According to reports, the truck traveling without a trailer, hit the woman’s compact car at the intersection. The car was so badly mangled that firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to cut the woman free. The victim has not yet been identified by officials, who say she was lucky that her injuries were not worse or fatal. Anyone with information about the accident or the hit-and-run driver is asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station at 562-949-2421.

This is obviously a horrible accident. We can only imagine what this victim’s loved ones must be going through at this time. We sincerely hope and pray that she gets justice and that can only happen when this heartless truck driver who hit her and left her on the road gets apprehended and is held accountable for his actions. The news report says that this driver was only driving the tractor portion of a tractor trailer. But if he was on the job and driving the big rig – which he most likely was -- his employer could also be held liable for the accident along with the driver.

It is also interesting to think about why this driver fled the scene. Did he simply panic? Did he have other violations or priors that he did not want the cops to find out about? Or were alcohol and/or drugs involved in the accident? These questions may be answered once police catch the driver, who will and should face felony hit-and-run charges.

So if you own one of these SUVs, please watch the mail for your recall notice. Toyota is promising to fix the problem for free. According to an article in the watchdog Web site Consumeraffairs.com, the seat belt webbing in the third row of the recalled Highlanders is not properly secured by the automatic retractor. This makes the seatbelt webbing prone to spooling out during normal driving.

How does the loose belt affect the stability of a child restraint? It could cause major injuries or even death in a high-speed crash or rollover accident. Such a defective seatbelt will do nothing to protect children from injuries during auto accidents. Toyota dealers will install a newer, better-designed seatbelt free of charge when the recall gets underway. If you own one of these vehicles and would like to know more about the recall, please call Toyota Motor Co. at 800-331-4331 or NHTSA at 800-327-4236.

As personal injury attorneys who have represented numerous clients in seatbelt failure product liability lawsuits, we’ve seen many cases where seat belt mounts, buckles, webbing and grabbers have failed. We’ve uncovered internal auto manufacturer documents that show that the auto makers had knowledge of these failures. We’ve settled many cases with auto makers where we alleged that their defective seatbelt or restraint system failed and caused injuries to our clients.

It is absolutely vital that auto makers acknowledge the defects in their vehicles and fix them promptly so that consumers don’t suffer the consequences of the auto makers’ mistakes. And we’re glad Toyota has done that at least with this recall.

Zimmerman suffered bites on both of his legs and his left arm while Kim got five stitches in his chest. Zimmerman told the newspaper that he is a dog-lover himself but cannot understand why dog owners cannot control their dogs. As personal injury attorneys who have represented victims of dog attacks, we understand Mr. Zimmerman’s point of view.

We are ardent supporters of cities and county agencies holding dog owners responsible for their negligence. In this case, this pit-bull and another boxer which was apparently not involved in the attacks, were running loose attacking these unsuspecting residents who were doing nothing more than taking a relaxing evening stroll. What a rude shock for them!

Dog attack victims suffer not only physical trauma from their injuries, but also emotional distress and psychological damage. Even grown men or adults tend to suffer panic attacks, paranoia and nightmares following a dog attack. Can you imagine what it could do to a young child or an infant – if the child is lucky enough to survive the attack?

Dog owners must also be required to carry insurance. When their animal gets out of control and injures an unsuspecting member of the community, who do you think should pay for the damages? The negligent dog owner or the injured victim? If dog owners want to own pets – especially dangerous breeds such as pit-bulls and rottweilers – they should carry liability insurance and take every precaution in the first place to make sure that their dog does not get out and injure members of the community.

The car reportedly crashed into a chain link fence, clipped some trees and rolled down an embankment back onto the freeway. Carolyn Henderson died on the scene while her husband was transported to Hoag Hospital where he later died, the Register reports. The grandparents were on the way to babysit their grandchildren when the tragic accident occurred.

