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Police arrested a man for drunk driving after a fatal car accident on Highway 60 in Diamond Bar.

Police arrested a man for a fatal drunk driving accident Sunday on Highway 60 in Diamond Bar.

•   Traffic slowed to less than 15 mph on the freeway when two lanes were closed.

•   A drunk driver came speeding down the middle lane in a BMW and plowed into a Ford in front of him, slamming the car into two other vehicles.

•   The 23-year-old driver in the Ford was killed.

•   The drunk driver was arrested at the scene and locked up in the county jail.

The deadly four-car  freeway crash occurred shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, according to a report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

California Highway Patrol officers said 23-year old Diamond Bar resident George Derkrikorian was driving a 2001 Ford eastbound in the middle lane of the freeway, west of Brea Canyon Road.

Traffic had slowed for a road closure and both the carpool and far left lanes were closed, according to a Diamond Bar Patch news report. Ford was traveling at about 15 mph, behind a 2001 Chevrolet that had slowed to around 5 mph, CHP officers said.

Officers said 32-year-old  Sheng-Ting Shih of Walnut came speeding down the middle lane in a 2012 BMW and plowed into the rear of Derkrikorian’s vehicle. The impact slammed the Ford into both the Chevy in front of it and a Toyota to its left, the CHP reported.

Deirkarkourian died at the scene.

Shih’s passenger,30-year-old  Nancy Yinan Lane of Chino Hills, appeared to be injured and was taken to San Dimas Community Hospital.

Police arrested Shih at the scene. He was booked into the Los Angeles County Jail on drunk driving charges. He remained in jail in lieu of $200,000 bail. Sheriff’s records indicate that Shih’s first court appearance was set for Tuesday in Pomona, according to a Walnut Patch news report.

The crash forced four eastbound lanes to be closed for about two hours.

Fatal Drunk Driving Accident Statistics

Almost 11,000 people die every year in drunk driving car accidents on U.S. roads, according to federal government statistics published by the non-profit group Alcohol Alert.  Drunk driving deaths account for more than a third of all U.S. traffic fatalities.

Many people believe drunk drivers fare better than their victims on the road, but that is not true. Almost two-thirds of those who are killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes are drunk drivers.

Drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes are typically not first-time offenders. Statistics show they are eight times more likely to have a prior drunk driving conviction than other drivers involved in fatal accidents.

More than half of drunk drivers involved in fatal accidents have levels of alcohol in their blood that are twice the legal limit — or more.

Diamond Bar Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented drunk driving 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 27-year-old woman was airlifted to a hospital with major injuries Friday after a car accident caused by a big-rig that cut her off on Interstate 5 in Red Bluff.

•   A big-rig veered from the slow lane into the fast lane on I-5, cutting off a Ford Mustang.

•   The Mustang swerved to avoid a collision with the truck, crashed into the center divider, and rolled over. The truck driver didn’t stop.

•   The Mustang driver was airlifted to a hospital with major injuries.   

The freeway crash occurred at about 1:28 p.m. about 30 miles south of Redding, according to a report in the Chico Enterprise-Record.

California Highway Patrol officer Phillip Mackintosh said Corning resident Wendy Thomas was driving a 2007 Ford Mustang northbound in the fast lane on Interstate 5 when a big-rig cut her off near Jellys Ferry Road.

 The truck veered over into the fast lane from the slow lane and Thomas had to swerve to avoid a collision with the big-rig, Mackintosh said.

The Mustang crashed into the center divider and rolled over.

Thomas suffered major injuries and was airlifted via helicopter to Mercy Medical Center in Redding to be treated.

The big-rig didn’t stop. The driver may not have immediately known he caused the accident, Mackintosh said.

Police are urging anyone with information on the crash to call the Red Bluff CHP office at (530) 527-2034.

 Truck Accident Statistics

Most deaths in big-rig accidents are people of passenger vehicles, not the truck driver or his passengers.

More than 3,400 people died in big-rig crashes in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

Only 14 percent of those fatalities were people in trucks, while 72 percent were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, and 13 percent were pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists.

Red Bluff 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.

A drunk driver caused a head-on collision that injured a 73-year-old woman in Willits.

