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Federal inspectors cited Harbor UCLA Medical center for unsafe conditions in operating rooms.

Poorly maintained premises: Federal inspectors found multiple safety violations in the operating rooms at Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, according to a report cited Saturday by the Los Angeles Times.

•   Harbor UCLA Medical Center is under fire from both federal and state officials for a variety of health and safety violations that could lead to infection or even death.

•   The 48-year-old building has a variety of problems, but he hospital staff also is to blame, inspectors said.

•   The county-operated hospital could lose Medicaid funding if the safety violations are not corrected right away. 

Inspectors said the health care facility ”has failed to keep its operating rooms clean and safe and to protect its patients from possible infection,” the Times reported.

The inspection was completed earlier this year, but the report was just released a few days ago. During the probe, officials found holes in the ceilings, dust and clutter in the rooms, and a humidity level that can lead to the spread of germs.  To make matters worse, the inspectors said, hospital staff members weren’t washing their hands as they should.

The infection control problems were so bad that the federal government threatened to revoke the county-operated facility’s Medicaid funding. If that were to happen, the hospital would probably have to shut down.

The hospital’s new chief executive, Delvecchio Finley, said the medical center had already submitted its plan to correct the problems and has addressed all of the federal inspectors’ concerns. The facility now does weekly audits of infection-control risks and had provided more staff education on hand washing. But the building itself will continue to face problems because it was built almost a half-century ago.

The “decrepit” state of the hospital is not news to county officials, county supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. ”It was known that the current conditions were simply unacceptable,” he told the Times.

A new $323 million, 190,000-square-foot surgical center and emergency room is being constructed at the site. It is expected to open in 2013. In the meantime, however, hospital officials admit that the facility will continue to have safety issues. That’s bad news for the 80,600 patients who visit the emergency room every year, especially since Harbor-UCLA is the only trauma center in the area.

And it gets worse. The building’s safety issues are just the tip of the iceberg. Human errors also are a big problem. The California Department of Public Health fined the hospital four times in 2008 and 2009 for medical errors that put patients at risk of serious injury or death.

“In one of those cases, a mix-up in labeling caused the wrong patient to have his prostate removed,” the Times reported. “In another, a sponge was inadvertently left in a patient’s abdomen during an operation.”

In another case, a pedestrian accident victim died in the facility after nurses failed to monitor his condition, health department officials said.

Los Angeles Healthcare Facility Injury Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully protected the rights of healthcare facility injury victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A Kern County deputy was critically injured when he crashed his patrol car into a guardrail in Bakersfield. (Photo: KERO News)

Freeway crash: A Kern County deputy is fighting for his life after he crashed his patrol car into a guardrail early Thursday morning in Bakersfield.

•   A Kern County deputy was on duty but not responding to a call when his patrol car crashed into a guardrail.

•   The metal rail pierced through the car’s passenger cabin. It took firefighters an hour and a half to cut him out.

•   The deputy suffered severe head and facial injuries. He was in critical but stable condition.

•   The CHP investigation is expected to take up to 10 days.

The solo car accident occurred at about 12:40 a.m., according to KERO News report.

California Highway Patrol investigators do not yet know exactly what caused 52-year-old Kern County Deputy Allan Heathcott  to crash into the guardrail on on Seventh Standard Road just west of Highway 99.

“We don’t know exactly where Deputy Heathcott was going or where he was coming from,” said CHP public information officer Robert Rodriguez.

Heathcott was on duty when he crashed, but he was not responding to a call, Rodriguez said.  No other vehicles or people were involved. Nor were there any skid marks at the scene.

When the car slammed into the guardrail, the  metal rail pierced through the patrol car into the passenger cabin. Emergency fire crews had to use the Jaws of Life to cut the deputy out of the impaled cruiser. It took them an hour and a half to free him.

Here is raw video of the accident scene. (Story continues after video.)

Heathcott suffered a severe head injury, Rodriguez said. He was rushed to Kern Medical Center in critical condition. A later report on KERN Radio stated that Heathcott suffered major facial injuries as well as head injuries, but his condition had been upgraded to stable.

The CHP said it could take as long as a week and a half to figure out what happened.

Bakersfield Car Accident Lawyers

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

A man whose van was crushed by an Amtrak train in Salinas is recovering in a San Jose Hospital. (Photo: Salinas Californian) Click on image to see it larger.

