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A mother of three was killed when her car was hit by a wrong-way driver in Mission Viejo. (Photo: ABC News)

Fatal car accident: A mother of three was killed Tuesday when her car was slammed by a wrong-way driver on Santa Margarita Parkway in Mission Viejo.

•   A wrong-way driver in a pickup truck crashed head-on into a miivan driven by a mother of three children.

•   The minivan driver died at the scene.

•   The wrong-way driver sustained critical injuries.

•   Authorities said the wrong-way driver, who had a prior DUI conviction, may have been  under the influence of alcohol when the fatal car accident occurred.

The deadly accident occurred at about 11:40 p.m., according to an ABC News report.

Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino said 42-year-old William Carroll of Mission Viejo as driving a Ford F-250 pickup truck on El Toro Road when he made a left turn, heading south, into the northbound side of Santa Margarita Parkway.

The pickup truck slammed into an oncoming northbound Toyota Sienna minivan driven by 36-year-old Ana Martinez of Trabuco Canyon.

Martinez, who was the mother of three children between the ages of 7 and 14, died at the scene.

Carroll suffered major injuries and was transported to Mission Hospital, where he initially was listed in critical condition.

The Sheriff’s Department said that the wrong-way driver had a prior DUI conviction and that alcohol was suspected as a factor in the fatal accident.

 Mission Viejo 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 Marine was killed in a crash with a wrong-way driver on Interstate 15 in San Diego.

An active-duty U.S. Marine was killed in a motorcycle accident Wednesday when he crashed into a wrong-way driver’s wrecked car on Interstate 15 in Escondido.

•    A 63-year-old man drive a Ford Escort the wrong way on the freeway and crashed into a pickup truck.

•    The Escort crashed into a concrete railing and flipped over before hitting a Kia Optima and coming to rest in the traffic lanes. 

•    Just then, a motorcyclist approached the scene and could not stop in time to avoid crashing into the wrecked Escort.

•    The motorcylist, who was an active-duty U.S. Marine, ws thrown off of his Harley and died on the way to the hospital.

The fatal freeway crash occurred shortly after 6:30 a.m., according to a report in the North County Times.

California Highway Patrol Officer Jim Bettencourt said several motorists reported a wrong-way driver in a Ford Escort traveling north on the southbound side of Interstate 15 at that time.

The Escort sideswiped a Ford F-150 pickup truck, stopped briefly in the center divide between the northbound and southbound lanes, and then continued driving in the wrong direction, Bettencourt said.

When the Escort crashed into a concrete railing on the Gopher Canyon Road overpass, the vehicle rolled over and landed in the middle of the traffic lanes, where it struck a Kia Optima, according to the CHP officer.

Just as the wrecked Escort came to rest, a motorcylist — later identified as 29-year-old Brent V. Durrant of Fallbrook — approached on a Harley Davidson and could not avoid crashing into the Escort.

Durrant, an active-duty U.S. Marine, was thrown off of his motorcycle and died en route to the hospital. No

The Escort driver, 63-year-old Robert Sidney Bowman of Valley Center, sustained unknown injuries and was taken to a hospital to be treated.

No other injuries were reported.

CHP investigators did not yet know if drugs, alcohol or a medical emergency may have played a role in the crash.  Toxicology reports were pending, Bettencourt said.

Escondido 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 freeway 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 wrong-way driver caused a car accident on the San Tomas Expressway in San Jose.

Car accident: A wrong-way driver was killed and another was seriously injured Saturday night in a head-on collision on the San Tomas Expressway in San Jose.

•   A driver crossed the center divider of a busy expressway and continues to drive in the wrong direction.

•  The wrong-way driver slammed head-on into an oncoming vehicle.

•   The wrong-way driver died at the scene. The other driver was hospitalized.

The wrong-way crash occurred at about 9 p.m., according to a report on the San Jose Patch news site.

The California Highway Patrol said 69-year-old Jesus Huerta of San Jose was driving a 1990 Honda northbound on San Tomas Expressway when he crossed  the center divider into the southbound lanes and continued to drive the wrong way.

Just north of Williams Road, the Honda crashed head-on into an oncoming 2010 Toyota, which was traveling southbound at about 45 miles per hour.