A 73-year-old woman was airlifted to a hospital Thursday night after she was seriously injured in a head-on car accident in Willits. Police arrested the drunk driver who caused the crash.

•   An eastbound drunk driver turned directly in front of a westbound Toyota on a two-lane road, causing a head-on collision.

•   The drunk driver’s car careened out of control and hit a westbound Ford pickup truck.

•   The driver of the Toyota was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries. Her condition wasn’t known.

•   The drunk driver was arrested.

The three-car drunk driving accident occurred at around 9:45 p.m., according to an article in the Ukiah Daily Journal.

A California Highway Patrol report stated that 73-year-old Marina Kyne of Willits was driving a 2007 Toyota Camry westbound on Sherwood Road when an eastbound  2000 Ford Focus turned directly into her path just west of Highway 101.

The two vehicles collided head-on. The Focus, driven by 22-year-old Willits resident Larry J. Wolfe, careened out of control on the wet road and crashed into the driver’s side of an westbound 2000 Ford Ranger pickup truck driven by 45-year-old Scott R. Lebo of Willits. The truck had been traveling westbound behind Kyne’s Toyota, the CHP report said.

Kyne suffered serious injuries and was airlifted via helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. The exact nature of her injuries, which were described as moderate, was not known. The hospital did not immediately list her condition.

Lebo did not report any injuries, nor did his passenger, 60-year-old Bruce D. Rumble, also a resident of Willits.

Police arrested Wolfe for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. He suffered minor injuries and was taken by ground ambulance to Howard Memorial Hospital in Willits to be treated.

Ukiah Drunk Driving Accident Laywers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented drunk driving 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 family was en route to Disneyland when a car hit their SUV and pushed it over the edge of the freeway. (Photo: San Diego Union-Tribune)

A family trip to Disneyland turned into a horrible tragedy Wednesday morning when the grandmother was killed in a car accident on Interstate 805 in San Diego.

Another car hit the family’s SUV, causing it to roll over onto the edge of a 30-foot-high freeway railing (see photo).

 •   A Honda cut in front of a Nissan Altima on the freeway. When the Altima swerved to avoid hitting the Honda, it crashed into a Rav4 SUV with five people inside. 

•   The SUV rolled over the edge of a freeway overpass and dangled precariously atop the railing.

•   Four of the occupants of the SUV were seriously injured. The fifth suffered acute head trauma and did not survive.

The fatal freeway accident occurred at around 6:30 a.m., according to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

California Highway Patrol Officer Art Athans said 43-year-old Brian D. Thomas of San Diego was driving a black 2003 Toyota Rav4 sports utility vehicle  northbound on the 805 freeway near Mira Mesa Boulevard when the crash occurred.

A woman driving a 2005 Nissan Altima swerved to avoid hitting a Honda sedan that cut in front of her and crashed into the Rav4, causing the SUV to skid out of control and roll over onto the edge of three-story-high overpass. The wrecked vehicle was perched atop the concrete railing, dangling precariously over a Caltrans construction site 30 feet below.

Caltrans workers saw the vehicle and immediately rushed to assist, according to a CBS Channel 8 News report. The crew moved a heavy duty forklift onto the overpass and used it to support the rear of the SUV so it wouldn’t plunge over the side.

All of the occupants of the Rav4 were pinned in the vehicle.  The Caltrans crew helped most of them to get out of the vehicle before emergency crews arrived at the scene.

Thomas suffered broken ribs, cuts and bruises. His 42-year-old wife, Rebecca Thomas, was riding in the front passenger seat and suffered a leg injury as well as numerous cuts and bruises. Their 8-year-old son and 22-year-old daughter suffered lacerations and bruises. All four were taken to hospitals to be treated.

The children’s grandmother, 65-year-old Laura Hall, was riding in the back seat with her grandchildren. She suffered major internal injuries and a severe head injury. Paramedics rushed her to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where she later died from her injuries.

The Altima that hit the SUV also hit a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. Neither of the drivers were injured.

Police are looking for the driver of the Honda that cut in front of the Altima, which led to the deadly chain-reaction crash. The sedan reportedly was gray or beige and may have had Arizona license plates.

