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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

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 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

A drunk driver was killed and four people were injured in a highway accident in Santee. (Video capture: Channel 10 News)

Highway crash: A drunk driver died and four other people were seriously injured Sunday night in a wrong-way accident on State Route 52 in Santee.

•    A drunk driver drove onto a highway in the wrong direction and slammed head-on into a minivan.

•    The drunk driver died instantly. 

•    A mother and her three daughters, who were in the minivan, were hospitalized with major injuries. The mother and one daughter were in critical condition.

The drunk-driving accident occurred at about 9:10 p.m., according to a Channel 10 News report.

California Highway Patrol Officer Tommy Doerr said 30-year-old Matthew Leonardo of Santee got onto State Route 52 driving the wrong direction. He was driving a 2012 Ford Focus westbound  in the eastbound lanes of State Route 52 when the accident happened.

The Ford Focus slammed head-on into an oncoming 2001 Dodge Caravan driven by the 45-year-old Alisa Cunningham of Spring Valley, whose husband Will Cunningham is the boys varsity basketball coach at Cathedral Catholic High School. Three of their daughters — Taylor, Jayden, and Logan – were in the minivan.

The vehicles were traveling  65 to 70 mph when they crashed. Doerr said Leonardo, who “had the distinct odor of an alcoholic beverage about him,” was killed instantly.

Alisa Cunningham and all three of her daughters were rushed to Sharp Memorial Hospital and were scheduled to undergo surgery for multiple broken bones. The mother and 17-year-old Taylor, who was named Miss San Diego’s Outstanding Teen 2013, were listed in critical condition. Jayden and Logan were listed in stable condition.

Taylor was riding in the front passenger seat and suffered severe head injuries. She remained unconscious as doctors attempted to reduce the swelling on her brain, according to the Channel 10 video report.

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 Diego Highway Accident Lawyers

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.

An elderly woman was killed in West Covina when street racers crashed into a minivan in which she was riding.

Two suspected street racers were arrested for murder after causing a car accident on Christmas night that killed a 90-year-old woman in West Covina.

•   Two men were street racing and ran a red light. One of them slammed into a Dodge van. The other fled the scene.

•   A 90-year-old woman was riding in the van in a secured wheelchair. She was ejected on impact and died at the scene.

•   The victim’s son, who was driving the van, suffered serious head injuries and was hospitalized.

•   Both of the racing drivers were arrested on murder charges. The one who hit the van also was charged with felony drunk driving. 

The fatal drunk driving accident occurred at 9 p.m., according to a report in the San Bernardino Sun.

West Covina police Lt. Jerry Pearman said 30-year-old Vincent Lopez of Rialto was street racing in a Mitsubishi Eclipse at the time of the deadly crash.

Lopez was racing against a Ford Escort driven by 34-yearold Victor Hugo Sanchez, also of Rialto, Pearman said.

The two vehicles were racing southbound on Lark Ellen Avenue from Cameron Avenue, according to witnesses, when they ran a red light at high speed. The Mitsubishi broadsided a Dodge Caravan that was traveling eastbound on Merced Avenue, Pearman said.

“At the time of the accident, the two were still racing,”  West Covina police Cpl. Rudy Lopez told  CBS News. “Only one of the vehicles collided into the van. The other driver actually took off and went eastbound on Merced, and left the scene.”

The Dodge Caravan was driven by 72-year-old Jaime Ochoa, who was taking his mother — 90-year-old Celia La Torre of West Covina — home from Queen of the Valley Hospital, according to a CBS News report. La Torre was seated in a wheelchair that was secured inside the van.

When the Mitsubishi plowed into the Dodge van, La Torre was ejected from the vehicle. She died at the scene. Ochoa suffered a serious head injury and was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

Lopez sustained a broken leg. He was arrested at the scene on charges of drunk driving and murder. He was then taken to Queen of the Valley Hospital, where he remained hospitalized. His passenger fled the scene on foot but was found nearby and questioned by police, Pearman said.

Sanchez was arrested Wednesday in Pomona. He was charged with murder.

Investigators said both men had been drinking in a bar in the 200 block of South Glendora Avenue less than an hour before the accident. Their bail was set at $1 million apiece, according to the Sun.

West Covina 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 was killed after his Smart Car was hit twice on Interstate 210 in Claremont.

Fatal freeway accident: An Upland man was killed Wednesday after his Smart Car was struck first by a drunk driver and then by another vehicle on the I-210 freeway in Claremont.

•   A drunk driver in an Infiniti hit a Smart Car on the freeway. The Smart Car was disabled in the fast lane without working lights.

•   A few moments later, a Toyota crashed into the disabled vehicle from behind; the Smart Car driver died at the scene.

•   The Infiniti driver was arrested for drunk driving.

The tragic car accident occurred shortly before 2:45 a.m., according to a report in the Upland Daily Bulletin.

California Highway Patrol Officer Anthony Martin said 62-year-old Upland resident Antonio Sanchez was driving a Smart Car eastbound on I-210 when he was struck by a 2003 Infiniti G35.

The driver of the Infinity, 50-year-old Sterling Cross, also of Upland, was driving under the influence of alcohol. He managed to get his vehicle over to the shoulder after the accident.

The Smart Car was disabled by the accident, however, and was stuck in the fast lane without working lights. Shortly thereafter, a 1996 Toyota Camry crashed into the disabled vehicle.

