Category

A 22-year-old was killed by a wrong-way driver on SR 56 in Rancho Penasquitos.

Fatal highway crash: A 22-year-old man was killed Thursday when a wrong-way driver slammed into his car on State Route 56 in Rancho Penasquitos, 20 miles north of central San Diego.

•   An 18-year-old in a Land Rover SUV veered across the center median of State Route 56 and slammed head-on into an oncoming Toyota Scion. 

•   The 22-year-old driver of the Scion died at the scene.

•   The wrong-way driver was hospitalized with severe injuries.  Police suspect he was under the influence of some kind of medication or controlled substance at the time of the fatal accident.

The deadly head-on car accident occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m., according to a CBS Channel 8 News report.

California Highway Patrol officials said 18-year-old Timothy Barnette of San Diego was driving a 2002 Land Rover Discovery SUV eastbound on State route 56 when he suddenly lost control and veered across the sandy center median into oncoming traffic.

The Land Rover slammed head-on into a westbound 2010 Toyota Scion driven by 22-year-old Nick Hart.

Marine Corps veteran Danny Donnellan, who was driving behind the Scion witnessed the entire accident. He said the impact launched the Land Rover “almost straight up in the air.” Barnett was ejected from his vehicle and had to be removed from underneath the SUV, which had traveled up an embankment.

Donnellan, who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, tried to use his first aid training to assist the victims but Hart — who had to be extricated from his crushed compact car — had no pulse and was bleeding profusely from his ear.

“He had obviously suffered a blunt trauma to the head,” Donnellan told CBS8 News. Hart died at the scene.

Donnellan said the wrong-way driver, Barnette, was conscious but in shock and “obviously very confused as to what had happened.”  Barnette was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla to be treated for severe injuries. He later was reported to be in fair condition.

CHP investigators suspected that Barnette was under the influence of some type of medication or other controlled substance at the time of the crash. A spokesman for the CHP said criminal charges were expected to be filed against the 18-year-old, pending toxicology results.

San Diego Highway Crash Lawyers

A drunk driver drove the wrong way on Highway 24 in Lafayette and caused a fatal accident.

Fatal freeway crash: A drunk driver who was going the wrong way on Highway 24 crashed into another vehicle and killed the driver Friday in Lafayette.

•   A drunk driver drove the wrong way on the freeway and crashed head-on into another vehicle.

•   The other driver was killed in the freeway crash.

•   A third car was involved in the accident. 

•   The  drunk driver was arrested.

The deadly drunk driving accident occurred at around 1:30 a.m., according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

California Highway Patrol Officer John Fransen said 20-year-old Annelise McKay of Brentwood was driving a Toyota Avalon, with only one working headlight, eastbound in the westbound lanes of the freeway near St. Stephens Road.

The Toyota crashed head-on into a westbound Geo Metro driven by 51-year-old Alvaro Cruz of Pittsburg. The impact caused the Metro to spin out and crash into a Buick sedan.

Cruz died at the scene.

The driver of the Buick suffered from pain and was taken to a hospital by his wife.

The wrong-way drunk driver sustained minor injuries. She was taken to John Muir Medical Center and then released into police custody. She was arrested on drunk driving charges. The CHP did not say whether she would face any additional charges.

Lafayette Freeway Crash Lawyers

An unsafe lane change on I-80 caused a major injury accident in San Pablo.

Three people were hospitalized with major injuries Thursday after a car accident caused by an unsafe lane change on westbound Interstate 80 in San Pablo.

•    An SUV made an unsafe lane change on I-80 and slammed into a Honda sedan.

•    The Honda crashed into the center divider and flipped over the wall.

•    Three passengers in the Honda were hospitalized with major injuries.

The three-vehicle freeway accident occurred shortly before 4 p.m., according to a report in the Contra Costa Times.

California Highway Patrol officials said the driver of a 2009 Toyota Highlander made an unsafe lane change and crashed into a 1992 Honda Prelude.

The impact caused the driver of the Honda to lose control of the vehicle and it slammed into the center divider, the CHP said. The car flipped over the wall, partially ejecting one of the passengers.

