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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 man was arrested after driving his car off a road and killing his passenger near Fresno..

Fatal car accident: A 20-year-old man was arrested on manslaughter charges Saturday after he drove his car off the road in Fresno, killing his passenger.

•     A 20-year-old driver was traveling 70 mph on a steep, curvy road when he lost control of his vehicle.

•     The car went off the road, flipped over, and rolled several times down an embankment.

•     The only passenger, also 20 years old, died at the scene.

•     The driver was arrested on charges of vehicular manslaughter.

The deadly single-vehicle accident occurred at about 1 p.m. on Sky Harbour Road near Millerton Lake, according to a report in the Fresno Bee.

California Highway Patrol officials said Fresno resident John A. Ramos, 20, was driving a 1995 Chevrolet Beretta northbound on the lakeside road at about 70 mph — far too fast for the curvy road — when he lost control of his vehicle.

The car slid across both lanes, flipped over, and rolled several times down an embankment before it landed several hundred feet northwest of the road, the CHP said.

Ramos’s passenger — a 20-year old Fresno man whose identity was withheld pending notification of next of kin — somehow managed to crawl out of the vehicle, but he died at the scene.

Ramos also was able to get out of the car. He walked up to the road and waited for emergency crews to arrive. He was was arrested on vehicular manslaughter charges and taken to Community Regional Medical Center to be treated for moderate injuries he sustained in the accident.

CHP officials said Ramos would be booked into Fresno County Jail when he was released from the hospital.

Alcohol and drugs do not appear to be a factor in the fatal crash.

Fresno Car Accident Lawyers

A teen passenger was killed in a DUI crash in Pomona. (Video capture: NBC News)

Fatal DUI crash: A 19-year-old female passenger was killed Sunday when a 20-year-old drunk driver lost control of their vehicle on North San Antonio Avenue in Pomona. The car crashed into several parked vehicles and then rolled over.

•   An underage drunk driver lost control of her car, slammed into several parked cars, and then rolled her own vehicle.

•   One of her passengers died at the scene. Three others were hospitalized with serious injuries.

•   The drunk driver was arrested for DUI causing death and manslaughter.

The deadly solo car accident occurred at 1:38 a.m., according to a report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Pomona police Sgt. Christian Hsu said in a written statement that 20-year-old Raelene Martinez of Ontario was driving a 1995 Toyota Camry northbound on San Antonio Avenue at the time of the accident. She had four passengers in her car.

When she reached the 1500 block of San Antonio Avenue, Martinez lost control of her vehicle. She slammed into several parked vehicles and then rolled the Camry.

One of her passengers, a 19-year-old Upland woman whose name was withheld pending notification of next of kin, died at the scene.

 NBC News reported that the three other passengers — 18-year-old Frank Camacho of Ontario, 19-year-old Ernie Vega of Upland, and 23-year-old Gabriel Venegas of Ontario — suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized. Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

Martinez also sustained injuries. She was arrested at the scene for drunk driving causing death and manslaughter, NBC News reported.

Pomona Drunk Driving 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

Three people were killed Sunday night in a car accident in Palm Springs. (Video capture: Desert Sun)

Fatal car accident: Three people were killed Sunday night in a head-on crash on Gene Autry Boulevard near Interstate 10 in Palm Springs.

•    A Chevy Impala swerved into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into a minivan.

•    Both occupants of the Impala died at the scene.

•    The driver of the minivan died at a hospital less than an hour later.

•    Police are awaiting toxicology results to determine whether drugs and/or alcohol were involved in the fatl crash.

The deadly accident occurred at about 10:15 p.m., according to a report in the Desert Sun.

Palm Springs police Sgt. Mike Kovaleff said a northbound 2004 Chevrolet Impala swerved into the southbound lanes and crashed head-on into a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica minivan.

The driver and passenger of the Impala — a 19-year-old woman from Phoenix and a 20-year-old man – both died at the scene. Their identities were withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The driver of the minivan — later identified as 41-year-old Jessie Moralez of Indio – suffered severe injuries and was rushed to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. Moralez died at the hospital less than an hour after the crash.

Police are awaiting results of toxicology tests to determine whether drugs and/or alcohol were factors in the fatal head-on crash. Kovaleff said it would take several weeks to get those results.

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.

Palm Springs 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.

Two drivers were killed in a freeway accident on I-5 near Woodland,

Two drivers died Saturday night in a fiery freeway accident on Interstate 5 north of Woodland. Police say alcohol may have been involved.

•    An Oldsmobile was stopped in the fast lane of a freeway late at night, facing the wrong direction, with the lights turned off.

•    A Honda approached, could not see the blacked-out Oldsmobile, and crashed into it. The impact forced the Honda to roll on top of the Oldsmobile.

•    Both vehicles immediately burst into flames and were totally engulfed with the drivers trapped inside.

•    Both drivers died at the scene.

•    Police believe alcohol may have been a factor in the accident.

The fatal car accident occurred at around 11:10 p.m., at the I-5/I-505 off-ramp near Dunnigan, according to a report in the Woodland Daily Democrat.

California Highway Patrol officer Bryan Konvalin said the accident involved two vehicles that burst into flames when one of them rolled on top of the other.

Konvalin told the Daily Democrat that the CHP had received a call about a “hazardous vehicle” that was stopped in the northbound No. 1 lane.

That vehicle — later was identified as a  1998 Oldsmobile Achieva driven by 40-year-old Jorge Mora Arias of Woodland – had its lights off and was possibly facing the wrong way.

CHP officers were responding to the scene when a second vehicle — a 1992 Honda Accord driven by a 34-year-old woman from Willows — crashed into the Oldsmobile and was thrown on top of it.

