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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 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

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

Two people were killed in a wrong-way freeway crash in Beaumont.

Fatal freeway accident: Two people were killed early Sunday when a man fleeing another accident drove the wrong way on Interstate 10 and crashed head-on into another vehicle in Beaumont.

•     A hit-and-run driver got on the I-10 freeway going in the wrong direction while he was fleeing from an accident.

•     The driver slammed head-on into a pickup truck. The truck burst into flames.

•     Both the hit-and-run driver and the pickup truck driver died at the scene. A third person was hospitalized with major injuries.

The deadly car accident occurred at about 1:30 a.m., according to a report in the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

California Highway Patrol officials said 23-year-old Francisco Hernandez of Highland was fleeing the scene of an accident when he drove a 2012 Toyota TC westbound onto the eastbound lanes of I-10 in Beaumont.

Hernandez crashed into an oncoming 2004 GMC Sierra pickup truck about four-tenths of a mile east of the Brookside Avenue overcrossing.

The pickup truck burst into flames. By the time authorities arrived, the truck was fully engulfed by the blaze, CHP officials said. The driver, who was badly burned, died at the scene. The coroner’s office was attempting to identify him by DNA or dental records, Sgt. Brent Sechrest of the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s office told the Banning-Beaumont Patch news site.

Hernandez also died at the scene.

A third person was hospitalized with major injuries. Authorities did not release that victim’s identity. It was not clear which car that person was riding in.

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.

Beaumont Freeway Accident Lawyers

A limo driver was involved in two crashes, one fatal, in Los Angeles. (Photos: KTLA)

A limo driver fled the scene of a non-injury crash Wednesday and then minutes later was involved in a fatal car accident about a half-mile away in Los Angeles.

•     A limo driver was involved in a hit-and-run accident and moments later ran a stoplight and caused a four-car accident about a half-mile away.

•     Four vehicles were involved in the second crash. Four people and seven dogs were injured.

•     The limo driver was taken to a hospital. Toxicology tests were ordered to determine if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The deadly accident occurred shortly after 1:35 p.m., according to a KTLA News report.

Los Angeles Police Sgt. Mike Zaboski said the limousine was first involved in a non-injury accident near Riverside Drive and Fulton Avenue at about 1:35 p.m. and drove away from the scene.

One report suggested that the limo driver was chasing the other driver in the first accident, while another report said the limo driver reported he was being chased by a man with a gun, possible from the first accident.

Officers are investigating the possibility that the limo driver ran a red light at Fulton Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard, causing a four-car crash with a Lexus sedan and two minivans.

One of the drivers, a 36-year-old man driving a Lexus, was killed in the accident. His name was not released.

The drivers of both of the minivans also were injured, as were seven dogs riding in one of the minivans.

The limo driver was not arrested at the scene. He was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries. Police said toxicology tests would be conducted to determine whether the limo driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyers

An 8-year-old girl was hit by an arrow during a school field trip in Berkeley. (Photo: ABC News)

An 8-year-old girl was hit in the leg by a 20-inch crossbow arrow Tuesday during a school field trip to the Lawrence Hall of Science in the Berkeley hills.

•       An 8-year-old girl was on school field trip to the Lawrence Hall of Science when she was hit in the leg by an arrow while playing outside the museum.

•       The 20-inch arrow pierced all the way through her leg but missed major arteries.  Surgery to remove the arrow was successful.

•       Police are trying to find out where the arrow came from.

The school accident occurred at about 10:10 a.m., according to a report in the Contra Costa Times.

UC Berkeley police Captain Steve Roderick said Nadine Hairston was climbing a replica of a whale in a play area outside the museum when the arrow flew through the air and pierced her leg.

Firefighter paramedics treated the girl at the scene and then rushed her to Children’s Hospital in Oakland, where she underwent surgery to remove the arrow.

Fortunately, the arrow had pierced through a fleshy part of the girl’s leg and did not hit any major arteries, according to an ABC News report.

Berkeley police are investigating the accident. There have been reports of other wayward arrows in the neighborhood, but where they came from is not known.