The CHP urges anyone with information about the Honda or the accident to call (619) 220-5492.

San Diego 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 for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A 64-year-old man was killed Monday when a speeding driver crashed head-on into his Volkswagen Beetle on Highway 46 near Bakersfield. (Photo: KBAK News)

A Tehachapi man was killed in a head-on car accident Monday when a speeding driver crashed into his Volkswagen Beetle on Highway 46 in rural Kern County, about 50 miles from Bakersfield.

•     A Volvo was speeding through a construction zone and tried to pass two cars and a big-rig on a two-lane highway.

•     The driver did not see an oncoming Volkswagen Beetle convertible until it was too late. The two vehicles crashed head-on.

•     The Volkswagen driver died on impact. The Volvo driver was airlifted to a hospital with major injuries.

The fatal highway crash occurred at 11:10 a.m., according to a KERO News report.

California Highway Patrol officers said that 37-year-old Laura Hayden of Monterey was driving a silver 2007 Volvo S60 eastbound on State Route-46 at the time of the accident.

Hayden was speeding when she crossed into the westbound lane in an attempt to pass two passenger vehicles and a big-rig just west of Bitterwater Valley Road, CHP officer Jerry Knight told the Bakersfield Californian. The speed limit is 45 mph in that area because it is a construction zone, Knight said.

Hayden was still in the westbound lane when she approached an oncoming 2003 Volkswagen Beetle convertible driven by 64-year-old David Hubbard of Tehachapi. Both vehicles swerved to try to avoid a collision, but they both veered over to the north shoulder of the roadway, where they crashed head-on.

Hubbard died on impact, according to a KBAK Eyewitness News report. Hayden sustained major injuries and was airlifted by helicopter to Kern Medical Center.

The two-lane rural highway is known locally as “Blood Alley” because there are so many accidents on it. The construction area is part of a renovation project to widen the highway to four lanes — two in each direction — Knight said.

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 for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

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Five adults and three children were injured in a three-car drunk driving crash in Watsonville.

Five adults and three children were injured in a car accident Saturday night when a drunk driver struck two cars in Watsonville.

•   A drunk driver with her 6-year-old son in the car crossed a double yellow line into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into two vehicles.

•   Five adults, including the drunk driver, were injured. Two of them were airlifted to a hospital with major injuries.

•   Two children, including the drunk driver’s son, also were injured in the crash.

•   The drunk driver was arrested on charges of felony DUI and child endangerment.

The drunk driving accident occurred at about 9:20 p.m., according to a report in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

California Highway Patrol acting Sgt. Grant Boles said 26-year-old Devon Salse of Watsonville was driving a 2002 Ford Escape northbound on Holohan Road when she crossed the double yellow lines into the southbound lane just south of Green Valley Road.

The Ford Escape first crashed head-on into a Pontiac Grand Am and then struck a Nissan Altima, Boles said.

There were two people in the Pontiac. The 45-year-old Watsonville woman who was driving suffered major injuries. Her passenger, a 39-year-old Watsonville man, also suffered moderate to major injuries,  CHP officer Sarah Jackson said in a prepared statement that was reported on the Watsonville Patch news site. Both were airlifted via helicopter to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

Three Watsonville residents in the Altima were injured, Jackson said. A 6-year-old girl and two women, aged 24 and 54, were transported to Watsonville Community Hospital to be treated for what the CHP described as minor injuries.

Salse had her 6-year-old son in the car with her. He suffered moderate injuries and was released to a relative, Jackson said. It was not clear when he was transported to a hospital for treatment, but the CHP statement indicated that both he and the other 6-year-old were recuperating from their injuries.

“Thankfully, both children involved in the collision are recovering,” Jackson said.

Salse refused treatment for her injuries and was arrested at the scene. She was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail and charged with felony driving under the influence causing injuries and child endangerment, Jackson said.

Watsonville Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

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

Three victims were rushed to the hospital in critical condition after a station wagon slammed into a medical building in Reseda. (Photo: Los Angeles Daily News)

Car accident: Six people were injured Thursday — three were hospitalized in critical condition — when an 82-year-old woman who swerved to avoid an accident crashed into a medical building in Reseda.