A 65-year-old man is recovering in a San Jose hospital after his van was crushed in an Amtrak train crash Tuesday in Soledad, about 25 miles south of Salinas.

•  A driver attempted to drive his van across the railroad tracks on a private road in Soledad and was broadsided by an oncoming Amtrak train.

•   The van was crushed and pushed into a ditch.

•   The van driver suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital in San Jose. 

•   There were 155 people on the train. No one on the train was hurt.

The accident occurred at about 2:20 p.m., according to a report in the Monterey Herald.

The California Highway Patrol said Salinas resident Santiago Ramirez was driving a Dodge van westbound on a private road  near Soledad Prison when the crash happened.

Ramirez was continuing on the road across the railroad tracks when a southbound Amtrak passenger train traveling between 50 and 60 mph slammed into the passenger side of the van, according to the Salinas Californian.

The van was completely crushed and pushed into a ditch (see photo).

Ramirez suffered serious injuries and was airlifted by helicopter to San Jose Regional Medical Center, which is 85 miles away by car. The exact nature and extent of the victim’s injuries was not released, but his hospital spokesperson Bev Mikalonis said Wednesday that Ramirez was recovering and was listed in good condition.

There were 155 people on the Amtrak train, including passengers and crew. No one on the train was injured, the CHP said.

The accident is under investigation. Authorities said they did not suspect that drugs or alcohol were involved.

Amtrak Train Crash Statistics

Train accidents are on the rise nationwide. In the five-year period ending in 2006, Amtrak trains were involved in an average of 843 accidents per year, according to data provided by the Federal Railroad Administration. During the past four and a half years — the latest statistics only cover half of 2011 — there have been almost 5,000 Amtrak train crashes, an average of almost 1,000 per year.

In the first six months of 2011 alone, 76 people were killed in Amtrak train crashes and 961 more suffered non-fatal injuries.

Most train accidents that involve collisions with other vehicles — trucks, buses, cars, vans, etc. — occur at railroad track crossings. Sometimes there are functioning crossing gates and flashing lights, but sometimes there is nothing more than a small sign indicating the tracks.

With a train’s massive size and speed, the many passengers on a train, and the large amount of cargo transported by rail, the types of injuries suffered in a train accident can be severe.

California Train Accident Lawyers

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

Motorcycle Crashes: Two people were killed on I-5 near Pacoima during Sunday’s Love Ride. (Photo: LA Daily News)

Two people were killed and two others injured in separate motorcycle crashes on the same stretch of Interstate 5 near Pacoima during Sunday’s  28th annual “Love Ride” that raises money for autism research. 

•  Two accidents less than an hour apart took the lives of two motorcyclists and injured two other riders during the charity Love Ride on Sunday.

•   The first accident involved multiple vehicles. The riders were hospitalized but expected to be fine.

•   In the second accident, a rider and his passenger were thrown off their bike and under the trailer of a big-rig. They died at the scene.

The two freeway accidents occurred within about an hour of each other on northbound I-5 near Highway 170 (the Hollywood Freeway), just south of Branford Street, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

The first accident, which involved two motorcycles and and multiple cars, happened at 10:24 a.m., California Highway Patrol officer Christian Cracraft said.

Both bikers were taken to local hospitals to be treated for serious injuries. The accident blocked three out of five lanes and brought traffic to a halt, causing a lot of confusion.

“There were people walking in traffic lanes,” CHP officer Ed Jacobs said.

The traffic was still jammed about 45 minutes later — at 11:10 a.m. — when the second accident occurred in the same spot. A male biker, 51-year-old Romarino Zeri of Marina Del Rey, and his female passenger, 38-year-old Julie Cameron of Torrance, were run over by a big-rig.

Zeri was splitting the third and fourth lanes at 15 to 20 mph when his motorcycle veered left and collided with the big-rig’s right side trailer wheels, according to a Marina Del Rey Patch report. Zeri and Cameron both were thrown off of the motorcycle and under the right rear of the trailer’s double wheels, the CHP report said.

Both of them were pronounced dead at the scene. The 52-year-old driver of the tractor-trailer was not hurt. The accident is still under investigation. No one was cited or arrested.