“It’s certainly possible that it just might be an accident,” Berkeley Police Sgt. Andrew Tucker told ABC News. “A careless accident at the very least, but it could also be considered a violent felony.”

Police found other arrows in the vicinity, but none of them matched the crossbow arrow that hit the 8-year-old girl.

Berkeley School Accident Lawyers

An off-duty border patrol agent was killed in a car accident in El Centro. (Photo: Joselito Villero | Imperial Valley Press)

A 26-year-old border patrol agent was killed in a car accident Friday near El Centro. The off-duty agent was on his way to work.

•     A border patrol agent was on his way to work when he approached a four-way stop intersection.  

•     A Ford SUV traveling on the other road broadsided the agent’s vehicle. Both overturned.

•     The agent was ejected and died at the scene. The other driver was hospitalized.

The fatal accident occurred Friday afternoon at Bowker and McCabe roads, just southeast of El Centro, according to a report in the Imperial Valley Press.

The agent, 26-year-old Francisco Puga of Calexico (on the U.S. side of the border) was driving a 2005 Kia Rio northbound on Bowker Road, approaching the stop sign at McCabe Road.

A 2005 Ford Expedition traveling westbound on McCabe Road broadsided the Kia Rio, hitting the small SUV on the right side. The impact caused both vehicles to roll over, the CHP report said.

Puga, who reportedly was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from his vehicle and suffered fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Ford Expedition, a 43-year-old woman from Mexicali (on the Mexico side of the border), sustained serious injuries and was taken to El Centro Regional Medical Center to be treated. The extent and severity of her injuries was not immediately known.

Puga had been with the Border Patrol for about seven years, according to Lombardo Amaya, union president of National Border Patrol Council Local 2554.

The intersection of Bowker and McCabe roads, where this accident occurred, is considered by locals to be very dangerous, according to the news report. Past CHP reports indicate that it is considered a four-way stop, but the only stop signs are on Bowker Road.

Roadway defects such as improper signage create dangerous road conditions that can lead to accidents, catastrophic injuries, and even death.

El Centro Car Acccident Lawyers

Unsafe passing led to a fatal four-car crash in Laton.

Fatal crash: Police expect to charge a woman with vehicular manslaughter after her unsafe passing move caused a fatal four-car accident Friday night on Highway 43 near Fresno.

•    A woman in a BMW tried to pass another car on a two-lane rural highway and crashed into three oncoming vehicles.

•    The driver of one of the vehicles she hit died at the scene. Three other victims, including a 3-year-old boy, were hospitalized.

•    The BMW driver was hospitalized in critical condition and will face vehicular manslaughter charges.

The deadly rural highway accident occurred just after 9 p.m., according to the Hanford Sentinel.

California Highway Patrol officials reported that Rocklin resident Victoria Robinson was driving a 2000 Lexus GS 300 southbound on Highway 43 at the time of the accident.

Rocklin attempted to pass another vehicle about a quarter-mile north of Cairo Avenue and drove into the northbound lane.

The CHP said that 55-year-old Richard Martin of Hanford, who was driving a 1991 GMC pickup truck northbound on the highway, pulled over to the shoulder to avoid a head-on collision. But BMW sideswiped the pickup truck, which then overturned and hit a telephone pole. Martin reportedly was not injured.

Robinson kept driving in the northbound lane and crashed head-on into an oncoming 2008 Mazda 3 driven by 31-year-old Arthur Lara of Selma. Lara died at the scene.

A 2012 Chevy Malibu was traveling directly behind the Mazda. The driver of the Malibu, 32-year-old Matthew Yaskow of Lemoore, tried to brake but couldn’t avoid crashing into Lara’s car.

The three vehicles burst into flames. Passing motorists stopped to help and were able to get some of the people out of the vehicles.

A 3-year-old boy who was riding in the backseat of the Mazda suffered serious head injuries and was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. CHP Officer Brad Simpson later said that the boy had undergone surgery at Children’s Hospital Central California and was expected “to be fine.”

Yaskow and his female passenger suffered minor injuries and were taken to Hanford Community Medical Center to be treated.

