California Injury Blog

Three people were seriously injured in a San Jose car accident, which officials say, was caused by a suspected drunk driver. According to a Bay City News report, the crash occurred early morning on August 29, 2010 on Highway 101 near Metcalf Road. The occupants of two cars, a Mitsubishi and a Toyota, were on the shoulder of the highway trying to fix a flat tire on a Toyota, when 18-year-old Eric Nun, driving a Mercedes, went off the roadway and crashed into the back of the Mitsubishi.

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Jesus Heredia Calixto, 18, and Candice Ann Bustamante, 32, a 16-year-old girl and another 19-year-old man were killed in a violent car accident in Long Beach, which officials say, was caused by two cars racing each other on a public roadway.

The Press Telegram reports that the horrific crash happened on the Long Beach Peninsula the morning of August 22, 2010 when a Ford Mustang and a 1997 Ford Taurus collided. The Mustang then hit a stone marker. All four of the fatally injured victims were occupants of the Mustang. The two teens in the Taurus fled the scene, but were later apprehended. They are expected to be charged with felony hit-and-run and murder.

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A man, who was fatally injured in a pedestrian accident in the Lakeview Terrace area, has been identified by local authorities as 49-year-old Alberto Sandoval. According to a City News Service report, the fatal collision occurred on Foothill Boulevard when 58-year-old Paula Larene Dautremont lost control of her vehicle, struck a parked truck and then collided with Sandoval. He died as a result of injuries sustained in this crash. No one was cited or arrested pending an official investigation.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Alberto Sandoval. I offer my deepest sympathies to them. They will be in my prayers.

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Marc William Durham, 65, was fatally injured in a San Diego car accident, which officials say, was caused by a suspected drunk driver. According to a 10news report, the fatal collision occurred the night of August 20, 2010, at the intersection of Camino Del Norte and Carmel Mountain Road in San Diego. Police say a 57-year-old man rear-ended Durham's vehicle, which was stopped at a red light and triggered a chain reaction crash involving several other vehicles. Several others sustained minor injuries. However, Durham was killed in the crash. The man who caused the crash is suspected of driving under the influence. An investigation is ongoing.

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A man who died nearly two weeks after he was involved in a bicycle accident in Newport Beach has been identified as 65-year-old Dan Crain. The Orange County Register reports that the Irvine man was riding his bike the night of August 3, 2010, southbound on Newport Coast Drive, when a car merged on to the roadway from the 73 Toll Road and struck him. The car's driver was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the bicyclist. Crain went through several spinal surgeries, but died August 15, 2010.

My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved Dan Crain. By all accounts, Crain was a much-loved personality in his community and an experienced, avid bicyclist. His loved ones will be in my thoughts and prayers.

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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill that will effectively add California to the list of states where adults can be held civilly liable if they provide alcohol to minors in social settings, the Associated Press reports. This law, commonly known as "social host liability law," applies to adults who knowingly allow minors to drink alcohol in their home.

Under this law, in addition to facing criminal charges for furnishing alcohol to a minor, the adults involved can also be held civilly liable in situations where alcohol they provided is determined to be the main cause of personal injuries or death. It is illegal in California for anyone under the age of 21 to consume alcohol.

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Five people were injured in a Newport Beach car accident, which officials say, was caused by a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in The Daily Pilot, the injury collision occurred when Carol Nadine Quiroz, 18, of Santa Ana, lost control of her 1997 Acura Integra on southbound Newport Boulevard, near Hoag Drive. Quiroz crossed the center median and crashed head-on into a northbound Dodge truck. Quiroz is in critical condition and four others suffered injuries, which are believed to be non-life-threatening. Quiroz will likely face felony drunk driving charges.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was injured in this crash. I hope they all recover quickly and completely from their injuries.

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Three people were killed and four sustained injuries in a Fresno car accident on Highway 140 the afternoon of August 14, 2010. According to a news report in The Fresno Bee, the deceased victims were identified as Chowchilla residents Deana Smith, 39, Michael Smith, 43, and Sharon Law, a 55-year-old woman from El Portal. Officials say the fatal crash occurred in Mariposa County near Colorado Road when a Ford Bronco driven by 18-year-old Marissa Fuqua, crossed a double yellow line and collided with a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a Ford Escape. The driver and passenger of the motorcycle were killed, as was the driver of the Ford Escape. Fuqua and three passengers in the Bronco were injured.

I offer my heartfelt sympathies to everyone who knew and loved these deceased victims. I also hope the victims who have been injured in this crash make a quick and complete recovery. Please keep these accident victims and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

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Susana Orozco and Erica Oliva, both 23, and another 34-year-old person died in a San Diego car accident, which officials say, was caused by a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in The San Diego Union-Tribune, the fatal DUI crash occurred early morning on August 13, 2010.

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A motorcycle accident in Long Beach proved fatal for 23-year-old Edgar Toledo the evening of August 5, 2010. The Press Telegram reports that the fatal motorcycle crash occurred at the intersection of Santa Fe and Columbia Street, when a 2002 Mitsubishi Galant making a left turn on Columbia struck the 2009 Yamaha motorcycle that was traveling south on Santa Fe. Toledo was pronounced dead at the scene. The 21-year-old driver of the Mitsubishi, Miguel Encisco, and three passengers in that vehicle sustained injuries as well.