Eyewitnesses reportedly saw the Chevy Malibu veer off the 55 freeway, become airborne from Newport Boulevard and flip at least twice down the embankment before coming to rest on the freeway. This is no doubt a huge tragedy for the family and we offer our deepest condolences to them during this very tough time. Investigators have already started looking into possible causes for the crash. Witnesses report speeding and that Henderson merged onto Newport at a high rate of speed.

The other aspect to look at is the vehicle itself. The 2005 Chevy Malibu has been the subject of a barrage of complaints especially relating to steering problems, according to this Web site. Consumers complain about the steering making “popping noises,” locking up and almost causing accidents. The news report also states that the Orange County Coroner ruled that Mr. Henderson had no medical issues that might have caused the accident.

The victims’ family would be well-advised to retain an auto product defect law firm to look into whether this vehicle’s inherent defects or design defects caused this tragic accident. Based on all the complaints about the 2005 Chevy Malibu and the circumstances of this auto accident, the possibility of a defect certainly cannot be ruled out. It would also be very important for the family to preserve the vehicle for inspection by experts if they are considering a claim against General Motors.

According to fire department officials who carried out the rescue operation, Ibarro was significantly entrapped in the vehicle. The tractor trailer was actually on top of part of the passenger’s side of the Honda trapping the patient’s leg under the car’s dashboard. The Coca Cola bottles were reportedly strewn all over the roadway, which crews spent a good deal of time cleaning up. The driver of the big rig was reportedly unhurt. Ibarro is said to be recovering and suffered non-life threatening injuries.

There are a lot of questions to be asked in this big rig crash. First and foremost is why the driver lost control. Was the truck overloaded with the Coca-Cola bottles? The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which regulates trucking companies, limits the total weight for commercial vehicles to 20,000 pounds per axle up to a limit of 80,000 pounds total. It is the driver’s responsibility to make sure that weight is not exceeded and is equally distributed throughout the vehicle.

Increased weight imposed on big rigs also causes greater stress on the truck’s parts and could cause mechanical malfunctions. It could also put the vehicle out of balance especially when it is travelling downhill or during windy weather conditions. The truck driver and trucking company could be held financially liable for the accident and the injuries caused if they were found in violation of federal loading regulations.

The recalled heater is a 1,500 watt, black or charcoal-colored, canister-shaped space heater with three heat settings. The unit is about 25” high x 10” in diameter (not including the wheels). The words “SoleusAir 360 Micathermic Heater” are printed on a label located on the front of the unit. The heaters were reportedly made in China and sold through QVC’s shopping programs, its Web site and retail stores between December 2007 and March 2008. If you would like more information, please call QVC at 1-800-367-9444 or visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Web site.

In this case, the young boy and his mother were using a Coleman propane heater during a camping trip. The heater malfunctioned, causing the camping equipment trailer to burst into flames with the little boy inside. It seems to us that this American manufacturer was using a faulty design, subpar critical parts from Chinese suppliers, sloppy assembly and inadequate quality control. The manufacturer’s error and defective products led to the catastrophic injury of a 7-year-old boy.

If you own one of these recalled space heaters, which were, not surprisingly, manufactured in China, call the 800 number listed above or please visit CPSC’s Web site. Please stop using these dangerous products right away. If you have been injured by these products, please call us for a free consultation to discuss your case.

Killed in the crash was 69-year-old Anne Shirley Mailman. The condition of the man and woman in the Pilot are still not known. The Pilot reportedly had handicap license plates as well as a wheelchair lift. It is not clear how this chain reaction auto accident occurred, police told the Register. They are still investigating and no one has been charged or cited yet.

Auto accidents are a no-win situation. People are physically and emotionally scarred. This one was no different. One woman lost her life. In the end, it could be just that – an unfortunate accident with people in these seven cars being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

That said, one woman died and three people suffered injuries in this crash. Investigators will do the best they can, but who is looking out for the victims? Who is making sure that they get compensation for the loss, damages and/or injuries? It is always in the best interest of auto accident victims to retain an experienced and knowledgeable personal injury attorney, who will fight for their rights and remain on their side, no matter what.

