Tag

A hit-and-run driver ran a red light and caused a fatal multi-car accident in Temecula. (Photo: SWRNN)

Fatal hit-and-run crash:  Police arrested a Menifee man on vehicular homicide charges after he ran a red light, caused a fatal accident, and fled the scene Monday in Temecula.

•   A driver in a pickup truck ran a red light and crashed into two cars in an intersection in front of a shopping center.

•   The truck driver fled the scene.

•   One woman was killed and two others were seriously injured in the hit-and-run crash. 

•   Police caught and arrested the hit-and-run driver, who was treated for injuries and released. He was charged with vehicular homicide and felony hit-and-run.

The deadly car accident occurred at about 2:45 p.m. at the intersection of Rancho California Road and Town Center, according to a Valley News report.

Witnesses told police that a man — later identified as 63-year-old Travis Hughes Braswell of Menifee — was driving a pickup truck westbound on Rancho California Road when he ran a red light at the Town Center shopping area.

The truck slammed into a gold Pontiac, and then spun out of control and crashed into a gold Saturn. Braswell fled the scene.

The woman driving the Pontiac, 27-year-old Sharina Thomason of Escondido, suffered deadly injuries was taken to a nearby hospital in “full arrest,” Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Jody Hagemann told the Southwest Riverside News Network. Thomason was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Two other victims were taken to hospitals to be treated for moderate and minor injuries, Hagemann said.

Police found Braswell in the shopping center. He was transported to a local hospital to be treated, and then arrested on vehicular homicide and felony hit-and-run charges.  Police booked Braswell into the Southwest Detention Center.

The accident remains under investigation. Anyone with further information is urged to contact the Temecula Police Department at 951-696-3000.

Temecula Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyers

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.

A Caltrans worker was critically injured by a hit-and-run drunk driver on Riverside.

Police caught and arrested a hit-and-run drunk driver who struck and critically injured a Caltrans worker Monday night on Highway 91 in Riverside.

•  A Caltrans worker was setting out cones in an area between Highway 91 and an offramp when a drunk driver veered off the road and hit him.

•   The motorist fled the scene but was caught and arrested about a mile away.

•   The victim suffered critical injuries.

•   The hit-and-run driver was charged with  felony hit and run, DUI causing great bodily injury, and driving without a license.

The pedestrian accident occurred at about 9:30 p.m., according to a report in the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

California Highway Patrol officials said a 37-year-old Caltrans worker, whose name was not released, was setting out traffic cones in the area between westbound Highway 91 and the 14th Street offramp at the time of the accident.

The suspect, 30-year-old Enrique Lopez Lopez of Moreno Valley, veered onto the right shoulder, struck the worker and fled the scene, the CHP said.

“He never attempted to stop or hit the brakes,” Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga told the Press-Enterprise. “The other worker just heard a thud and saw his partner slide across the ground while the driver just kept on going.”

The victim suffered critical injuries and remained hospitalized.

Riverside police found Lopez about a mile away, near Central Avenue . He was stopped in a 1996 Honda Accord with major front-end damage.

Police arrested him on charges of felony hit and run, DUI causing great bodily injury, and driving without a license. He was booked into booked at Robert Presley Detention Center, according to an ABC News report. His bail was set at $50,000.

The victim was an Azusa resident who was working for Lake Forest-based SEMA Construction, the Caltrans contractor on the Highway 91 carpool lane project.

Riverside 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 pedestrian 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 truck driver was arrested on DUI hit-and-run charges after he hit a Prius, severely injured the driver, and fled the scene in San Diego. (Video captures: CBS8 News)

A  meat truck driver was arrested Tuesday in San Diego after he slammed into a Prius, severely injured the driver, and fled the scene on foot. He faces DUI and hit-and-run charges.

•   A meat delivery truck driver slammed into a Prius and then jumped out of his vehicle and ran away on foot.

•  The driver of the Prius was hospitalized with severe face, neck and back injuries. 

•   Police tracked down the fleeing driver at a gas station a couple of miles away and arrested him on felony drunk driving and hit-and-run charges.