Robinson sustained major injuries and was airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center,where she was listed in critical condition. Police said she will be charged with vehicular manslaughter.

Fresno Car Accident Lawyers

An elderly woman on a scooter was hit by a golf cart at Leisure World in Seal Beach.

Pedestrian accident: A 93-year-old woman on a motorized scooter was hospitalized Tuesday after she was hit by a golf cart at Leisure World in Seal Beach.

•    A 93-year-old woman on a motorized scooter was crossing the street in a crosswalk.

•    A golf cart failed to stop and crashed into the woman.

•    The woman was hospitalized with major injuries.

The accident occurred shortly before 11:30 a.m., according to a report in the Orange County Register.

The victim was in a crosswalk on St. Andrews Drive, north of Tam O’Shanter Road, when a golf cart failed to stop and struck her.

Police said the elderly woman suffered “very serious injuries” and was taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital to be treated.

The driver of the golf cart was not immediately arrested, but the accident remains under investigation. Police are urging anyone with information about the accident to contact traffic investigator Joe Garcia at 562-799-4100, Ext. 1649.

Pedestrian Accident Statistics

More than 4,000 pedestrians are killed every year — 11 every day — after being struck by motor vehicles, according to the latest National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics. An additional 59,000 are seriously injured.

The latest NHTSA figures show that:

• 69 percent of pedestrians killed in 2009 were males.
• Almost three out of every four pedestrian fatalities occur in urban areas (72 percent).
• The top four states for pedestrian fatalities are California, Florida, Texas, and New York. These four states make up 41 percent of pedestrian fatalities nationwide while only accounting for 5 percent of the total traffic fatalities across the country.
• Nearly one-half (48 percent) of all pedestrian fatalities occurred on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — 70 percent occur at night (4 p.m. to 4 a.m.).

Alcohol is a major factor in pedestrian deaths, according to the non-profit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In 2009, 37 percent of fatally injured pedestrians 16 and older had blood alcohol concentrations at or above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Fifteen percent of drivers involved in pedestrian deaths had blood alcohol levels at or above the legal limit.

California Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

A mother and her two sons were killed by a drunk driver in Daly City. (Video capture: ABC News)

A Sunnyvale man is being held without bail on triple homicide charges after a drunk driving accident killed a mother and her two sons Saturday night in Daly City. A fourth victim was critically injured.

•   A 28-year-old man drank for several hours with friends and then got behind the wheel of a BMW, rear-ended another car, and sped away on city streets at 60 mph.

•   The BMW then T-boned a Toyota, killing a mother and her two sons, and critically injuring a fourth person.

•   The drunk driver, who is being held without bail, was charged with three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, felony DUI causing great bodily injury, and misdemeanor hit-and-run.

The fatal car accident occurred shortly after 8 p.m., according to a CBS News report. 

Assistant District Attorney Al Serrato said 28-year-old Sunnyvale resident Denis Pereirade Macedo drank heaviily for nearly five hours before he got behind the wheel and rear-ended another vehicle at a stop sign on Eastmoor Avenue.

Macedo then drove around the vehicle and fled the scene in his BMW, heading west on Eastmoor at a speed of up to 60 mph, Serrato said.

A few seconds later, Macedo T-boned a Toyota Tercel that was making a U-turn. The driver of the Tercel, 50-year-old Josefa Osorio Acevedo, was killed, along with her two sons, 23-year-old Amado Osorio Acevedo and 15-year-old Josue Osorio.

Another passenger in the car, Amado Acevedo’s girlfriend, 20-year-old Sarah Sangraw of Daly City, was hospitalized with major injuries, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report. She remained in the hospital on Tuesday.

Macedo was arrested and booked into the San Mateo County jail, where he is being held without bail. His blood alcohol level at the time of the accident was 0.18 percent, Serrato said. That is more than double the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

The drunk driver was charged with three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence, felony DUI causing great bodily injury, and misdemeanor hit-and-run, Serrato said.

According to the San Mateo County Times, Macedo was already on probation for a Santa Clara County drunk driving conviction when the crash happened.

Daly City Wrongful Death Lawyers