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A driver was killed when her car was T-boned by another driver who ran a red light in El Cajon. (Photo: CBS8)

Fatal car accident: A 36-year-old woman was killed Thursday when her car was broadsided by another driver who ran a red light in El Cajon.

•   At an El Cajon intersection where red-light cameras have been disabled, a motorist in an Acura ran the light and broadsided a Chevrolet sedan. 

•   The impact toppled the Chevy onto its side.

•   The driver of the Chevy died at the scene.

The deadly traffic accident occurred shortly before 6:30 a.m. at the intersection of  East Washington and South Mollison avenues, according to a CBS Channel 8 News report.

El Cajon Police Lt. Frank La Haye said El Cajon resident Nicole Hay, 36, as driving a Chevrolet Sonic southbound on Mollison Avenue when she entered the intersection at East Washington Avenue on a green light.

A westbound Acura Integra, driven by a 43-year-old El Cajon woman whose identity was not immediately released, ran a red light on Washington Avenue and slammed into the side of Hay’s car. The impact knocked the Sonic over onto the driver’s side.

Hay died at the scene.

The driver of the Integra was seriously injured. Witnesses at the scene administered first aid until paramedics arrived, when the woman was taken to a hospital to be treated. Lt. La Haye said her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

The intersection was previously monitored by red light cameras, but the cameras were covered in canvas at the time of the accident. According to the CBS report, the city council recently voted to shut off some of the cameras, and the intersection where this fatal accident took place was one of those affected.

 El Cajon Car Accident Lawyers

An SUV ran a stoplight and caused a fatal accident in Oakdale. (Photos; Modesto Bee)

Fatal car accident: A Turlock man was killed Monday when his car was broadsided by an SUV that ran a stop sign on Bentley Road in Oakdale.

•     An SUV ran a stop sign on a rural road and slammed into the driver’s side of a Toyota Corolla.

•     The driver of the Corolla died at the scene.

•     CHP officers said neither drugs nor alcohol were involved in the accident.

The deadly accident occurred at about 7 a.m., according to an ABC Channel 10 News report.

California Highway Patrol officer Eric Parsons said 22-year-old Oakdale resident Oscar Ibarra was driving a Jeep Compass northbound on Bentley Road when he drove through the stop sign at Claribel Road.

The Jeep slammed into the driver’s side of a 1999 Toyota Corolla driven by a 46-year-old Oakdale man.

The impact forced both vehicles through a fence and into a cattle pasture on the northwest corner of Claribel and Bentley, according to a report in the Modesto Bee.

The driver of the Toyota died at the scene. His identity was not immediately released.

Parsons said neither drugs nor alcohol were believed to be a factor in the crash. Both drivers were wearing seat belts.

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

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 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

One teen was killed and two others injured in a single-car highway accident in Napa.

Rural highway accident: A 19-year-old died and two other teens were seriously injured Sunday afternoon when their car went off the road and down an embankment on Highway 21 in Napa County.

•    A group of teens was returning from a trip to Lake Berryessa when their car went off the road and rolled down an embankment.

•    The car landed on its roof in a creek. The teens were trapped inside.

•    One of the passengers died. The driver and another passenger were hospitalized with serious injuries.

•    Police said alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

The fatal car accident occurred around 1:30 p.m., according to a report in the Vallejo Times-Herald.

The teens were traveling southbound on Montecello Road — part of Highway 121 — in a 1984 Honda Civic driven by 18-year-old Adam Luzzi of Fairfield.

The Honda was part of a car caravan comprised of friends who were returning home from a trip to Lake Berryessa.

Luzzi lost control of the Honda for unknown reasons and the car went off the road about a mile south of Circle Oaks Drive, said California Highway Patrol Officer Garrett Ray.

The Honda rolled over and landed on its roof about 40 feet below the road in a creek, according to a report in the Napa Valley Register.

A CHP officer who was on patrol in the area noticed a group of people from the caravan, who had gotten out of their vehicles and were walking down the embankment to try to help their friends.

The CHP officer called authorities and then climbed down the embankment to try to help the victims, who were trapped in the overturned Honda.

One of the passengers, 19-year-old Cody Dalen, died at the scene.

Luzzi sustained major injuries and was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa. He was listed in stable condition Monday morning. Another passenger, 17-year-old Antonio Del Castillo of Fairfield, suffered moderate injuries. He also was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center, but was no longer in the hospital Monday morning.

Officer Ray said there was no indication that alcohol was a factor and that investigators were looking into whether excess speed may have been involved.

Napa Highway 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 people were killed in a head-on crash on Twentynine Palms Highway in Morongo Valley.

Fatal highway accident: Two drivers were killed Monday afternoon in a head-on collision on Twentynine Palms Highway in Morongo Valley.

•   A BMW sedan crossed the center lines on a rural highway and veered into oncoming traffic.

•   The BMW crashed head-on into an oncoming SUV.

•   Both drivers died at the scene.

The deadly car accident occurred in the afternoon near near Ole Street, according to a news report in the High Desert Star.

A BMW sedan was traveling westbound on Twentynine Palms Highway when the driver, a 50-year-old Anaheim Hills man, crossed the center lines and veered into  the eastbound lanes.

The BMW crashed head-on into an oncoming  Toyota sports utility vehicle, driven by a 54-year-old woman from Morongo Valley. The SUV rolled over onto the south shoulder.

Both drivers were trapped in their vehicles and were pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident remains under investigation.

Ask the personal injury lawyer: 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.

Morongo Valley Highway 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.