The drunk driving accident occurred at  at 11 p.m. Tuesday in the 3400 block of Sports Arena Boulevard, according to an ABC Channel 10 News report.

Police said the Prime Selections delivery truck was traveling southbound when it rear-ended a black Toyota Prius, launching the hybrid car several feet down the road.

The woman who was driving the Prius suffered major injuries to her face, back, and neck. She was taken to a local hospital.

Witnesses told CBS 8 News the truck driver jumped out of his vehicle and ran away.

Preliminary reports indicate that the fleeing hit-and-run driver ran at least a couple of miles away and crossed a freeway to get to a gas station on Tecolote Road and Morena Boulevard. He reportedly asked an employee there to make a phone call for him.

Police tracked the man to the gas station and arrested him there on felony drunk driving and hit-and-run charges.

Authorities say the suspect also may have been involved in a stabbing. The investigation into that incident as well as the hit-and-run accident is ongoing.

San Diego 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 hit-and-run driver was arrested after striking and injuring a cyclist in Imperial Beach.

A suspected drunk driver was arrested Saturday in Imperial Beach after she fled the scene of a bicycle accident and then returned on foot.

•   A drunk driver hit a bicyclist near her home and then fled the scene in her vehicle.

•   The cyclist was hospitalized with serious injuries.

•   The hit-and-run driver returned to the scene on foot and witnesses identified her.

•   The driver was arrested for felony drunk driving and hit-and-run.

The hit-and-run crash occurred at  about 7:15 p.m., according to a CBS 8 News report.

San Diego County sheriff’s Lt. Scott Amos said a male cyclist, whose identity was not disclosed, was struck by a gold SUV at the intersection of 11th Street and Elm Avenue.

The driver fled the scene in her vehicle.

The bicyclist suffered serious injuries and was transported to UCSD Medical Center for treatment.

Witnesses called the sheriff’s office with information about the vehicle and the driver. While investigators were at the scene, the woman who had been driving the car returned to the scene on foot.

“Witnesses pointed that person out and deputies arrested them for felony drunk driving and hit-and-run,” Amos said.

The driver, who was identified as 49-year-old Linda Jean Stallings, lives on 11th Street very near the accident scene. Authorities did not say why she returned to the scene.

Imperial Beach 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 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 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.

Six people were injured when a wrong-way driver crashed into two cars on State Route 94 in San Diego.

Freeway crash: Six people were injured Saturday night when a wrong-way driver crashed into two cars on the State Route 94 freeway in Lemon Grove, about 8 miles from downtown San Diego. The driver carjacked another vehicle before he was arrested.

•   A 65-year-old driver, who apparently was on drugs, drove the wrong way on the freeway and crashed into three vehicles.

•   Six people were injured and taken to hospitals.

•   The wrong-way driver ran away on foot and then allegedly carjacked a Cadillac to try to escape.

 •   Police arrested the driver on charges of felony hit-and-run and driving under the influence of drugs. 

The car accident occurred between 7:20 and 7:50 p.m., according to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The California Highway Patrol said motorists first reported the wrong-way driver at 7:23 p.m., when they spotted a dark Ford Mustang traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of State Route 94 — also known as the Martin Luther King Jr. freeway -near Massachusetts Avenue in Lemon Grove.

California Highway Patrol officer John Alvarez said the Mustang, driven by 65-year-old Selven Parson of Valley Center — crashed into another car and then hit an SUV at Federal Boulevard about three minutes later.

One of the passengers in the SUV said her husband was driving the vehicle eastbound when Parson’s Mustang, spun out and slammed into the SUV. The impact sent the SUV out of control. It crashed into guardrails on both sides of the freeway before it finally came to a rest, she told the Union-Tribune.

Alzarez said that six family members in the SUV were transported to hospitals to be treated for injuries they suffered in the accident. He said the driver of the first car that Parson crashed into was not injured.

A third vehicle ran into some debris left by the first two crashes, but no injuries were reported in that collision.