Both vehicles immediately burst into flames with the drivers trapped inside. Firefighters battled the blaze, but could not get to the vehicles to rescue the trapped drivers.

Both drivers died at the scene. Police withheld the name of the Willows woman pending notification of her next of kin.

Police are investigating the accident, but said they believe alcohol may have been a factor.

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 family of an innocent victim who also died in the accident 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 family of the innocent victim can force an estate to be set up to handle the lawsuit.

Woodland Freeway 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 78-year-old man was killed in a bicycle accident in Moorpark.

A 78-year-old bicyclist was killed Thursday in a hit-and-run accident on Tierra Rejada Road near Highway 23 in Moorpark. The driver initially fled the scene.

•    An elderly bicyclist was riding on the shoulder of the road when he was hit from behind by a 20-year-old driver.

•   The bicyclist died at the scene.

•    The driver fled the scene but turned around and came back.

•    The driver was arrested on felony hit-and-run charges.

The fatal bicycle accident occurred at around 1:20 p.m., according to a Moorpark Patch news report.

California Highway Patrol officers said 78-year-old Simi Valley resident Bernard Cooper was riding a bicycle eastbound on the shoulder of Tierra Rejada Road when he was struck from behind.

Cooper died at the scene.

The driver of the vehicle — 20-year-old Nicolas Santiago of Ridgecrest – fled the scene but stopped about a mile and a half down the road, turned around, and returned to the accident site.

CHP officers arrested Santiago on charges of felony hit and run, according to a Ventura County Star report. Alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the accident.

Bicycle Accident Statistics

More than 600 cyclists were killed and an additional 52,000 were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2010, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The vast majority (72 percent) of pedalcyclist fatalities occur in urban areas; 67 percent of those fatalities occur at non-intersections.

Share the Road

Drivers of motor vehicles need to share the road with bicyclists.

The NHTSA urges motorists to be courteous—allow at least three feet clearance when passing a bicyclist on the road, look for cyclists before opening a car door or pulling out from a parking space, and yield to cyclists at intersections and as directed by signs and signals.

Be especially watchful for cyclists when making turns, either left or right.

Ride Safe

Bicyclists should increase their visibility to drivers by wearing fluorescent or brightly colored clothing during the day, dawn, and dusk.

To be noticed when riding at night, use a front light and a red reflector or flashing rear light, and use retro-reflective tape or markings on equipment or clothing.

Moorpark 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.

Three pedestrians were killed by a drunk driver in Anaheim.

Fatal pedestrian accident: A mother, daughter, and niece were struck and killed by a drunk driver Sunday night in Anaheim.

•   Three women were crossing the street after a baby shower when they were struck by a drunk driver.

•   All three women were killed in the accident.

•   The driver who hit them was arrested on charges of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter.

The deadly drunk driving accident occurred at about 11 p.m., according to an NBC News report.

Anaheim Police Sgt. Bob Dunn said the three victims — 56-year-old Carmen Mendoza, daughter Sheyla Mendoza, 21, and niece Stephanie Henriquez, also 21 — were walking home from a baby shower when the accident happened.

The women were crossing Western Avenue (at Lincoln Avenue) when they were stuck by a red four-door Honda Civic traveling northbound on Western. His rate of speed was not immediately known.

All three women were killed. Sheyla Mendoza died at the scene, according to a report in the Long Beach Press-Telegram.  The other two victims were taken to UCI Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

The driver, 40-year-old Anthony Lewis Sanchez of Buena Park, was arrested charges of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter, Dunn said.

Sanchez and his unidentified female passenger both suffered minor injuries and were taken to area hospitals to be treated. Sanchezs was booked into the Orange County Men’s Intake Release Center with bail set at $500,000. He was scheduled to appear in Central Jail Court on Monday.

Anaheim 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 the families of pedestrian accident victims for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Three family members were killed in a freeway accident on I-280 in Redwood City.

Fatal freeway accident: Three people were killed Friday after their car got a flat tire and was slammed by a speeding driver on Interstate 280 near Redwood City.

•   A family of four were en route to San Francisco International Airport when their car got a flat tire on the freeway. 

•   The driver pulled the car onto the center median and stopped.

•   A speeding SUV crashed into the car from behind, killing a mother, her son, and her daughter. 

•   The CHP said they do not suspect drugs and alcohol as factors, but the speeding driver could be arrested on vehicular manslaughter charges.

The deadly car accident occurred shortly after 3:10 p.m. just north of Edgewood Road, according to a report in the San Jose Mercury News.

California Highway Patrol Officer Art Montiel said 28 year-old  Santa Clara resident Manpreet Singh was driving several of his family members to the airport in his sister’s 1997 Lexus when one of the car’s tires flatted.

Singh drove the Lexus onto the center median, where it was slammed from behind by a Volkswagen SUV traveling “at a high rate of speed,” Montiel said.

Singh was killed in the accident, as was his mother, 48-year-old Manjit Kaur and his sister, 21-year-old Jasdeep Kaur. All of them live in Santa Clara. All were pronounced dead at the scene.

Singh’s father, 56-year-old Amarjit Singh Multani, survived the crash.

The driver of the SUV, 82-year-old G.A. Smith of San Jose, was hospitalized and underwent surgery for numerous injuries including broken ribs, Montiel said.

“No arrests have been made at this time,” Montiel said. However, a later report in the San Mateo Daily News quoted Montiel as saying that Smith would be arrested upon his release from the hospital on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter.

Montiel said the CHP does not believe that drugs and alcohol were involved. The accident remains under investigation.

Redwood City Freeway 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.