Huerta died at the scene.

The driver of the Toyota, 68-year-old Campbell resident Yong Ling Shiao, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Valley Medical Center in San Jose, according to an update in the San Jose Mercury News. The CHP said Shiao was exected to survive, but did not release any further information about the nature or severity of the injuries.

Authorities did not know what caused Huerta to drive onto the wrong side of the expressway. The accident is 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.

San Jose 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.

Three people were hospitalized with major injuries after a drunk driving accident in the Napa Valley.

A wrong-way driver was hospitalized and arrested for drunk driving Wednesday after causing a car accident that seriously injured two other people on Highway 29 near Napa.

•   A drunk driver drove the wrong way on a highway at 60 mph and crashed head-on into an oncoming vehicle traveling at the same speed.

•   The driver of the second vehicle was hospitalized with major injuries but was listed in stable condition.

•   The wrong-way driver was arrested on felony DUI charges and hospitalized in critical condition. Her passenger was hospitalized with major injuries and was in fair condition.

The drunk driving accident occurred at 7:20 p.m. just north of Oak Knoll Avenue in Yountville, according to a report in the Napa Valley Register. Yountville is about 7 miles north of Napa.

The California Highway Patrol said 31-year-old Michl Servin of Yountville was driving a 2010 Honda Civic southbound in the northbound lane of Highway 29 when she crashed head-on into an oncoming  2003 Honda CR-V.

Both vehicles were traveling at about 60 mph, the CHP said.

The driver of the Honda, 35-year-old Andres Viera of St. Helena, suffered major injuries in the accident. He was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, where he was later reported to be in stable condition.

Servin was severely injured and also was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center, where she was arrested on felony driving under the influence charges. She was transferred to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where she was still in critical condition on Friday, according to hospital officials.

Servin’s passenger, 21-year-old Erica Aragon of Yountville, suffered major injuries as well. She was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where she was listed in fair condition.

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.

A wrong-way drunk driver caused a crash that injured four people on Highway 1 near Paso Robles.

Four people were injured Sunday night in one of several car accidents caused by a drunk driver going the wrong way on Highway 101 near Paso Robles.

•    A drunk driver drove the wrong way on a highway and would not pull over for the CHP.

•    Several cars crashed trying to avoid being slammed by the wrong-way car. 

•    A Chevy Tahoe flipped over when it swerved to try to get out of the way. Four occupants of the SUV were injured.

•    CHP officers and county sheriff’s deputies finally got her to stop in the median. She was arrested on two felony charges and booked into the county jail. 

The drunk driving accident occurred shortly after 2 a.m., according to an article in the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

The California Highway Patrol said it received calls shortly before the accident reporting that a car was travelling southbound in the northbound lane of Highway 101 near 24th Street in Paso Robles.

A CHP patrol car caught up with the wrong-way vehicle — a Dodge Nitro driven by 27-year-old Della Ortiz of Los Banos — near the San Anselmo exit in Atascadero (12 miles south of Paso Robles).

The patrol car drove parallel to the vehicle and tried to talk Ortiz into pulling over. They used emergency lights, siren, spotlights, and public address system, but Ortiz continued driving.

Several accidents ensued as drivers swerved to avoid being hit by Ortiz’s vehicle. Two  cars crashed into each other just south of Highway 41, but no one was injured. About a minute later, a Chevy Tahoe flipped over while trying to avoid getting slammed by Ortiz’s car.

Four passengers in the Chevy Tahoe were injured. One of them suffered moderate injuries and the other three suffered minor injuries, according to a KSBY News report. The driver was not hurt.

The CHP got assistance from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office and finally got Ortiz to stop her vehicle in the median north of Santa Barbara Road in Atascadero.

Ortiz, who was not injured, was arrested on two felony charges: driving the wrong way on a divided highway, and driving under the influence of alcohol causing injuries.

She was booked into the San Luis Obispo County jail.

Paso Robles 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 drunk driving accident victims for more than 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

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Both drivers were hospitalized in a head-on collision caused by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 880 in Oakland.

Wrong-way freeway crash: Two people were hospitalized Thursday night after a head-on collision on Interstate 880 in Oakland.