San Diego police said Parson jumped out of the disabled Mustang, ran down the freeway ramp, and tried to get away in another driver’s Cadillac. The Union-Tribune reported:

[Parson] allegedly jumped into a woman’s Cadillac, threatened her with a screwdriver and forced her to drive him along Federal for several blocks, San Diego police said. Then he got out and tried to hide under a parked truck, but a police helicopter crew using infrared discovered his hiding place, police said.

Parson was arrested at 7:50 p.m. and will face charges of felony hit-and-run and driving under the influence of drugs, Alvarez said.

San Diego 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.

Four people were injured when a drunk driver ran through a stop sign at this intersection in Tulare and struck another vehicle.

Four people were injured in a drunk driving accident Thursday morning when the driver ran a stop sign and crashed into another vehicle just outside the Tulare city limits. The driver fled the scene but was found and arrested.

•   A 21-year-old driver under the influence of both alcohol and drugs ran a stop sign, crashed into another vehicle, and fled the scene.

•   The other driver and three passengers were seriously injured. 

•   Police found the drunk driver at the home of one of the injured passengers and arrested him on charges of  felony hit-and-run and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

The hit-and-run crash occurred at 2:45 a.m. at the intersection of Enterprise Street and Tulare Avenue, according to a report in the Visalia Times-Delta.

California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Harris said 21-year-old Mark Holguin Jr. of Tulare was driving a 2006 Mitsubishi Gallant northbound on Enterprise Street under the influence of both alcohol and drugs at the time of the accident.

He ran the stop sign at Tulare Avenue and crashed into a 2012 Chevrolet Cruise driven by 26-year-old Jon Dillon, also of Tulare, Harris said. Holguin fled the scene.

Dillon suffered relatively minor injuries and was transported via ground ambulance to Kaweah Delta Medical Center to be treated. Two passengers suffered major injuries, according to the CHP report.

One of Holguin’s passengers — 22-year-old Rudy Tostarenteria  – suffered a broken pelvis, a back injury, and additional cuts and bruises.  Another passenger — 26-year-old Ashley Perry, suffered a large cut to her head, a collapsed lung, and additional cuts and bruises. She may have been a passenger in Dillon’s car, but the Times-Delta report was not clear on that.

Tostarenteria and Perry were transported to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, where Tostareteria was listed in serious condition. Information on Perry’s condition was not available.

Another passenger in Holguin’s vehicle — 20-year-olf Patrick Ragland — suffered scrapes and bruises. Police officers found Holguin and Ragland’s home after the accident. Holguin was arrested and taken into custody on charges of felony hit-and-run and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Tulare 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.

Police arrested a Vallejo man for a hit-and-run accident that killed a 17-year-old driver on Lakeville Road in Petaluma.

Police arrested a man Monday for a hit-and-run accident that killed a 17-year-old driver near Petaluma.

•  A Ford pickup truck careened off of a two-lane road, down an embankment, and back onto the road facing oncoming traffic.

•   The Ford truck slammed into the driver’s side of an oncoming GMC truck, killing its 17-year-old driver. 

•   The Ford truck driver got out of his wrecked truck, looked into the GMC truck, saw the deceased teen, and fled the scene on foot.

•   Ten hours later, the Ford driver turned himself in to the CHP and was arrested on felony hit-and-run and manslaughter charges.

The fatal car accident occurred at 12:15 a.m., according to a report in the Napa Valley Register.

California Highway Patrol Officer Jon Sloat said a 1969 Ford pickup truck, driven by a man who was later identified as 41-year-old Michael Scott Harmon of Vallejo, was traveling southbound on Lakeville Road when it ran off the roadway just south of the Stage Gulch Road and struck an embankment.

Harmon lost control of his vehicle, swerved back onto the road into oncoming traffic, and slammed into the driver’s side of a northbound 1985 GMC pickup truck.

The violent impact killed the GMC truck driver, 17-year-old Jahzeel Forsen of American Canyon.

