year-old pregnant woman on the bus was seriously hurt and her three children are in fair condition. He says five other bus riders, ages 18 to 61, also were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. One person was treated at the scene and released.

Police Officer Karen Rayner says the car was turning left onto 7th Avenue from Adams Boulevard when it collided with the bus.

If you or your family were injured in this accident, or any other bus crash, truck crash, car crash, or other motor vehicle accident in Los Angeles or anywhere in California call us for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x. 1, or go to http://www.thepersonalinjury.com.

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The fatal wreck came just a week after state transportation officials reopened the winding 7-mile stretch of highway between La Cañada Flintridge and Angeles Forest Highway.

Pasadena resident Julio Velasquez, 21, crashed his Honda sedan near mile marker 30.71, a sharp curve about six miles above the Foothill (210) Freeway. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, said Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Bob Funke.

California Highway Patrol Sgt. Becky Lynch said investigators believe alcohol and excessive speed may be to blame for the crash.

Funke, a first-responder, said Velasquez’s body was discovered by friends with whom he reportedly had been drinking earlier that night in the George’s Gap area of the Angeles National Forest, an isolated spot near Clear Creek.

“They said they were up at George’s Gap drinking, just being social, and the driver of the vehicle decided he wanted to go home. They tried to talk him out of driving, but to no avail,” Funke said. “About 35 or 40 minutes later, [the friends] were driving down and came upon [Velasquez’s] car embedded in the side of a hill. He had run head-on into a tree, and that’s how we found him.”

Funke said he did not see any obvious signs that Velasquez had applied his brakes prior to the crash.

An autopsy and blood-alcohol test is pending this weekend.

Angeles Crest Highway was closed above La Cañada for nearly 17 months to repair massive road washouts and other damage caused by the August 2009 Station fire and subsequent rainstorms.

The CHP has intensified traffic enforcement efforts along the roadway since its reopening on June 3.

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

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Rescue crew searching for missing 16 year old.

The search will resume today for a 16-year-old passenger in a car that slid off Highway 70 that was missing after the horrible car accident, sparking a dramatic swift water rescue, the California Highway Patrol said Saturday night.

Two people died in the fury crash that happened just west of the Plumas/Butte County line at about 3:30 p.m., the CHP said.

The car crashed happened when a 2001 Pontiac Firebird that was headed west on highway 70, when it passed a motorhome and slid off the edge of the roadway, the CHP said.

The driver of the Pontiac Firebird a 35-year-old man had a 9-year-old boy and the 16-year-old with him in the car when it crashed. The CHP said all of them were from Oroville, California.

The 9-year-old boy was clinging to rocks in the river after the accident. The child then let go of the rocks and attempted to swim to the older man.

The driver and the child were pulled from the water by search-and-rescue teams.

The young boy and the man were given CPR. The boy was transported to Feather River Hospital, while the man was taken to Oroville Medical Center.

Both were pronounced dead at the hospitals, the CHP said. Their names weren’t available.

The search for the missing 16-year-old, whose name also was not available, continued until about 8:30 p.m.

This accident is a horrible tragedy, and it reminds us to take it easy out there. A pleasure ride can turn fatal in an instant if you speed, or lose concentration.

We send our prayers and condolences to the family of the victims of this tragic accident.

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

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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

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Scene of Bus Crash in Fairfield, California on the I-80

FAIRFIELD – California

The California Highway Patrol is investigating brake failure Tuesday, as the possible cause of a bus crash on Interstate Highway 80 near Fairfield on Monday afternoon.

The United Coach Tours bus had 49 people aboard when it drove off of the westbound I-80 freeway, and into a fence around 4:30 p.m. It came to rest on the side of Lyon Road, which runs parallel to the I-80, said CHP Officer Richard Weaver.

The bus was on its way to San Francisco from Sacramento with passengers onboard who were returning from a lobbying outing, Weaver said.

Twenty passengers suffered minor injuries, including pain and bruising, and 13 went to hospitals where they were treated and released, Weaver said.

The bus driver, a 38-year-old Yunzho Ma, told investigators that she was having trouble with the air brakes on the right side of the bus, Weaver said.

Ma said she was driving at about 70 mph, and when she tried to slow down the brakes failed, Weaver said.

She then steered to the right and went through the fence, he said.

There were skid marks on the road, possibly indicating that the brakes had locked up, Weaver said.

Ma has worked for the South San Francisco charter bus company since 2004, Weaver said.

CHP officers from the agency’s Solano County office were investigating whether brake failure caused the crash, Weaver said.

If you, your family, or your friends were injured in this bus accident, or any bus accident in the State of California, you may call my firm 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x. 1, or go to our personal injury website at http://thepersonalinjury.com.

Fairfield California Bus Accident Attorney

Scene of fatal big rig truck accident in Pomona, California

Pomona – A man and woman were struck and killed by a big rig yesterday morning while standing outside their cars on the right shoulder of the eastbound Pomona (60) Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The 3:15 a.m. accident shut down the eastbound Pomona Freeway between the Chino Valley (71) Freeway and Reservoir Street for more than three hours.

Assistant Coroner Chief Ed Winter identified the victims, who were pronounced dead at the scene, as Otis Lee Hall, 20, of Upland, and Sharon Renee Higgins, 20, of Riverside.

CHP Sgt. Charlie Sampson said Higgins, driving a Mustang, pulled over first, and the Lexus was right behind it. The drivers were standing next to the cars when the big rig drifted onto the right shoulder and hit the vehicles and motorists, then overturned, Sampson said.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, but the investigation was continuing into why Martin Llamas, 47, of Galt, allowed the truck to drift onto the right shoulder, Sampson said.

Llamas escaped serious injury but was taken to a hospital as a precaution, according to the CHP, which reported that one of the victims was thrown over the side of the freeway onto Garey Avenue.

It took a crane to right the overturned big rig, according to the CHP, which reopened all eastbound lanes shortly before 7 a.m.

My prayers and condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims of this tragic accident.

Both victims who were 20 years old were just starting their lives.

It does appear that both victims’ families will have causes of action against the truck driver for Wrongful Death in a State of California action.

I do not see any excuse why the big rig truck would go onto the shoulder of a freeway and kill two persons standing there. It makes me sick to think that all the truck driver had to do was be a little more careful to prevent this tragedy.

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

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