•   A southbound driver drove his car up an offramp onto the northbound side of the I-880 freeway.

•   He drove the car across the freeway, in the wrong direction, and crashed head-on into a northbound car in the fast lane.

•   Both drivers were hospitalized with serious injuries.

The accident occurred at about 8:15 p.m., according to a report in the Oakland Tribune.

California Highway Patrol Officer Sam Morgan said the accident occurred just north of Interstate 980.

Investigators believe a 2011 Nissan Sentra — driven by Gary Clegg — entered Interstate 880 North by traveling up the Seventh Street freeway offramp, Morgan told KTVU News.

The Nissan was heading southbound on the northbound side of the freeway. Clegg reportedly continued to drive the vehicle in the wrong direction, crossing the freeway to the No.1 (far left) lane.

The southbound Nissan crashed head-on into a northbound 1998 Honda Civic — driven by Leyva Cesar – in the No. 1 lane.

Both drivers suffered moderate injuries and were hospitalized. Morgan said the injuries were not life-threatening and both drivers were expected to survive.

The accident remains under investigation. Police did not say whether drugs or alcohol were suspected to be a factor.

Anyone with information about the accident is urged to call the CHP Oakland area office at 510-450-3821 or 1-800-TELL-CHP.

Wrong-Way Freeway Crashes Can Be Deadly

Hundreds of people die every year in wrong-way freeway crashes, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Thousands more are seriously injured.

Driving the wrong way on freeways has been a nagging traffic safety problem since the interstate highway system was founded in the late 1950s. Despite four decades of highway striping and sign improvements at freeway interchanges, the problem persists.

Most wrong-way drivers correct their mistakes before causing a crash by simply turning around and heading in the right direction. But some drivers, even when sober, head straight into oncoming traffic, often with deadly consequences.

California has a prevention program that funds safety improvements such as warning signs, striping, lights, and ramp designs that aim to stop deadly wrong-way freeway crashes.

If you see a wrong-way driver heading toward you:

• Pull over the shoulder and stop.
• Flash your high beams and sound your horn.
• Call 911 to report the situation.

Oakland 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.

Five people were injured by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 710 in Paramount.

Five people were injured in a freeway accident early Saturday morning when a man driving his pickup truck the wrong way with his lights off crashed into a police car on Interstate 710 in Paramount.

•   A 20-year-old man was driving the wrong way on the freeway with his lights off at around 3:30 in the morning.

•   He crashed into a marked police car driven by a railroad officer.

•   The officer and the wrong-way driver were hospitalized with major injuries. Three passengers were hospitalized with lesser injuries.

•   The wrong-way driver was arrested. 

The accident occurred at 3:25 a.m., according to a report in the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

California Highway Patrol Officer Krystal Carter said 20-year-old Long Beach resident Osvaldo Castanon was driving a 1980 Chevrolet southbound in the northbound lane of the I-710 — the Long Beach Freeway. The vehicle’s lights were off.

Just before the junction with Interstate 105 — the Glen Anderson Freeway — the Chevrolet crashed into a marked police car, a 2011 Ford driven by a Union Pacific Railroad police officer. Railroad police are sworn law enforcement officers with full police power.

Paramedics transported the police officer, whose identity was not released,  to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood. The nature and severity of the officer’s injuries was not stated.

Castanon sustained major internal injuries, Carter said. He also had moderate cuts and bruises. He was taken to St. Francis Medical Center to be treated.

Three passengers in Castanon’s vehicle also were injured.

Carter said 21-year-old Long Beach resident Aaron Tamayo suffered moderate injuries. He sustained abrasions to his mouth and face and was suffering pain in his arms and legs. Paramedics took him to Long Beach Memorial Hospital to be treated.

The other two passengers — 23-year-old Victor Tamayo of Long Beach and 23-year-old Ricardo Moralez of Bellflower — suffered minor injuries, Carter said. They had minor abrasions along with pain in their legs, arms and back. Paramedics took Tamayo to St. Francis Medical Center. Moralez was taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital.

Carter said Castanon was arrested, but she did not yet know the nature of the charges.

California 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 freeway accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.