•   An elderly woman in a station wagon swerved to avoid hitting another car and then lost control of her vehicle and veered into a parking lot.

•    The station wagon slammed into a pedestrian and then crashed into a dental office, trapping two employees under the debris.

•   Three victims were hospitalized in critical condition. Three others, reportedly children, were treated and released at the scene.

The accident occurred at about 9:30 a.m., according to an ABC News report.

Los Angeles Police Capt. John Egan said the elderly woman was driving an older model Buick station wagon northbound on White Oak Avenue when another car made a left turn onto the roadway.

The woman swerved off of the road to avoid hitting the car, lost control of her vehicle, and veered into a medical/dental building at 6800 North White Oak Avenue.

“She ended up driving across the intersection and up into the parking lot,” Egan said.

Before the station wagon crashed into the building itself, it struck a female pedestrian in the lot. She was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. Her condition was not known, but the ABC News report said she was expected to survive.

Then the station wagon smashed through the exterior wall and into one of the dental offices, trapping two employees in the debris.

A dozen emergency vehicles responded to the accident scene, according to the ABC News report.

“We did find six patients upon our arrival,” Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Matt Spence told KPCC News.

Firefighters had to extricate the two trapped victims from the dental office (see photo). Both of them suffered catastrophic injuries and were taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center in Northridge, where they  were listed in critical condition.

Northridge Hospital trauma surgeon Dr. Walid Arnaout said one of the victims was undergoing surgery, but both were expected to survive. Their conditions were upgraded from critical to serious, he said.

Three children suffered minor injuries, according to the ABC News report. The nature of their injuries was not released, but fire officials said they were treated and released at the scene.

The driver of the station wagon was not injured. Investigators have not yet determined whether her age might have been a factor in the accident.

Reseda Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

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

An 84-year-old woman was struck and killed by a school bus in Fortuna, 20 miles south of Eureka..

Fatal pedestrian accident: School district officials announced on Wednesday that a school bus driver was placed on leave after she struck and killed an 84-year-old woman in a Fortuna crosswalk, about 20 miles south of Eureka.

•   A school bus transporting 18 elementary school children turned left at an intersection and struck an elderly pedestrian in the crosswalk.

•   The bus completely ran over the pedestrian, with both the front and rear tires.

•   The victim died at the scene.

Fortuna Union High School District Superintendent Glen Senestraro said 60-year-old driver Helen Belloni has been placed on leave after the accident, according to an article in the Eureka Times-Standard.

The accident occurred on Tuesday at 7:39 a.m., the California Highway Patrol accident report stated.

CHP officer Paul Dahlen said Belloni was turning left from School Road onto Rohnerville Road when she struck 84-year-old Audrey McRoberts in a crosswalk. McRoberts, who lived with her son close to the scene of the accident, was out for her daily morning walk.

The left side of the bus struck McRoberts and then completely ran over her with both the front and rear tires, Deputy County Coroner Roy Horton said.

”The entire weight of the school bus went over her,” Horton told the Times-Standard.

The victim died at the scene.

Why Belloni did not see the McRoberts is not clear. At least 10 people witnessed the accident, CHP officials said. Some of them said McRoberts was in Belloni’s blind spot, but others said the victim was in plain sight. The CHP report said McRoberts was inside of the crosswalk.

“It’s a terrible, terrible accident,” Dahlen told the Times-Standard.

Dahlen said neither drugs nor alcohol were involved. Belloni was not arrested at the scene. Dahlen said it will be up to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office to decide whether they want to file vehicular manslaughter charges against her.

Both the victim and the school bus driver were well-loved members of the community. The tragic accident has been devastating to the school and the entire community, officials said. Counseling services were offered to students affected by the accident.

”We sent a team of psychologists and counselors to the schools,”  Humboldt County Office of Education Assistant Superintendent Richard Hanger told the Times-Standard. “Services were offered throughout that immediate area.”

There were 18 elementary school students on the bus at the time of the accident. No one was injured.

Eureka Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

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

Two teen boys were struck by a car as they were trying to push their disabled car off the 101 freeway in San Luis Obispo.

Pedestrian accident: Two teens were hospitalized after being struck by a car Saturday night while trying to push their disabled vehicle out of the way on Highway 101 in San Luis Obispo.

•   A Pontiac Bonneville hit an empty stroller that had been left in the fast lane of Highway 101.

•   The collision disabled the car, so the teen driver and passenger tried to push it out of the traffic lane. Other motorists stopped to help.

•   A vehicle approached in the middle lane and suddenly swerved into the fast lane, striking one of the pedestrians and pushing the disabled vehicle into another.

•   One of the victims suffered a broken leg. The other had multiple fractures.

The freeway accident occurred at about 9:25 p.m., according to a KSBY News report.

The California Highway Patrol said 17 year-old Cody Tyler Oakley of Santa Maria was driving a Pontiac Bonneville northbound on Highway 101 when he struck an empty stroller in the fast lane.

The CHP did not say how the stroller got there, how long it had been sitting on the freeway, or why it had not been removed.

The collision with the stroller disabled the Pontiac, so Oakley and his passenger – 17 year-old Michael Cash of Nipomo — got out of the vehicle and attempted to move it out of the fast lane. Several other motorists stopped to assist, according to the CHP.

A northbound Saturn Ion, driven by 20 year-old Neisha Bree Diaz of Arroyo Grande, approached in the middle lane. Diaz suddenly swerved to the left and struck Oakley. The impact caused the Pontiac to strike Cash. Both victims suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized.

Emergency workers transported both Oakley and Cash to Sierra Vista Hospital. Oakley suffered a broken leg and Cash suffered multiple fractures, according to the KSBW report.

Diaz sustained minor injuries. She was treated and released at the scene.

Diaz later said she had swerved to avoid hitting a stopped vehicle on the freeway. There are three northbound lanes in that section of Highway 101. The KSBW report did not indicate why Diaz swerved into the fast lane, where the teens were pushing the disabled Pontiac, rather than into the right lane.

CHP investigators said there was no evidence that alcohol was a factor in the accident.

San Luis Obispo Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

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

A teen driver lost control of a pickup truck in Diamond Bar and crashed head-on into a Honda Civic, killing the driver. (Photo: Orange County Register)

A 53-year-old Pomona man was killed in a grisly head-on car accident Thursday morning after a 19-year-old driver lost control of her pickup truck on Brea Canyon Road in Diamond Bar.

•  A full-size Chevy pickup truck drifted off of the road, hit a guardrail on the shoulder, and bounced back into traffic.  

•  The truck sideswiped a sedan and then crossed over the double-yellow line into oncoming traffic, where it crashed head-on into a Honda Civic.

•  Both drivers had to be extricated from their vehicles.

•  The Honda driver died. The truck driver sustained only minor injuries, but her passenger was taken to USC Medical Center with serious injuries.

The fatal accident occurred at 7:25 a.m. near the Orange County/Los Angeles County border, according to a report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

California Highway Patrol Officer Al Perez said Sung Choe was driving a Honda Civic southbound on Brea Canyon Road when he was struck head-on by a Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck being driven by the Murrietta teen.

The pickup truck was traveling northbound on Brea Canyon Road when the teen lost control and drifted off of the roadway onto the right shoulder, according to an Orange County Register report.

The truck hit a guardrail, and then bounced back toward the center of the road, where it sideswiped a southbound Honda sedan driven by a woman from Rowland Heights, the CHP said in a written statement.

The truck then crossed over into a southbound lane, where it crashed head-on into an oncoming Honda Civic driven by Choe.

Both drivers were trapped in their vehicles and had to be extricated by firefighters, according to Fullerton/Brea Fire Department battalion chief Steve Wood. Paramedics transported both drivers to St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Wood said.

Choe was pronounced dead at the hospital. The teen driver was treated for minor injuries.

A passenger in the pickup truck suffered serious injuries and was taken to Los Angeles County – USC Medical Center in Los Angeles. The nature and extent of her injuries was not known.

The Rowland Heights woman, who was driving the car that was first to be hit by the pickup truck, was not injured, the CHP said.

The accident remains under investigation by the CHP.

Diamond Bar 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.