Founded in 1984 Glendale Harley-Davidson owner by Oliver Shokouh, the annual Love Ride is one of Southern California’s largest motorcycle gatherings. The 2011 ride benefited Autism Speaks, a New York-based organization dedicated to funding research into the causes, treatments and a cure for autism, according to the event website.

About 2,000 riders, including comedian and late night talk show host Jay Leno, participated in Sunday’s ride. In the past, as many as 20,000 riders have participated, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. The fundraiser has drawn celebrity riders such as Peter Fonda, Leno and Larry Hagman and has featured musical acts such as Robbie Krieger, Billy Idol, Jackson Browne and Dwight Yoakam.

Because of the sheer number of riders, accidents during the Love Ride are a common occurrence, Jacobs said. But there has never been a fatality, according to race organizers.

“During the 28 years of doing the Love Ride, we have never had a single fatality, so this is sad beyond words,” founder Oliver Shokouch told ABC News.

Here are more photos from the accident scene. Click on a thumbnail to see it larger.

Los Angeles Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

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

Fatal Bicycle Accident: A 9-year-old girl died after being hit by a van while crossing a street in Stockton.

Fatal bicycle accident: An 9-year-old girl died Friday morning after being struck by a van Thursday afternoon while she was trying to cross a Stockton street on a motorized bicycle.

•   A little girl was either walking or riding a motorized bicycle in a crosswalk when she was hit by a van.

•   The bike caught fire. The girl suffered severe burn injuries and head trauma. 

•   The victim was airlifted to a hospital where she died several hours later.

•   Police are trying to determine whether the van ran a red light or could not see because of bright sunlight.

•   It is illegal for children to ride motorized bikes. The mother could be charged.

The deadly accident occurred at about 5:20 p.m., according to an article in the Stockton Record.

California Highway Patrol Officer Angel Arceo said the little girl, later identified by the coroner’s office as Julianna Radilla, was in the crosswalk at East Main Street and South Wagner Avenue when the accident happened.

There were several people in the crosswalk, Arceo said. The little girl was either riding or walking a small, motorized bicycle and was attempting to cross the street on a green light.

A Chevrolet Astro minivan, driven by a 23-year-old woman whose name was withheld pending investigation,  was traveling westbound on East Main Street and may have run a red light before striking the little girl, Arceo said.

The gas-powered Yamaha bicycle caught fire on impact. The little girl suffered major head injury and severe burn injuries on her legs, chest and arms. The bike was still in flames more than 150 feet from the girl when emergency crews arrived.

Paramedics worked desperately to save the little girl as a REACH helicopter landed on the soccer field at nearby Wilhelmina Henry Elementary School. The victim was airlifted to the trauma unit at U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where she was listed in critical condition. She died at the hospital at about 2 a.m., Arceo said.

Determining responsibility in this accident will be tricky, authorities said. There are a number of factors to be considered.

It’s not yet certain who had the right of way. Investigators have not yet determined if the van, which was traveling at a rate of speed between 30 and 40 mph, ran a red light.  The driver could face charges of involuntary manslaughter if she’s deemed responsible for the crash. But the driver did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and did not appear to be exceeding the speed limit, Arceo said.

The driver told officers she didn’t see anyone in the crosswalk, according to a KCRA News report. Arceo said visbility is limited at that intersection when the sun is setting, which is when the accident took place.

“The sun was going down towards where the van was traveling. So, we aren’t sure if that had anything to do with it,” Arceo said.

“It’s scary because a lot of cars, they don’t stop,” said local resident Yolanda Segura, who heard the accident and ran out of her house. Segura said the intersection is dangerous and many local residents are concerned for the safety of their own children.

An additional factor investigators are considering in the tragic accident is the fact that it is illegal for children to ride motorized bikes. According to a KCRA News video, the little girl’s mother could face charges if she knowingly allowed her daughter to ride the motorbike.

Here are more photos from the accident scene. Click on a thumbnail to see it larger.

Stockton Bicycle Accident Lawyers

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

Oil-slicked roads caused several accidents on Highway 18 in Crestline. (Photo: Crestline Courier-News)

Dangerous road conditions caused several spin-outs and two injury accidents Monday afternoon on Highway 18 in Crestline.

•   An oil slick covered several areas in a 5-mile stretchof Highway 18 between Lake Gregory Drive and Panorama Point.  

•   The oil slick caused a vehicle to slide out of control and crash head-on into an oncoming vehicle. One of the drivers suffered major injuries and had to be airlifted via helicopter to a hospital.

•   Another car hit the oil slick and rolled over before crashing into the side of the mountain.

•   Officials closed the highway for five hours to clear the accident scene and clean up the oil slick.

The first car accident occurred around 5:12 p.m., according to an article in the Crestline Courier-News.

The California Highway Patrol said that 29-year-old Jerry Ward of Crestline was driving a 1982 Subaru Brat downhill on Highway 18 when his vehicle hit an oil slick on the road.

The Subaru slid out of control and crossed into the oncoming traffic lane, where it crashed head-on into a 2005 Honda Element driven by 47-year-old Ronald Fuller of Lake Arrowhead.

Ward suffered major injuries. Crest Forest Fire emergency crews responded to the scene and airlifted the victim via helicopter to Loma Linda University Medical Center, about 23 miles away.

Fuller suffered minor injuries. He was treated and released.

The second injury accident happened about 15 minutes later. In that single-vehicle crash, 20-year-old Ardany Alonzo of Twin Peaks drove into the oil slick and lost control of his 1991 Honda Accord, the CHP said. The Honda slid, rolled over, and crashed into the side of the mountain. The car came to rest on its roof.

Alonzo sustained minor injuries. He was treated and released, the CHP said.

CHP officers also saw a number of skid marks in the oil slick area, indicating other accidents had taken place there. The slick was spread along a five-mile stretch of the highway, south of Lake Gregory Drive.

“We suspect something leaked from a vehicle, some sort of a waxy, oily substance that covered several locations of the road and turnouts,” said Caltrans spokesperson Terri Kasinga.

Caltrans officials closed that stretch of the highway for nearly five hours while emergency crews cleared the accident scenes and cleaned the oil slick. They applied absorbent material to the spills and then swept up the material after it soaked up the oil. The highway was reopened at around 10 p.m., the CHP said.

The cause of the oil slick is under investigation.

Dangerous Road Conditions

Road hazards, including oil slicks, can lead to a variety of motor vehicle accidents and injuries. Dangerous road conditions can be caused by:

• potholes, broken or uneven pavement, or cracked or buckling asphalt
• inadequate or improper speed limits based on road design or traffic patterns
• defective, malfunctioning or poorly designed road signs or markings, including lane markers
• poor drainage, resulting in flooding or slippery road surfaces
• lack of warning of steep inclines, sharp curves or blind entrances
• construction debris
• oil slicks and fuel spills

Crestline Car Accident Lawyers

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

A passing motorist saved a truck driver in a fiery big-rig crash in San Francisco. (Photo: ABC News)

A 22-year-old mother stopped and saved a truck driver after his big-rig crashed and burst into flames Wednesday morning on Highway 101 in San Francisco.

•    A car lost control on the freeway and hit the guardrail as well as another car.

•   A big-rig swerved to try to avoid the wreck, but the truck overturned and caught fire.

•    The truck driver got out of the burning truck but passed out next to it. A 22-year-old motorist saw the accident in her rear view mirror and stopped to help.

•    The young woman dragged the truck driver to safety.  The fire chief later said she saved his life.

The near-fatal freeway crash occurred just after 5 a.m., according to combined ABC News/San Jose Mercury News report.

Authorities said 52-year-old Michael Finerty of Concord was driving a semi truck on southbound 101 when the accident happened. A sedan in front of him lost control for unknown reasons just before “Hospital Curve,” where the elevated freeway crosses over 16th Street near San Francisco General Hospital.

Keenia Williams saved a truck driver's life.

The sedan hit a guard rail, and then skidded and hit another car. Finerty swerved to try to avoid the wreck, but his truck overturned. The big-rig spilled diesel fuel and the cab burst into flames.

Finerty managed to crawl out of the burning big-rig, but he was overcome and collapsed just a few feet away, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Keenia Williams, a young San Francisco mother who was driving her 5-year-old to school on her way to work at a senior facility, saw the accident in her rear view mirror and stopped to help.

“I just see the (driver of the truck) and, oh my God, I hop out, run, see the guy just sitting there,” Williams said later at a press conference. “He’s like standing between the fire. He passes out. And now I am like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God.’ ”

Williams put her own life at risk, crossing a stream of diesel fuel that could’ve ignited at any moment, to help Finerty.

