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Seven people were injured when a Metro bus and an SUV collided in Los Angeles. (Photo: KTLA News)

Seven people were injured Sunday afternoon in an SUV rollover crash involving a Metro bus in south central Los Angeles.

•   A Jeep Wrangler allegedly turned right in front of a Metro bus at 53rd Street and Broadway. The bus hit the SUV, which then rolled over. The bus hit a light pole.

•   Two people were pinned inside the SUV and had to be extricated by firefighters. They were hospitalized.

•   All passengers were evacuated. Five of them were treated at the scene and then taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

•   Five days earlier a Muni Blue Line train hit and killed a pedestrian at the Artesia Station.

The accident occurred at 2:24 p.m., according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

Metro spokesman Rick Jager said an SUV, described by witnesses as a white Jeep Wrangler, turned right in front of a Metro bus at 53rd Street and South Broadway. The vehicles collided, causing the SUV to roll over and the bus to hit a utility pole.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Akahoshi said two people were trapped inside the Jeep and had to be extricated by rescue workers, KTLA News reported. Both of them were transported to a hospital to be treated for their injuries, which were described as not life-threatening.

All of the passengers were evacuated from the bus. Five of them  including a 15-year-old, were treated at the scene and then transported to hospitals to be treated for minor injuries.

It has been a dangerous week for transit injuries in Los Angeles. Five days ago, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a Metro Blue Line train at the Artesia station, according to a separate Los Angeles Times report.

Metro spokesman Rick Jager said that light rail accident occurred at 3:27 p.m. on Thursday, May 26. A lving a southbound train struck the pedestrian, who was pronounced dead at the scene. No other details were released, excpet to say that the fatal accident is under investigation.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing bus and light rail accident victims and their families for 35 years.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Popular Eat Chow chef Eric Doran was killed Friday when his vintage roadster was slammed by a pickup truck on Highway 101 in Ventura County. (Photo: Orange County Register)

A popular Orange County chef was killed in a car accident when his vintage Model T roadster was slammed by a pickup truck early Friday on Highway 101 in Ventura County. His wife, who was in the car with him, was critically injured.

•   A popular chef and his wife were driving his Model T roadster on Highway 101 en route to a car show when they approached a construction zone on the highway.

•   The vintage roadster slowed with traffic, but a Dodge Ram pickup truck did not. The pickup truck slammed into the roadster from behind and pushed it into the car in front of it.

•   The chef died at the scene. His wife suffered critical injuries.

The fatal highway crash occurred at about 5 a.m., according to a report in the Orange County Register.

California Highway Patrol officers said 36-year-old Newport Beach resident Eric Doran — co-owner and chef at Eat Chow in Costa Mesa (see photo at left) — was driving his vintage Model-A T-Box Roadster northbound on Highway 101 en route to a car show in Santa Maria. Doran’s wife, Kat, was riding in the hot rod with him.

Doran slowed down with other traffic as he approached a coned-off area where early-morning road construction was taking place, CHP officers told the Daily Pilot (a local newspaper owned by the Los Angeles Times).

A 1998 Dodge Ram pickup truck traveling a high speed behind Doran’s did not slow down. The truck slammed into the Model T from behind, smashing the roadster into a Honda Accord in front of it.

Doran died at the scene. His wife, who suffered major injuries, was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated. A third person in one of the other cars suffered minor injuries, authorities said.

The driver of the pickup truck apparently was not injured.

More than 1,000 people are killed every year in highway construction zone accidents, according to an Insurance Journal report. Most of those fatalities are motorists.

Four out of five people who are killed in those work zone crashes are drivers and passengers, not highway workers, said Federal Highway Administration spokesperson Mary Peters said. The number of deaths rises as highway construction increases.

Rear-end crashes, like the one that killed Doran on Friday, are the most common type of accident in work zones, Peters said.

The majority of highway construction zone accident fatalities occur in Texas and California, according to statistics from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Those states have the greatest number of highway miles.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing highway crash victims and their families for 35 years.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A passenger was hospitalized after an SUV rollover accident involving 3 vehicles and several parked cars in Capitola. (Photo: Capitola Patch)

One person was hospitalized Friday in an SUV rollover accident involving three cars and several parked vehicles in Capitola, about 5 miles west of downtown Santa Cruz.

•   A Volvo pulled out in traffic in front of a Toyota SUV.  The SUV swerved, hit another car, and rolled over.

•   A passenger in the SUV was hospitalized.

•   Uneven pavement may have contributed to the accident.

The accident occurred at about 12:5 p.m., according to Capitola Patch, the local AOL news website.

California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Samms said a Volvo pulled out in front of traffic on the ocean-bound side of 41st Avenue near the intersection of Jade Street. A Toyota Sequoia sports utility vehicle swerved to avoid crashing into the Volvo, hit a Honda Fit sedan, and then rolled over.

A passenger in the Sequoia complained of pain and was transported to Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, Samm said. The extent and identity of the victim was not disclosed.

No other injuries were reported.

Some parked cars also were damaged in the accident. Samm said the extent of the collision was very unusual for that area.

“It’s pretty unusual to have a vehicle flip over on 41st,” Samms said. “It could have been a lot worse, all things considered.”

Samm did not say what caused the accident, but he told Patch that the “uneven pavement” sign (see photo) may have played a role. It’s not clear whether there may have been a dangerous roadway defect or if the sign itself may have presented a hazard of some sort. Samm said the accident is under investigation.

Uneven pavement causes a serious potential hazard to motorists and can exacerbate otherwise minor accidents by causing a struck vehicle to rollover. It can be particularly perilous to motorcyclists.

The state, county, city, or other public agency that maintains the roadway might be considered to have behaved negligently if it could have done something to prevent the problem. Sometimes posting a warning sign is sufficient, but if the sign can’t be seen properly — or in time for drivers to execute increased caution — it may not be enough to prevent an accident.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing SUV rollover accident victims for 35 years.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Hawthorne police officer Andrew Garton was killed in a motorcycle accident during a funeral procession for a fellow officer. (Photo: Los Angeles Times)

One police officer was killed and another seriously injured in a motorcycle accident during a funeral procession for a fellow officer Thursday in Torrance.

•   Two motorcycle police officers were escorting a funeral procession for a fellow officer when they collided with each other.

•   One of the officers was thrown off of his motorcycle and into oncoming traffic. He crash-landed on a Toyota sedan. He later died.

•   The other officer suffered major injuries and underwent emergency surgery for a broken leg. He is in the hospital and is expected to survive.

•   The driver of the Toyota was not injured.

The fatal accident occurred at about 12:30 p.m., as a funeral procession for a recently deceased Manhattan Beach officer passed through Torrance, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

Hawthorne police officer Andrew Garton and El Segundo officer Rex Fowler were providing traffic control for the funeral of Manhattan Beach officer Mark Vasquez, who died of cancer earlier this month, Torrance police Sgt. Jeremiah Hart told Fox News.

The procession was heading from American Martyrs Roman Catholic Church in Manhattan Beach to Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, the Times reported.

Witnesses told ABC News the motorcycle officers were traveling at a high rate of speed on Hawthorne Boulevard as they “leap-frogged” — blocked vehicles at alternating major intersections — ahead of traffic. The scene was described as chaotic.

“It’s pretty chaotic when you’re driving and there’s tons of people, tons of motorcycle cops,” said Suzanne Scott, who was in the funeral procession but did not witness the collision. “They were kind of doing like a leap-frog thing where they would speed up to stop traffic, we’d go, then they’d speed up. We were amazed how fast they were going and just how the other traffic wasn’t really obeying the laws.”

When the procession reached 227th Avenue, the motorcycle officers collided. Garton was thrown off of his bike and hurled into oncoming northbound traffic, where he crash-landed on a black Toyota sedan in the lane closest to the median, Hart told the Daily Breeze. Rescue teams performed CPR on the officer as he lay in the street.

Fowler also was thrown from his motorcycle. He sustained major injuries. Both officers were taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, where Garton died. Fowler had emergency surgery for a broken leg. His condition was upgraded from critical to stable. The CHP said he was expected to survive.

The driver of the Toyota sedan, 67-year-old John Mitchell of Torrance, was not injured. He told Fox News he was stopped in traffic on northbound Hawthorne Boulevard and saw Garton’s motorcycle turn slightly. Then he saw Fowler’s motorcycle strike Garton’s hard from behind.

Garton was the first officer to die in the line of duty in the 89-year history of the Hawthorne police force.

The CHP is investigating the accident.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing motorcycle accident victims for 35 years.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Loretta Gerard of Van Nuys (inset) was killed when a police cruiser slammed an SUV in which she was riding. (Photos: KTLA News)

A 45-year-old Van Nuys woman was killed early Tuesday when an Inglewood police car crashed into an SUV en route to a crime scene.

•   Three Inglewood police cars were rushing north to the scene of an officer-involved shooting when they arrived at the intersection in front of the Forum.

•   A Range Rover entered the intersection heading east at the same time as the second patrol car, which slammed into the SUV, ejecting the passenger through the window and onto the pavement. She died at the scene.

•   The police car then crashed into a light pole, crushing the front of the vehicle and trapping the officers inside. They sustained moderate injuries.

•   Investigators are studying surveillance video from the intersection and the cars to determine what happened, who had the right of way, and whether the police car had its siren on and lights flashing.

The fatal accident occurred at 12:45 a.m., according to an ABC News report.

An Inglewood police car was traveling north on Prairie Avenue en route to the scene of a shooting involving other officers and two armed suspects. It was one of three patrol units responding to the scene. The first patrol car made it through the intersection of Prairie Avenue and Manchester Terrace, right in front of the Forum, without incident.

The second patrol car entered the intersection at the same time as a Range Rover that was traveling east on Manchester. The patrol car slammed into the passenger side of the Range Rover, ejecting Loretta Gerard through the window and onto the pavement.

After hitting the Range Rover, the patrol car smashed into a light pole with such force that the front end was smashed. Two officers were trapped inside.

Gerard was pronounced dead at the scene. California Highway Patrol officer Mark Garrett said she was not wearing a seat belt.

Both of the police officers and the driver of the Range Rover suffered moderate injuries that were not considered life-threatening. All three were taken to hospitals, here they were treated and released.

The third patrol car was not involved in the collision.

Garrett said investigators did not yet know whether the patrol car had its lights flashing and siren sounding, but CHP officer Travis Ruiz told the Los Angeles Times both were activated at the time of the crash. Investigators will examine footage from the surveillance video cameras at the intersection as well as footage from the patrol car’s video camera to try to determine exactly what happened.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing motor vehicle accidentvictims for 35 years.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Researchers from CalTech, UCLA and the University of Louisville impanted electrodes to help a man paralyzed by a spine injury to stand and take steps. (Photo: Caltech)

A 23-year-old man who has been paralyzed for years is now able to stand and take steps with the aid of electrode implants. The feat is a major breakthrough for researchers at Caltech, UCLA and the University of Louisville, who announced the achievement Wednesday in the British medical journal The Lancet.

•   The first human to have an electrical stimulator implanted on his spinal cord is now able to stand and take steps. He also has regained voluntary movement in other areas and control over some organs.

•   The stimulator relays signals from the brain through the damaged neural circuitry in the spinal cord and stimulates muscles to move. It requires extensive physical training along with the implant.

•   The FDA has now approved five more human volunteers for the study, which is funded bu the NIH and the Dana and Christopher Reeve Foundation.

Rob Summers has been paralyzed from the chest down since he suffered a spinal cord injury in a July 2006 hit-and-run car accident. He volunteered to be the first human to have an epidural electrical stimulator implanted for this research, according to a report in the Pasadena Star News.

The spinal cord implant sends signals through Summers’ existing neural network instead of trying to bypass it, a Digital Journal report explains. It copies the brain’s signals and relays the information to stimulate his muscles to move.

Summers has undergone extensive physical training so he is able, with the help of the implant, to direct voluntary movements of his of paralyzed limbs by reacting to sensory input. Over time, this neural activity will essentially “re-wire” the injured area and activate new connections. He already has regained voluntary movement in various extremities, and control of some organ systems, according to the Star News report.

Caltech professor Joel Burdick said the implant and physical training have restored many of Summers’ basic functions that aren’t related to locomotion. He noted that a survey of 1,000 wheelchair-bound patients showed that being able to walk was not at the top of the list for most people. For those who suffered high spinal cord injuries like Summers, the ability to breathe on one’s own was the top priority, followed by bowel and bladder control. For those who sustained injuries lower on the spinal cord, sexual function topped the list.

“So it’s these daily things,” Burdick said. “In this patient we’ve been able to help restore these basic functions so (his life is) more comfortable.”

This accomplishment is the result of 30 years of research; previous clinical trials were carried out with animals. Five more human volunteers have now been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to participate in the research, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented  spinal cord injuryvictims for 35 years.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A 13-year-old boy crashed into a light pole after leading CHP officers on a high-speed chase from Compton to Long Beach. (Photos: KTLA News)

A 13-year-old boy was hospitalized Monday morning after he led California Highway Patrol officers on a chase from Compton to Long Beach and then crashed the car into a light pole.

•  A motorist noticed a young boy driving a car on the freeway and called police.

•  Police tried to get the boy to pull over, but he would not. Instead, he led the CHP officers on a chase from Compton to Long Beach, running stoplights along the 15-minute drive.

•  As he drove through a residential neighborhood, the boy crashed the car into a light pole. He was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure but did not appear to be injured.

The chase began at around 9:35 a.m., according to a KTLA News report.

At that time, the child driver was seen near the interchange of interstate freeways 105 and 710 in Compton. A motorist called the police and reported seeing the boy, who was too young to be driving, in the car. He had a 10-year-old passenger with him.

CHP officers spotted the car – a gray Honda sedan that had been reported as stolen on Sunday — and tried to get the young driver to pull over, but he refused to do so, CHP Officer Darren Wybenga said.

The boy continued driving , with the CHP in pursuit, for about 15 minutes. He ran several stoplights along the way. As he drove through a residential neighborhood in Long Beach, he slammed into a light pole near Armando Street and Atlantic Boulevard.

The driver’s side air bag deployed. Firefighters had to extricate the boy from the wrecked car.

“The 13-year-old boy was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, but was not hurt,” Wybenga told KTLA.

The 10-year-old boy was taken into custody while officers tried to contact his parents.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing motor vehicle accident victims for 35 years.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Two tourists were injured in an Alcatraz tram accident.

Two tourists were hurt in a tram accident during an Alcatraz tour Monday afternoon in San Francisco. The tram transports visitors from the ferry at the base of the island to the main cell house of the notorious former prison.

•   Four tourists were riding in a tram from a ferry landing to the main cell house at Alcatraz prison when the tram swerved and hit a pipe sticking out from a wall.

•   The impact caused the tram’s roof to cave in on two of the passengers, who suffered head injuries and an eye injury.

•   The injured tourists were taken by boat and then ambulance to San Francisco General Hospital.

The accident occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m., a San Francisco Fire Department dispatcher told KTVU News.

Alcatraz Cruises spokeswoman Tegan Firth said one of the trams, which are similar to a golf carts, was carrying four passengers when it struck a pipe sticking out from a wall along the roadway. The impact caused the front of the tram’s roof to collapse (see photo at left) and strike two passengers in the head and face. The other two passengers were not injured.

The two people who were hurt — 64-year-old Peggy Kuykendall  of Houston and her 41-year-old son Scott Guidry of San Francisco — were strapped to backboards and taken by ferry back to shore. They were then transported by ground ambulance to San Francisco General Hospital to be treated.

Kuykendall suffered an eye injury, according to the KTVU report. She was treated and released. Guidry suffered a head injury and was admitted to the hospital. His injuries were reportedly not life-threatening.

“This is an unusual thing,” said National Park Service ranger Alexandra Picavet. “In fact this is the first accident like this that we can find any record of in the last ten years.”

The motorized tram involved in the accident was new and had only been in service a few weeks. It is used primarily to transport people with mobility issues. Privacet declined to say whether the accident could be attributed to driver negligence or error, according to a report in the Bay Citizen.

“They don’t travel at any rate of speed,” said Privacet. “It just swerved into the wall.”

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing people injured in property related accidents for 35 years.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Four buses carrying jail inmates and military personnel crashed and closed Interstate 5 in Los Angeles. (Photos: LA Times | Fox News | ABC News),

Eight people were injured in a freeway crash involving four buses Thursday on Interstate 5 in Commerce, about 7 miles southeast of Los Angeles. One of the buses was transporting inmates; the other three were carrying National Guard soldiers, one of whom may have sustained major injuries.

•  A compact sedan cut off a county bus carrying 28 inmates on Interstate 5.

•  The bus slammed on its brakes and was hit by a bus right behind it. That bus was one of three transporting about 100 National Guard soldiers.