Sanchez died at the scene, coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter told the Claremont-LaVerne Patch news site.  The driver of the Camry, 55-year- old James Laurence of Fontana, suffered moderate injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The CHP officer at the scene notice that Cross appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, so he administered a field sobriety test. Cross was then arrested on drunken driving charges and was booked into the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Claremont 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 dworng-way drunk driver caused a fatal crash on I-710 in Long Beach. (Photo: KABC)

A 27-year-old woman was killed in a car accident Friday night when a drunk driver drove the wrong way and caused a multi-car collision on the 710 freeway in Long Beach.

•   A drunk driver drove onto the freeway in the wrong direction and crashed into two oncoming vehicles.

•   The driver of one of the struck vehicles died at the scene. Two other victims were hospitalized with major injuries.

•   The drunk driver tried to run away on foot, but witnesses chased him down and held him until police arrived.

•   The drunk driver was arrested for driving under the influence, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and hit and run causing death or injury.

The fatal DUI crash occurred north of Anaheim Street at about 10 p.m., according to an ABC News report.

Long Beach police said 33-year-old Derrick Armstrong of Buena Park drove a white 1997 Chevy Tahoe up the the Broadway Avenue off-ramp and onto the southbound lanes of the freeway — traveling northbound — according to the LA Daily News.

Continuing to drive the wrong way on the freeway, Armstrong’s vehicle struck two oncoming cars: a gray 1987 Honda Accord and a white 2010 Toyota Corolla.

A passenger in the Honda,  27 year-old Tricia Esmond Cade, died at the scene.

The driver of the Honda, a 26-year-old Long Beach woman, was pinned in the vehicle and had to be extricated  by the Long Beach Fire Department. She suffered major injuries and was transported to a local hospital.

The driver of the Toyota, a 26-year-old man from Long Beach, also was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital. His injuries were not life-threatening, police said.

Witnesses said Armstrong got out of his car and attempted to flee the scene on foot, but they ran after him and detained him until police arrived. Armstrong was arrested for driving under the influence, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and hit and run causing death or injury. He was booked into the Long Beach City Jail where he was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Long Beach 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 passenger in a Jeep was killed when the driver ran a red light and was struck by a school bus in Rancho Cordova. (Photos: Channel 10 News)

Fatal car accident: One person was killed and two others injured Tuesday when a Jeep ran a red light and collided with a school bus in a rural area of Rancho Cordova, about 17 miles east of downtown Sacramento.

Police suspect the driver of the Jeep was under the influence of alcohol.

•   A drunk driver ina Jeep Cherokee ran a red light at a busy intersection and was broadsided by an empty school bus.

•   A passenger in the Jeep was killed. The bus driver was hospitalized with minor to moderate injuries.

•   The Jeep driver sustained major injuries and was expected to be arrested for drunk driving.

The accident occurred at about 3:50 p.m., according to a report in the Sacramento Bee.

California Highway Patrol Officer Jasper Begay said a 1996 Jeep Cherokee, driven by a 50-year-old woman whose identity was not released, was traveling westbound on Jackson Highway at the time of the accident.

The Jeep ran a red light at Sunrise Boulevard. An Elk Grove Unified School District bus was traveling southbound on Sunrise and could not stop in time to avoid slamming into the passenger side of the Jeep.

The male passenger riding in the front seat of the Jeep — later identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s office as 66-year-old Lawrence Perez of Sacramento – was killed on impact. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Jeep suffered major injuries and was taken to a hospital to be treated. Begay said the woman would be arrested on drunk driving charges.

The school bus driver was hospitalized with minor to moderate injuries, Begay said. There were no passengers on the bus.

 Sacramento 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 31-year-old passenger was killed in a DUI crash on Highway 36 in Bridgeville (45 miles from Eureka).

A 31-year-old passenger was killed in a drunk driving accident Tuesday night when the driver lost control and drove off of Highway 36 in Bridgeville, 45 miles southeast of Eureka.

•   A drunk driver lost control of her pickup truck on a narrow mountain highway and drove off the road.

•   The truck rolled down an embankment, ejecting the passenger. He died at the scene. 

•   The drunk driver sustained moderate injuries. She was treated at a hospital and then booked into the county jail on charges of driving under the influence and manslaughter.

The fatal solo-vehicle car accident occurred at around 9:40 p.m., according to an article in the Eureka Times-Standard.

The California Highway Patrol report said that 35-year-old Jennifer Lynn Diloreto of Hydesville was under the influence of alcohol when she drove a white Toyota pickup truck eastbound on State Route 36 with the victim in the passenger seat.

Diloreto’s pickup truck crossed over into the westbound lane for unknown reasons and then went off of the left (north) shoulder of the highway. The truck rolled down an embankment onto the rocky riverbank below, the CHP report stated.

Diloreto’s passenger was ejected from the truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office later confirmed his identity as 31-year-old Jason Molter of Lake Elsinore.

Diloreto suffered moderate injuries and was transported by ground ambulance to Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna, about halfway between Bridgeville and Eureka. She was treated at the hospital and then booked into the Humboldt County Jail on charges of driving under the influence and manslaughter, the CHP report said.

Assistant District Attorney Kelly Neel said Diloreto was arrested on drunk driving charges in 2011 with a blood alcool level almost twice the legal limit. Dilorteto failed to complete a multiple offender course as ordered by the court, Neel said. A bench warrant for her arrest on the 2011 DUI charge was active at the time of Tuesday’s crash.

The multiple offender status stemmed from an arrest for possession of marijuana in 2008, according to court documents. Diloreto completed a program following that arrest and those charges were dismissed.

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