A resourceful personal injury law firm will conduct a detailed and thorough investigation of the incident and ensure that those responsible for the accident are held accountable. We wish those injured a speedy recovery and express our deep condolences to the Mailman family.

The boy was reportedly riding his bike back from school on the busy street, which had a speed limit of 35 mph. The driver who hit the boy was a 16-year-old. Drugs or alcohol don’t seem to be a factor but we don’t know yet if the driver was speeding or was distracted in some other way. The teen driver has not been cited or charged yet.

This very much reminds me of a recent case our firm has been dealing with where we are representing Christopher Chan, a 14-year-old boy, who was hit by a car at a similar dangerous intersection. He suffered severe injuries, including a debilitating brain injury. The City of Hanford did nothing to fix the dangerous situation on the roadway.

I understand that in these tough economic times, funding for street projects is hard to come by for cities and county agencies. But often, the solutions are simple. Improving visibility, adding flashing lights to draw attention to pedestrians crossing the street and clearing out obstructions such as foliage, will greatly help to reduce the risk of an injury or fatal accident at dangerous, especially busy, intersections. It’ll certainly be a lot cheaper than paying out multi-million dollar settlements to accident injury victims and the city of Hanford can vouch for that.

The defective Digitek tablets were manufactured with double the appropriate thickness, which means it may contain twice the approved level of active ingredients. Toxicity from this drug, because of the high dosage, may cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, high blood pressure, cardiac instability or even death.

This apparently dangerous drug dosage was reportedly distributed by Myland Pharmaceuticals Inc. under a “Bertek” label and by UDL Laboratories Inc. under a “UDL” label.

It would be helpful to the Food and Drug Administration’s efforts for you to report any reactions to this drug to the FDA’s MedWatch adverse reporting program at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm. Of course, contact the doctor that prescribed Digitek to you for his/her advise at your earliest opportunity.

His cardiologist put him on the lowest dose – 125MCG. Frank felt the effects of this clearly powerful drug two hours after he started the medication. He says he went numb and fainted for the first time in his life. “I experienced confusion, fatigue and a washed-out feeling,” he says. But the most disturbing thing to Frank was that his heart started flip-flopping and beating like never before. The medication was intended to slow down his heart rate, but it in fact had the opposite effect!

Frank, like many others who have already complained to the FDA, believes he suffered a toxic reaction to this dangerously mislabeled drug. It has possibly caused permanent damage to his heart by disrupting his heart beat and his heart function. He may have to live with this damage for the rest of his life, in addition to his already existing heart problems. Can you blame him for being upset? Was the drug manufacturing plant in a third world country with an unskilled work force and inadequate quality control?

As personal injury attorneys for nearly 30 years, my job is to hold wrongdoers – be it negligent auto makers or drug manufacturers – accountable for their negligent actions and for the defective products they put in the market. Actavis Totowa LLC, a United States manufacturing division of the giant international generic pharmaceutical company Actavis Group, is no different.

Actavis Totowa LLC’s absolute lack of quality control has been discovered and it is now time for the corporation to step up and take care of the people who depended upon them, the people who trusted them with their lives. Actavis Totowa should be setting up a system to compensate the victims of their negligence. My bet is that Actavis Totowa, at this very moment, is meeting with lawyers to devise a plan to avoid taking responsibility for their negligence and blaming the resulting lawsuits on personal injury attorneys.

If, in fact, Frank’s health issues immediately following taking Digitek are the result of the over dosage/mislabeling, then Activais Totowa should want to do the right thing and compensate him appropriately for the injuries he has suffered.

If you or a loved one has suffered adverse reactions as a result of taking Digitek and would like to be kept advised of further developments or discuss your legal options, call my office. We will answer your questions and/or put you on a list to update you with information.

The police officer reportedly lost control of his patrol car, went on the wrong side of the road and slammed into a tow truck that was stopped and waiting for the police car to pass. The officer was trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated from his vehicle, the news report said. The auto accident was reportedly a broadside crash and not a head-on collision.