•   Eight people were injured, including two or three inmates and five or six soldiers. One of the soldiers suffered major injuries.

•   Both sides of the freeway were closed while the high-security inmates were transferred to another bus. The northbound lanes were closed for well over an hour.

The accident occurred at about 11:50 a.m., according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Matt Levesque said the buses were traveling north on I-5. As they approached Washington Avenue in Commerce, a car suddenly slowed in front of a county sheriff’s department bus carrying inmates to the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles.

The bus driver had to slam on his brakes. A bus behind him — one of three that were transporting 100 National Guard soldiers — couldn’t avoid crashing into the inmate bus from the rear. That started a chain reaction crash that resulted in a pile-up crash of all four buses.

All northbound lanes were immediately closed. At about 12:45 p.m., authorities also shut down the southbound lanes for about 15 minutes while high-security inmates were transferred to another bus, California Highway Patrol spokesman Saul Gomez told the Pasadena Star News.

One of the inmates was a Pico Rivera gang member, Anthony Garcia, who recently was convicted of murder and sentenced to 65 years to life in prison.

Most of the 100 National Guard soldiers were transported to charter buses. The scene was chaotic; reporters got differing reports from a variety of sources. Most reports seemed to indicate that a total of eight people were injured — two or three inmates and five or six soldiers. One of the injured soldiers was hospitalized with what Levesque called “critical injuries.”

The injured inmates apparently were treated at the scene for what appeared to be minor injuries. The injured soldiers were hospitalized. National Guard officials played down the severity of the accident.

“We got into a little accident but everybody is perfectly fine,” said California National Guard Lt. Michael Han. ”The injured personnel are at the hospital, they are being taken care of right now but nothing serious.”

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing motor vehicle accident victims for 35 years.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

The NTSB is investigating a navy plane crash at Point Mugu Naval Air Station. (Photos: AP | LA Times)

Federal investigators are probing a fiery plane crash that burned for almost four hours Wednesday at Point Mugu Naval Air Station, about 20 miles south of Ventura. Three people who were aboard the civilian refueling plane were able to escape without serious injury.

•   A civilian plane that was contracted by the U.S. Navy to refuel planes on aircraft carriers crashed during attempted takeoff from Point Mugu Naval Air Station.

•   The plane burst into flames, burning and spilling 150,000 pounds of jet fuel. Some of it spilled into nearby wetlands, impacting wildlife and the environment.

•   There were three people on the plane, including the pilot and co-pilot. All of them escaped with only minor injuries.

•   The NTSB and FAA are investigating the crash.

The disaster occurred at 5:25 p.m., according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

The plane was a modified Boeing 707 operated by Omega Air Refueling, a civilian company under contract to the Navy, said naval base spokesman Vance Vasquez. It crashed during takeoff.

The plane was heading down the main runway at the Point Mugu base when it veered off the pavement, went into a marsh area, broke up and caught fire, Vasquez told the Ventura County Star.

“Apparently it never did get airborne,” Vasquez said.

There were three civilians, including the pilot and co-pilot, aboard the plane when it crashed and caught fire. All three escaped with only minor injuries, according to Vasquez.

The plane, which was carrying 150,000 pounds of fuel, burned until after 9 p.m. and issued a huge plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles. Ventura county and city firefighters worked with federal personnel to try to put out the fire. A sheriff’s helicopter also dropped water on the stubborn blaze.

“Toward the end, they wanted to let it burn itself out,” Vasquez said. The fire was not near any people or buildings.

Not all of the fuel was burned in the fire. Some of it leaked into the Point Mugu Lagoon, where it impacted 10 acres of wetland, California Department of Fish and Game spokeswoman Carole Singleton said. Harbor seals and birds, including snowy plovers and clapper rails, live in the wetland. The Fish and Game department was working with the Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Ventura County Fire Department and a cleanup contractor to try to lessen the impact of the fuel spill on the wildlife and the environment.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash, said the plane experienced an engine fire during takeoff. The Federal Aircraft Administration, Boeing, the U.S. Navy Air Safety Center also are participating in the investigation.

Vasquez said the plane was supposed to fly out over the Pacific Ocean to refuel carrier-based Navy aircraft during a routine training exercise.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing aviation accident victims for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.