A witness told CHP officers that Harmon got out of his truck, walked over to the GMC truck, and looked inside at the deceased teen, according to the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat. Harmon then ran away on foot, leaving his wrecked truck at the scene.

Sloat said Harmon walked through fields and went to a friend’s home near Stage Gulch Road, Sloat said. He got a ride to Rohnert Park. The truck was registered to him, so police quickly identified him as a person of interest.

Ten hours later, Harmon called the CHP. He was questioned at the CHP office in Rohnert Park, where he was arrested. He faces charges of felony manslaughter and felony hit-and-run, Sloat said.

CHP investigators are trying to determine whether Harmon may have been driving under the influence at the time of the deadly accident. Sloat said he may have fled the crash scene because he is on probation for a prior drug conviction.

Petaluma Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented hit-and-run 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 cyclist remains in critical condition after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Sonoma County.

Hit-and-run accident: A 68-year-old driver who fled the scene after he hit a cyclist in Penngrove late last week appeared in Sonoma County Superior Court Wednesday to postpone his arraignment. The victim remains hospitalized in critical condition.

•   A pickup truck swerved off the roadway, hit a cyclist on the paved shoulder, and didn’t stop or even slow down.

•   The cyclist was critically injured and remains in a coma.

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

The bicycle crash occurred last Friday, shortly after 8:30 a.m., according to a report in the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat.

California Highway Patrol Officer Eric Hill said that 68-year-old Steve Norwick, a retired Sonoma State University environmental studies professor, was riding his bicycle southbound on the paved right shoulder of Petaluma Hill Road when he was struck from behind near East Railroad Avenue.

Based on physical evidence and witnesses’ statements, CHP investigators believe that 68-year-old Robert Cowart of Rohnert Park was driving his Dodge Ram pickup truck when he drifted onto the shoulder, hit Norwick, and kept driving without stopping.

Norwick was riding with his friend Rolfe Erickson, a retired geology professor. Erickson was about 10 feet ahead of Norwick when the accident happened. He said the truck never even slowed down, and had to veer back onto the roadway to avoid hitting him as well.

The impact knocked Norwick down an embankment and into a drainage ditch. He was unresponsive when firefighters arrived, according to Rancho Adobe Fire Captain Pete Albini.

Norwick suffered life-threatening catastrophic injuries to his head, spine, and kidneys, CHP officer Kerri Post told ABC News. He remains in a coma at the Intensive Care Unit at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

The collision left telltale damage to the truck, according to the Press-Democrat:

The impact sheared off the truck’s right side mirror and knocked out its front right headlight, leaving evidence at the scene that helped investigators piece together a description of the suspect’s vehicle.

CHP investigators said there was absolutely no way that the driver would not be aware that he hit someone, but Cowart did not come forward. Later that day, two off-duty law enforcement officers who live in Cowart’s neighborhood — CHP Officer Robert Powers and Rohnert Park Public Safety Sgt. Jeff Nicks –saw him drive up to his home in the damaged truck.

Nicks said Cowart “spoke matter of factly” about having hit a cyclist on the way to work but he said the cyclist was not hurt. He said the cyclist had been riding in the middle of the road when he hit him. He also said he stopped to check on the cyclist and thought he was OK.

The officers, who already were familiar with some of the details of the accident, initiated an arrest on charges of felony hit-and-run. Later Cowart changed his story and admitted that “he never stopped,” because he was late for work, Hill said. He was booked into jail and released on $30,000 bail.

When Cowart appeared in court Wednesday, he was in a wheelchair and appeared frail and unsteady, according to updated reports in the Press-Democrat, the Community Voice, and CBS News. His attorney said he had recently had a stroke and an aneurysm that may be impairing blood flow in his brain.

Deputy District Attorney Troye Shaffer said Cowart had three prior DUI arrests — two in 1989 and one in 2005 — and asked the judge to raise bail to $100,000. The arraignment will resume on Monday.

Regardless of what happens in Cowart’s criminal trial, the victim and his family will retain the legal right to be compensated for his injuries.

Sonoma County 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.