“I put my arms under his arms and I dragged him all the way to my car,” Williams said. “He wasn’t talking or anything. He was just laying there.”

Williams splashed water on Finerty’s face until he regained consciousness. By that time, firefighters were on the scene. They were trying to put out the fire and apparently thought the driver was trapped inside the burning truck. Williams yelled at the firefighters to let them know the driver was with her.

Paramedics attended to Finerty and rushed him to San Francisco General, where he was treated and released. San Francisco fire chief Joanne Hayes-White praised Williams as a hero at a press conference.

“You left your daughter and, at a great risk to yourself, you saved a man’s life,” the fire chief said. “Seconds count in an accident like this, and without your bravery the situation would have been entirely different.”

Williams said Finerty kept saying he would never forget her.

“I don’t know what made me stop,” Williams said, “but I am glad I did. If that was me, I would want somebody to stop and save my life.”

The accident closed southbound 101 for more than six hours while emergency crews got the truck upright again, towed it away, cleaned up the diesel fuel, and checked the freeway structure for damage.

Here are more photos of the accident. Click on a thumbnail to see the image full-size.

San Francisco Truck Accident Lawyers

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

Off-road racer Rick Huseman and two others were killed in a small plane crash near Barstow. (Photo: Desert Dispatch)

Off-road racing champion Ruck Huseman was among three people killed Sunday in a small plane crash near Barstow. Huseman’s brother and a friend also died in the accident.

•   On Sunday — the same day that Indy 500 champ Dan Wheldon was killed in a 15-car pileup in Las Vegas — off-road champ Rick Huseman was killed when his plane crashed returning home from Las Vegas.

•   The pilot reported an emergency and tried to land the small Beech 33 Bonanza plane at an airport in Barstow, but it crashed about 5 miles away. 

•   Huseman, his brother, and the pilot died at the scene. 

The Beech 33 Bonanza airplane went down at about 1:45 p.m., according to an ABC News report.

Authorites said the 38-year-old racing champion was returning home to Riverside from the Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas. His brother, 26-year-old Jeffrey Huseman, and their friend, 35-year-old Daniel Hicks were also on the plane, San Bernardino County Deputy Coroner Investigator Teri Lay said. All three men were Riverside residents.

It was not clear who was piloting the aircraft, Lay said, but a message from Toyota’s National Motorsports Manager Les Unger, posted on Huseman’s website, seemed to indicate thet Hicks was flying the plane:

“The entire Toyota Motorsports and TRD family wish to express our condolences to the family of Rick Huseman in view of Sunday’s tragic event that claimed the lives of Rick, his brother, and the plane’s pilot.”

The message went on to say, “Rick was an enthusiastic and extremely talented member of Toyota’s off-road racing program. He was a true champion both on and off the track.”

The plane had been flying from North Las Vegas to Corona, California, when the pilot declared an emergency, according to an Associated Press report. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the pilot was attempting to make an emergency landing at Barstow-Daggett Airport when the aircraft went down in unincorporated Newberry Springs, about 5 miles from the airport.

The California Highway Patrol received a call reporting the plane crash. About 45 minutes later, emergency crews found the wreckage of a small plane about a half- mile south of Lake Dolores. Kenitzer said the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

Huseman’s death was a blow to the motor sports world, especially combined with the death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon in a fiery 15-car pileup at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on the same day.

Huseman racked up 44 victories in more than a decade of off-racing racing, according to his Toyota biography. He was awarded the prestegious 2010 Dirt Sports Magazine’s Driver of the Year.

Barstow Small Plane Crash Lawyers

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

Three women were killed in a boating accident in San Dimas.

Three women were killed in a boating accident Saturday when their jet ski collided with a power boat in Puddingstone Reservoir in San Dimas.

•   A jet ski crashed into a power boat in the launching area of Puddingstone Reservoir. They were apparently trying to turn at the same time. 

•   Three men aboard the boat were critically injured. A woman on the boat suffered lesser injuries. The three women on the jet ski died at the scene.

•   Authorities are still investigating the accident and are urging anyone with information to call the L.A. Cunty Sheriff’s Department homicide bureau.

The fatal accident occurred at about 4:30 p.m., according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

Officials are still trying to determine what caused the deadly accident in Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park.