The driver of the Honda suffered minor injuries, but all three passengers in that vehicle sustained major injuries and were hospitalized at Doctor’s Medical Center in San Pablo. The three men were from Richmond. Their names were not immediately released.

The driver of the Toyota SUV and a third vehicle involved in the accident were not injured.

Aggressive Driving: Unsafe Lane Changes Cause Accidents

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines aggressive driving as “the operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property.” Speeding, improper lane changing, tailgating and improper passing all are examples of aggressive driving, according to the NHTSA.

In California, unsafe lane changes are among the top six causes of car accidents, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

San Pablo Freeway Accident Lawyers

A teen driver caused a fatal highway crash in Perris.

Fatal highway crash: A Moreno man was killed Friday night in a head-on crash caused by a teen driver who crossed the center divider on Highway 74 in Perris.

•     A teen driver with four passengers in his Ford Taurus crossed over the center divider of a highway and crashed into an oncoming Mazda Protege.

•     The driver of the Protege was killed.

•     The teen driver and all four of his passengers were injured and taken to hospitals to be treated.

•     Authorities said alcohol was not involved in the accident.

The deadly head-on crash occurred just before midnight, according to a report in the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department officials said a teen driving a Ford Taurus crossed over the center divider for unknown reasons and slammed into an oncoming Mazda Protege.

The driver of the Protege, 54-year-old Moreno Valley resident Robert Washington, suffered severe injuries and was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The teen driver and four of his passengers, all of whom were minors, suffered a variety of injuries and were treated at a local hospital. Their names and ages were not released.

The sheriff’s department said in a news release that alcohol was not suspected to be a factor in the deadly accident.

A civilian woman was killed when a Marine Corps humvee (above) slammed head-on into her car in Joshua Tree. (Cropped from a photo by Jimmy Biggerstaff | Hi-Desert Star)

Fatal Humvee crash: A 26-year-old Yucca Valley woman was killed Friday when a U.S. Marine Corps Humvee slammed into her Ford Focus on Highway 62 in Joshua Tree.

•   A military Humvee veered across the center line of a highway near the U.S. Marines Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms.

•   The Humvee crashed head-on into an oncoming Ford Focus driven by a 26-year-old woman.

•   Both vehicles overturned.

•   The woman driving the Ford Focus died at the scene.

The deadly rural highway accident occurred at about 3:30 p.m., according to a report in the Hi-Desert Star.

California Highway Patrol officials said the military Humvee was driven by 19-year-old Juan Lira, a U.S. Marine from Oceanside.

Marine Corps Captain Nick Mannweiler, spokesman for the Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, said the Humvee came from a Camp Pendleton-based unit.

Lira was driving the Humvee eastbound on Highway 62. For unknown reasons he allowed the vehicle to drift across the center divider into the oncoming traffic lane about one mile east of White Feather Road.

The Humvee crashed head-on into a westbound 2010 Ford Focus driven by 26-year-old Kristin Thrawl of Yucca Valley. The violent impact caused the Ford Focus to roll over and land on its roof. The Humvee rolled onto its side. (See photo.)

Thrawl died at the scene. She was pronounced dead at about 3:45 p.m., according to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office.

Lira was not injured.

The CHP is investigating the accident.

Joshua Tree Car Accident Lawyers

A Good Samaritan was killed while trying to help an accident victim on Interstate 80 in Dixon. (Photo: CBS News)

Fatal freeway accident: A Good Samaritan was struck and killed while trying to rescue an accident victim Thursday morning on Interstate 80 in Dixon, about 23 miles from Sacramento.

•   A woman lost control of her Toyota and it flipped over on the freeway.

•   A Good Samaritan stopped to help the woman in the Toyota.

•   A third vehicle crashed into the Toyota and the Good Samaritan.

•   The Good Samaritan died from his injuries. The other victim remained hospitalized but was expected to survive.

The deadly accident occurred shortly after 4:55 a.m., according to a CBS News report.