I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Edgar Toledo. Please keep them in your prayers. I also wish the injured victims the very best for a swift and complete recovery.

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William Brown, 63, sustained serious injuries in a San Francisco car accident after he was struck while riding his bicycle the afternoon of August 9, 2010. The Bay City News reports that Clements Boylan, a 74-year-old man from Freestone, hit Brown when attempting to turn his 1994 Lexus left into a parking lot off River Road in Santa Rosa. Boylan apparently did not see Brown at the time of the collision. Brown was hit and thrown onto the hood of the Lexus. Authorities believe that Brown's bike helmet lessened his injuries.

I am relieved to hear that no one was fatally injured in this bicycle accident. My thoughts and prayers are with William Brown as he recovers from his injuries.

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Andrea Christle, 39, sustained major injuries the morning of August 8, 2010 in a San Francisco car accident after another driver made an illegal turn at a street intersection. According to a news report in the Napa Valley Register, 32-year-old Pedro Perez Mota, driving a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer, turned left against a red arrow at the intersection of Highway 12 and Highway 29, in Napa. The Lancer crashed into Christle's 1997 Jeep Cherokee.

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Caroline McElhaney, 52, was killed in a San Diego car accident after her vehicle was rear-ended by another driver changing lanes on the 15 Freeway in Escondido. According to a 10news report, a southbound 1999 Dodge Ram changed lanes near Ninth Street, the morning of August 9, 2010, and could not avoid rear-ending McElhaney's Mercedes-Benz, which was stopped for traffic ahead.

The impact from the collision forced the 2001 Mercedes into the back of a Toyota Avalon, which in turn collided with a Toyota Sienna. McElhaney was transported to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead. The drivers of the Avalon and the Sienna, as well as a passenger in the Sienna, all suffered minor injuries. Jackson Redmond, a 28-year-old Colton resident, who was driving the Dodge Ram, was not injured in the crash.

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A suspected drunk driver in Contra Costa County caused five car accidents, injuring three people, the morning of August 1, 2010, officials said. According to a Bay City News report, the unlicensed driver, identified as 23-year-old Cainan Schierholtz "went on a rampage" in Danville, striking a bicyclist, pedestrian, truck, a light pole and a Lexus SUV -- not stopping once. The bicyclist sustained abrasions and contusions; the pedestrian and two occupants of the SUV sought their own medical treatment for various injuries; and the driver of the Ford truck was uninjured. Schierholtz has been arrested on four counts of DUI causing bodily harm, three counts of hit-and-run causing personal injury, two counts of hit-and-run property damage and driving without a license.

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Three people were injured, one seriously, in a Riverside car accident after two cars collided at a street intersection. According to a news report in The Press-Enterprise, the injury accident occurred the morning of July 30, 2010, when a 42-year-old woman, who was driving a Kia sedan east on Terrace Drive turned left on to Park Avenue. The Kia then struck a Chevy sedan driven by a 29-year-old man.

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A Newport Beach police officer sustained injuries in a motorcycle accident after he was hit by a vehicle at a local intersection, The Orange County Register reports. The crash happened the morning of July 26, 2010 at the intersection of Ford Road and Newport Hills Drive, when the driver of an Oldsmobile Cutlass turned left in front of the police officer's motorcycle that was northbound on Ford Road. The officer suffered serious injuries, but is expected to survive. An investigation is ongoing.

I'm relieved to hear that this police officer did not suffer any catastrophic injuries here. I pray for his quick and full recovery.

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The Consumer Attorneys of California along with other groups, including BISNAR | CHASE, strongly support AB 2486 authored by Mike Feuer which will create "social host liability" for persons who knowingly serve alcohol to a minor.

"Social host liability" means that someone who is a "social host," not a person serving alcohol for money like a bar, but someone entertaining in their home, can be held responsible for injuries or death sustained by a person underage involved in an accident and to any third person who also becomes involved. The underage person would have to be leaving the home of the "social host" and get into this accident while under the influence of alcohol served by the "social host."

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A worker sustained fatal job injuries after he was buried under 11 feet of dirt while working at a Los Angeles area construction site. According to an Associated Press news report, the man was buried in a trench during an excavation the morning of July 29, 2010. Skilled rescue workers and 95 firefighters attempted, for three hours, to free the worker. The California Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is investigating the incident.

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If you make it into adulthood without breaking a bone, you are lucky. Most people will break at least one bone at some point in their lives. If you are involved in a car accident, your chances of breaking a bone are even greater.

Various bones can get broken during car accidents, and all are painful and inconvenient while healing. You will have to wear a cast for weeks, take time off work for doctors' appointments, and possibly even undergo painful physical therapy.

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Gerardo Rodriguez, 49, was injured in a Ventura car accident after he was struck in a crosswalk by a sport utility vehicle, who witnesses say, ran a red light. According to a news report in The Ventura County Star, Rodriguez was using the crosswalk at Oxnard Boulevard and Colonia Road the night of July 25, 2010, when he was hit by the SUV. Those who saw the accident told Oxnard police officials that the SUV went through a red light, struck Rodriguez and then fled the scene of the crash.

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