The police officer might want to sue the driver of the fleeing car, but he may get his suit tossed out if it is based on a claim of negligence. Why? Because of the “Firefighter Rule.” This is an application of the doctrine of the “primary assumption of the risk.” In other words, this is applied to government public safety employees who are injured as a result of the dangers generated by their jobs. Police officers automatically assume a risk when they take on the job because of its inherent danger.

A claim that the fleeing driver in this case was grossly negligent and the police officer was acting within reason might make the driver liable for the crash and the police officer’s injuries if the jury makes a causal connection. But most likely an insurance company would not be required to cover the driver of the fleeing car for his gross negligence. The police officer will most likely receive compensation for the injuries he sustained from the auto accident from his employer, the city of Santa Ana.

According to reports, Hernandez-Lara lost control of the Taurus when he failed to negotiate a bend in the road and struck the building. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the crash. Tests to determine whether drugs or alcohol caused the crash are pending, the article says. Although Hernandez-Lara and Apostol-Reyes were wearing their seatbelts, de la Cruz-Matas who was a passenger in the back seat, reportedly was not buckled up. All suffered from blunt force injuries.

This is one of those crashes we see on the freeway on our way to work or hear about in the news. There are always many questions hanging over an incident such as this one. The most significant question of course is: What caused this auto accident? In a case such as this where one vehicle was involved and all three occupants of the car died, there is very little information about the circumstances such as speed or what led to the crash.

Officials are still investigating the crash. But the family members of the victims may consider retaining the services of a personal injury attorney, who will help them conduct an independent investigation of the crash. Local law enforcement often does not have the time or resources to conduct a thorough investigation on auto accident cases.

An experienced and knowledgeable personal injury attorney will also advice family members to preserve the vehicle, which would become the main piece of evidence in an auto product liability case, if there is later determined to be a defect in the vehicle.

The nursing home owners, who also own Yuba City Care Center in the same city, has remained quiet about this incident. This apparently wasn’t the first time the state received complaints about this particular nursing home. Last year 17 complaints were received and state inspectors found 36 deficiencies there, the article reported. The most recent citation, an AA citation, is usually given for the most serious violations.

Rothacher had been a two-year resident at the nursing home and was suffering from osteoarthritis, psychosis as well as Alzheimer’s disease. The article also points out that nurses had given conflicting statements during the investigation about whether Rothacher got out of bed or whether a bed alarm was used. According to the coroner’s report, the cause of death was “asphyxiation due to a compressed and fractured larynx.” The nursing home also did not keep up with the patient’s care plan, which called for a bed alarm and rails positioned on the top half of the bed, allowing her to get out of the lower half.

Nursing home abuse and negligence is increasing at an alarming rate and that is no coincidence. With an increasing number of baby boomers entering nursing homes and with millions more on the way, state health departments need to crack down more vigorously on violations and increase citation amounts. Nursing home abuse lawsuits we file on behalf of clients also serve a similar purpose in that they make these violating companies pay for their wrongdoing.

Families pay thousands each month to care for their loved one and they deserve better. The emotional trauma and feelings of guilt and remorse a son or daughter undergoes after their parent’s nursing home death is hard to relate to unless, God forbid, we are in such a situation. We take it on ourselves to go after these negligent nursing homes. Our goal is to hit them where it hurts the most – their pocket book. Such legal actions, we hope will act as a strong deterrent to companies that put profits ahead of people and shortchange consumers.

Officials say the two motorcyclists were racing on the toll road when one of the riders on a Yamaha motorcycle slammed into Parker’s vehicle. The impact of the crash caused Parker to lose control and go off the road, roll over and crash into a light pole. The motorcyclist who hit Parker is also reportedly in serious condition in a local hospital with major injuries. He is said to have been thrown from his vehicle. California Highway Patrol investigators are looking for the second motorcyclist who fled the scene. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call CHP at 949-487-4000.