California Highway Patrol Sgt. Phil Grant said it started when 44-year-old Maria Lopez of Fairfield lost control of her 2004 Toyota Camry on eastbound Interstate 80 near Dixon Avenue. The Toyota, which was traveling at about 75 mph, overturned in the fast lane, nearest the center divider.

At that point a Good Samaritan – 36-year-old Spencer Myers of Vacaville — stopped to help Lopez, Grant told the Vacaville Reporter. Myers parked his vehicle in the center divider and rushed to the Toyota to try to free Lopez, who was strapped into her seat belt inside the overturned car.

While Myers was trying to rescue Lopez, a 2002 Dodge Stratus slammed into the Toyota and struck Myers as well. Myers was thrown into the center divider and Lopez was ejected from her car.

Myers was airlifted by helicopter to U.C. Davis Medical Center, where he died from injuries within about an hour. Lopez also was taken to U.C. Davis Medical Center; she was expected to survive.

The driver of the Dodge Stratus, 32-year-old Golden Pryor of Fairfield, was not injured. Grant told Fox40 News that Pryor did not see the overturned Toyota or the the two victims. Grant also said that alcohol and drugs do not appear to be involved in the accident.

Dixon Freeway Accident Lawyers

One person was killed and three others were injured in a rural highway accident in Somis.

Fatal highway accident: One person was killed and three others injured Monday in a five-car crash on State Route 118 in Somis.

•     A driver rear-ended a car in front of him on a rural highway, pushing the car into the oncoming traffic lane.

•     The car was broadsided by an oncoming truck. The driver died from his injuries.

•     Two other cars were hit in the accident.

•     All of the drivers were injured and taken to hospitals.

The deadly car accident  just before 4:30 p.m., according to a report in the Ventura County Star.

California Highway Patrol officials said 28-year-old Moorpark resident Domingo Mendoza was driving westbound on Highway 118 (Los Angeles Avenue) at about 50 mph when he rear-ended a sedan driven by 37-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Tamlatzi of Oxnard.

The impact pushed Tamlatzi’s car sideways into the eastbound lane, where it was broadsided by a truck driven by 40-year-old Francisco Arroyo of Moorpark.

Meanwhile, Mendoza’s car rearended a minivan driven by 38-year-old Raul Lopez of Camarillo. The impact from that crash pushed Lopez’s vehicle into a fifth car, driven by 28-year-old Aimee Birkner of Simi Valley.

Tamlatzi suffered severe injuries and was rushed to Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, where he died at 6:57 p.m.

Mendoza and Lopez sustained injuries and were taken to Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura, CHP officials said. The nature and extent of their injuries was not immediately reported.

Arroyo suffered minor injuries and was treated at Los Robles Hospital.

The accident remained under investigation.

Somis Highway Accident Lawyers

Four people were injured in a highway crash on State Route 1 in Santa Maria.

Rural highway crash: Four people were injured Monday in a head-on collision on Highway 1 in Santa Maria. One of the victims was airlifted to a hospital.

•    A man driving a Cadillac SRX failed to navigate a left turn off of Highway 1, crashed into a guardrail, and careened back into oncoming traffic.

•    The Cadillac hit two vehicles, one head-on. All three drivers and one passenger were injured.  

•    A driver of a pickup truck was severely injured and had to be airlifted to a hospital.

The car accident occurred at about 6:50 a.m., according to a report in the Santa Maria Times.

California Highway Patrol officials said 25-year-old Lompoc resident Jose Arevalo as driving a black Cadillac SRX northbound on Highway 1 when he failed to complete a turn onto Jalama Road.

The Cadillac crossed the southbound lane, hit a guard rail, and careened back into the southbound lane, where it sideswiped a 2005 GMC Sierra driven by 49-year-old Alicia Flores, also of Lompoc.

The Cadillac then crashed head-on into a 1995 Dodge pickup truck driven by 36-year-old Victor Rodriguez, also of Lompoc.  Rodriquez was trapped inside the pickup truck. It took firefighters 40 minutes to extricate him from the vehicle.