The collision occurred near the launching area, where the 20-foot boat and the jet ski were both attempting to make turns at the same time, according to an ABC Newsreport.

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation, but it appears both vessels were engaged in a turn, and as they were turning one vessel collided with the other,” said Los Angeles County chief lifeguard Hugo Maldonado. “We’re taking this very seriously.”

It was not known if speed was a factor, but authorities did not believe alcohol was involved. Investigators determined that the driver of the boat was not intoxicated, but they did not yet know whether any of the three women on the jet ski had been drinking alcohol.

The three women on the Sea-Doo jet ski all died at the scene. They were identified by coroner’s officials as 34-year-old Mari-Con Abello of Escondido; her mother, 59-year-old Aurora Yeso of San Dimas; and 59-year-old Anesia Barba Bautista of Glendora.

Three men — aged 22, 35 and 36 — aboard the boat were seriously injured and were airlifted via helicopter to area hospitals. The exact nature of their injuries was not released. A 22-year-old woman who was thrown from the boat suffered apparently minor injuries. She was taken by ground ambulance to a hospital, where she was treated and released.

Moore said homicide detective were working with specialists from the Parks and Recreation department to recreate the accident.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles County Lifeguard divers and Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau-Emergency Services Detail divers were searching the water for a recording device that was mounted to the women’s watercraft.

Officials are urging anyone with information about the accident to contact the Sheriff’s Department homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500. Anonymous calls may be made to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

San Dimas Boating Accident Lawyers

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

Two PG&E workers were killed when their company truck plunged into a Feather River reservoir. (Photo: KHSL News)

Two Pacific Gas and Electric employees were killed in a car accident Thursday when the company truck plunged off of Highway 70 into a reservoir in the Feather River Canyon near Belden, about 55 miles east of Chico.

•   A PG&E truck drifted onto the shoulder of the highway on a sharp curve and went out of control when the driver tried to steer it back onto the road.

•   The truck plunged into a reservoir in the Feather River Canyon and quickly sank.

•   Two passengers survived. The driver and one passenger died at the scene.

The fatal highway crash occurred at about 4:30 p.m., according to a report in the Plumas County News.

California Highway Patrol Sgt. James Wheaton said 29-year-old Ryan Patrick Miles of Chico was driving one of PG&E’s blue Ford F-550 utility trucks westbound on Highway 70 when the accident happened.

There were three other PG&E employees in the truck. The CHP report said 31-year-old Aaron Weiss of Chico was riding in the front passenger seat, while 48-year-old Mike Diefenderfer of Paradise and 25-year-old Loren Bird of Chico were riding in the back seat.

The crew had been working on a project in the Caribou area and was headed back to Chico, according to a KHSL News report. CHP investigators don’t know exactly what happened, but Wheaton said it does not appear that excessive speed or any kid of drugs or alcohol were involved.

Wheaton said it looks like the truck’s tires drifted off onto the right shoulder of the highway on a sharp left curve. At this point, investigators are speculating that Miles turned quickly to try to get the tires back on the pavement, but he may have overcorrected and lost control of the vehicle.

At that point the truck apparently went into a skid and then veered off of the freeway, plunging into the Rock Creek Reservoir. Wheaton said the truck sank very quickly.

Diefenderfer and Bird, who were riding in the back seat, were able to get out of the truck. One of them was not injured but the other suffered some sort of shoulder or neck injury, according to a report in the Chico Enterprise-Record.

Miles and Weiss were not able to get out of the car. A dive team searched the water and found their bodies. Both of them died at the scene.

The unanswered question is what caused Miles to allow the truck to drift off of the road in the first place. The CHP had received reports that a large boulder had rolled into the middle of Highway 70 not far from the accident scene, according to the Enterprise-Record. Wheaton did not mention the boulder as a factor in this accident, but he did say that rocks and boulders can create dangerous road conditions on that section of Highway 70.

“We do have a lot of accidents on this highway,” Wheaton told KRCR News. “A lot of time it’s caused by rocks, large boulders. Occasionally people do go into the river. Once they go into that water, you don’t have very much time and you need to get out of that car as quickly as possible. This highway does have a lot of natural dangers and you have to be very careful driving on the highway.”

Plumas County Car Accident Lawyers

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