We hope anyone who reads this blog and saw this horrific crash is able to provide tips to investigators. This is no doubt another unnecessary death in Orange County caused by street racing. In this case they were on a freeway possibly emboldened by the fact that traffic was light. But it was no doubt a senseless act that caused the death of a man. Our hearts go out to Parker’s family.

We read about street racing and illegal racing on public roadways all the time. These irresponsible acts have caused immeasurable pain and grief to numerous Southern California families. In most cases, the racers are young, either in their teens or early 20s. Cities and law enforcement agencies should send out a strong message to young people and such illegal racing will not be tolerated. Some cities including Los Angeles have started cracking down on illegal street racing. Orange County has yet to catch up in that area.

It is enforcement that could mean the difference between life and death for our communities. We hope these violators are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and that the victims and their families receive the justice and the compensation they rightfully deserve. The fact that the motorcyclist who crashed into the car and caused the accident is also in critical condition with major injuries is further evidence that street-racing clearly is a no-win situation, which causes tragedy and heartache to everyone involved in it.

The five people who were killed were Sheryl Maiolini, 53, of Charleroi; staff member Mary Watkins, 43, of Ellsworth; and residents John Maise, 61, Richard Paquet, 43, and Julie Hugus, 41, the AP reported. Three were residents at the group home and two were staff members. Six others were taken to area hospitals with injuries that included a broken clavicle, a broken hip, and head, neck and spinal injuries. They are all expected to survive, the news agency reports.

Officials say the impact of the crash knocked the van on to its side and pushed it roof-first into a cinder block storage facility, causing the vehicle’s roof to crush and cave in. Officials don’t believe the big rig was speeding. The tractor trailer reportedly belonged to Stocker Trucking Co. in Gnadenhutten, Ohio and was driven by 44-year-old Steven Rouse, an Ohio resident. Rouse was reportedly treated for minor injuries.

There are also a lot of unanswered questions at this point. Why did the van driver pull up in front of the big rig? Was he distracted or was there some mechanical defect in the van that caused him to do so? Did the driver of the tractor trailer have enough time to stop and avoid hitting the van? Was he an experienced driver? If the accident is determined to be the driver’s fault, he could face criminal vehicular manslaughter charges and his employer may be held financially responsible for the deaths, injuries and damages caused by this accident.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the injured victims and the families of the deceased. We hope they find the answers to their questions. We also hope they consider retaining a personal injury attorney so that a thorough investigation may be conducted and those responsible for the deaths and injuries can be held accountable.

The judge categorically stated during the hearing, the newspaper reports, that both Adam Ahlberg, the driver, and the company, Clark Grading, knew that the truck had defective brakes before it hit the road on June 16, 2006. The heavy truck careened out of control on Archibald Avenue because the brakes failed and struck pretty much everything in its way. It reportedly came to a stop only after running a red light at Arrow Highway and colliding with an Omnitrans bus and another Rancho Cucamonga public works truck.

Officials described the death and destruction caused by this runaway dump truck as something similar to a bomb explosion. The driver of the city truck, Angel Calzada, a 20-year veteran of the public works department, was killed in the accident. Investigators discovered that not only did Ahlberg know that the brakes on the truck were problematic but the problems were so bad that the California Highway Patrol once ordered the truck off the road after issuing a citation for faulty brakes. Of course, Ahlberg’s employers knew about it because he repeatedly noted the problems on his log as he is supposed to.

This case should serve as a lesson to other trucking companies in California and around the nation that don’t operate too differently. As personal injury attorneys who represent victims of truck accidents, we often find that these big rigs are not properly maintained, that drivers are not maintaining their logs properly or honestly and employers don’t take the time to do background checks on their employees including screening them for alcohol and/or drugs.

We hope both this driver and the trucking company are prosecuted and given the judgment they deserve. We also wish the victims and their families the very best and certainly hope they get the compensation they rightfully deserve for being exposed to the pain, grief and suffering caused by this unnecessary accident.