Rodriguez suffered severe injuries in the highway crash and was airlifted by helicopter to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. His passenger, 57-year-old Laura Taylor, was injured as well, but the nature and extent of her injuries was not immediately known.

Taylor, Arevalo, and Flores all were transported via ground ambulance to Lompoc Valley Hospital to be treated for injuries they sustained in the highway crash.

Highway 1 was temporarily closed while officials cleared the accident scene and conducted a preliminary investigation.

Santa Maria Car Accident Lawyers

A suicidal driver killed herself and another driver in a crash on Highway 78 in San Marcos. (Photo: Fox5 News)

Fatal highway crash: A suicidal driver deliberately drove the wrong way on Highway 78 early Monday, causing a crash that killed her and another driver in San Marcos.

•    A suicidal woman deliberately drove the wrong way on Highway 78 and crashed head-on into another car.

•    Both drivers were killed.

•    The other driver was a single mother who was on her way to work.

The deadly car accident occurred at about 3 a.m., according to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Authorities said 48-year-old SanMarcos resident Yi Liu was suffering from depression and deliberately drove her 1997 Nissan Maxima westbound into the eastbound lanes of Highway 78 near San Marcos Boulevard.

The Maxima slammed head-on into a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser driven by 38-year-old Escondido resident Maria Guadalupe Vargas Lopez.

Both drivers suffered fatal injuries, Fox5 News reported.  Both were pronounced dead on arrival at Palomar Medical Center, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Lopez was a single mother who worked as an independent contractor delivering newspapers for the Union-Tribune. She had just picked up a load of newspapers at a distribution center in San Marcos when she was killed.

What happens when the driver who is at fault dies in the accident?

Sometimes in a serious accident the individual who caused the crash suffers fatal injuries. Can the innocent victim still make a claim?

The answer is yes. The case survives even when the wrongdoer doesn’t. The insurance carrier for the car that the wrongdoer was driving remains liable for damages. If that policy does not have enough coverage, additional compensation may be sought via Underinsured Motorist coverage from the insurance carrier for the vehicle in which the innocent victim was a driver or passenger.

If a lawsuit is necessary, it would be filed against the estate of the wrongdoer. If there is no estate, then the injured party can force an estate to be set up to handle the lawsuit.

San Marcos Wrongful Death Lawyers

A female passenger was killed in a DUI crash on Highway 43 in Corcoran.

Fatal DUI crash: A passenger was killed Monday when a drunk driver lost control of his pickup truck and rolled it several times on Highway 43 in Corcoran, about 50 miles south of Fresno.

•      A drunk driver lost control of his pickup truck on a rural highway and it drifted off the side of the road.

•      The driver overcorrected and caused the truck to skid, flip over, and roll several times.

•      One of the passengers was ejected and died on impact. The other two passengers were hospitalized with serious injuries.

•      The drunk driver suffered major injuries and faces felony DUI charges.

The deadly rural highway accident occurred at about 6 a.m., according to a report in the Fresno Bee.

California Highway Patrol officials said 41-year-old Bakersfield resident Reynaldo Garcia was drunk when he lost control of his pickup truck on Highway 43 near Nevada Avenue.

Garcia was traveling at about 60 mph when his truck drifted off the right side of the road onto a dirt shoulder, the Hanford Sentinel reported.

Garcia reportedly cranked the steering wheel to the left and then back to the right to to try to get back on the road, but the truck bounced onto the asphalt, then went back into the dirt.

Garcia again turned sharply to try to get the truck back on the road, but that caused the vehicle to skid sideways, flip over, and roll several times before coming to rest on the roadway.

One of Garcia’s passengers, 69-year-old Mary Alice Tarango, also of Bakersfield, was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the truck, the CHP report said. She died on impact.

Two other passengers — 60-year-old Job Garcia and 31-year-old Valeria Ramirez, both of Bakersfield — were injured in the accident and were taken to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno to be treated.

Garcia, who sustained major injuries, was airlifted by helicopter to the same hospital. Upon release from the hospital, Garcia will be booked into the county jail on charges of  felony driving under the influence, the CHP said.

Fresno Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers