California Injury Blog

The driver of a Ford Econoline van sustained fatal injuries in a Los Angeles car accident that happened the morning of March 4, 2010 on the 405 Freeway, in Torrance. The Daily Breeze reports that police arrested the drunk driver suspected of causing the collision. Adriano Baek, 27, was booked on one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and two counts of DUI causing injury or death.

Baek was driving south on the freeway near the Crenshaw Boulevard off-ramp when he attempted an unsafe lane change and ended up rear-ending the Ford van at a high rate of speed. The van driver lost control of his vehicle, veered across lanes, hit another vehicle and went down an embankment.

I offer my heartfelt condolences to everyone who knew and loved the deceased van driver. Please keep this family in your prayers.

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Drunk driving commonly referred to as “Driving Under the Influence” or DUI is a term used to describe impaired driving or driving while under the influence of drugs or any other controlled chemical substance. Multiple terms are used to describe this offense, like DUI, DWI, OUI and OWI which all mean the same thing. Although different states use different terminology, the reference in which the terms are used is the same. Here is an explanation to differentiate between the different drunk driving charges:

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Gabriel Lanusse, 40, was injured in a San Francisco car accident after a teenager accused of driving under the influence, rammed head-on into his family's minivan. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports that the accident occurred the night of February 20, 2010 in Petaluma, when Lanusse was stopped at a light on Lakeville Highway and Frates Road. The teen lost control of her car as she drove on Lakeville Highway, crossed into oncoming traffic and struck the minivan occupied by Gabriel Lanusse, his wife Kristine and two children.

Thankfully, Kristine Lanusse and the two children were not injured although the minivan was totaled and Gabriel Lanusse sustained a broken arm. The teenager suffered head injuries and was taken to a local hospital. Officials found an empty tequila bottle in her car, determined she had been drinking and arrested her on suspicion of felony DUI.

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Authorities in Santa Maria have identified a man who was seriously injured in a car accident caused by a suspected drunk driver, the night of February 21, 2010, as 26-year-old Santos Quiros. According to a news report in the Santa Maria Times, 36-year-old Raymundo Reyes was driving north on Blosser Road when he struck Quiros who was walking eastbound on the roadway, near Donovan Road. Quiros sustained a fractured pelvis, multiple cuts and scrapes and was taken to a local hospital. Reyes was uninjured and later arrested on suspicion of DUI causing injury.

I sympathize with Quiros and his family. I wish Quiros the very best for a speedy and complete recovery from his serious injuries. Please keep him in your prayers.

Continue reading "Pedestrian Accident Caused by Suspected Drunk Driver" »

Michelle Garcia, 20, was killed in a San Diego car accident the morning of February 20, 2010 involving a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in the North County Times, Garcia was in a 2006 Lexus driven by George Reyes traveling eastbound on Avenue S in Escondido. California Highway Patrol officials say Garcia allowed his vehicle to drift over to the right shoulder. He veered back to the left, but lost control. The Lexus crossed the median, rolled over and came to rest on its roof. Garcia was ejected from the Lexus and died at the scene. CHP officials reported that she was not wearing her seatbelt. Reyes sustained major injuries, but was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

I offer my heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of Michelle Garcia for their devastating loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Continue reading "Woman Killed in San Diego DUI Collision" »

A Fresno car accident involving a suspected drunk driver fatally injured a 76-year-old man the afternoon of January 24, 2010. According to a news report in the Fresno Bee, the fatal car accident occurred when 23-year-old Michael Freeman who was traveling west on McKinley Avenue, struck a Nissan Frontier that was going south on the Highway 145. The Nissan's driver was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. Freeman was also injured. Authorities arrested Freeman on suspicion of drunk driving. A 22-year-old passenger in Freeman's car also sustained major injuries.

My heart goes out to this victim's family for their sudden and devastating loss. They will certainly be in my thoughts and prayers.

Continue reading "Fresno DUI Car Accident Kills Driver" »

A 27-year-old man faces two counts of murder and other charges stemming from a fatal Los Angeles car accident, which killed 20-year-old Renee Hardy and 22-year-old Telassie Dague. According to a news report in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Alan Michael McConnell was intoxicated early morning January 23, 2010 as he drove east on Foothill Boulevard in La Verne in Dague's car. The car collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Foothill and Damien Avenue. McConnell tried to flee the scene of the crash, lost control and hit a tree in the median. Hardy and Dague sustained fatal injuries, but McConnell was uninjured.

McConnell is also facing four misdemeanor charges for driving intoxicated, hit-and-run, driving on a suspended license and for driving without proof of insurance, which is an infraction. He is facing murder charges because he has a prior DUI conviction.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of Renee Hardy and Telassie Dague for their untimely loss. This story is yet another tragic reminder of the consequences of drinking and driving. It's a no-win situation for everyone concerned. Tragic!

Continue reading "Murder Charges Filed in Los Angeles DUI Car Accident" »

Sylvia Ziranda, 38, was killed in a car accident the night of January 20, 2010 after the vehicle in which she was a passenger was struck by a drunk driver, according to the Visalia Times Delta. California Highway Patrol officials said 23-year-old Tomas Hernandez was driving a 1991 Honda north on Road 204 near List Avenue, in Exeter, when he lost control and crashed head-on with a southbound Nissan pickup truck. Andres Rubio Soltero, 42, who was the driver of the Nissan, sustained minor injuries while his passenger, Ziranda, died from her injuries. Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and was transported to a Fresno hospital in critical condition.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Sylvia Ziranda, who have suffered a tremendous loss. I offer my deepest condolences to them. Please keep them in your prayers. I'm also relieved that Soltero did not suffer any catastrophic injuries in this accident. I wish him the very best for a quick and complete recovery from his injuries.

Continue reading "California DUI Car Accident Proves Fatal for Woman" »

A 12-year-old boy sustained major injuries in a San Bernardino car accident after he was struck by a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in the Victorville Daily Press, the major injury pedestrian accident occurred the evening of January 10, 2010, when the child was skateboarding along the shoulder of the road near Lime and E streets in Hesperia. A truck driven by 49-year-old Todd Dean Thomas then hit him.

The boy suffered severe head injuries and had a compound fracture of one of his legs. He was transported to an area hospital where he is listed in stable condition. Officials conducted a DUI investigation at the location of the crash and determined that Thomas was under the influence. He has been arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving.

Continue reading "Boy Seriously Injured in San Bernardino DUI Car Accident" »

Corbin White, 18, was killed in an Orange car accident after the vehicle in which she was a passenger was rear-ended by a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the accident occurred early morning on January 3, 2010 at the intersection of Main Street and MacArthur Boulevard in Santa Ana when 36-year-old Robert Charles Serrano slammed his BMW into a Toyota Scion carrying White, who died the next day from her injuries. Serrano fled the scene of the accident, but was arrested shortly afterward at the home of a relative. He has been charged with one felony count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and one felony count of fleeing an accident scene.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of this young victim, Corbin White, for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this teenager. Please keep them in your prayers.

Continue reading "Fatal Orange County DUI Car Accident" »

A 35-year-old bicyclist has sustained critical injuries in a Los Angeles car accident, which possibly involved a drunk driver, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports. The bicycle accident occurred at the intersection of Temple and Puente avenues, the night of December 26, 2009, when the bicyclist was riding in a crosswalk. He was struck by an SUV driven by 40-year-old Frank Lanning. The bicyclist sustained head injuries and was transported to a local hospital, in critical condition. Lanning was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

My heart goes out to this injured victim and his family for what they are going through right now. I hope and pray that the bicyclist makes it through his critical head injuries and has a complete recovery, although his road to recovery may be long. This injured victim and his family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Continue reading "Los Angeles DUI Car Accident Critically Injures Bicyclist" »

Three workers for the Department of Water and Power were injured in a Los Angeles car accident after they were hit by a suspected drunk driver while working in Los Feliz. According to a report on KTLA News, the DWP employees were working in the 5800 block of Franklin Avenue early morning on December 1, 2009 when the driver crashed through the work zone and injured the workers. Los Angeles police officials said the car also struck a DWP vehicle. The female driver was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Two passengers in her car were uninjured. The three workers were transported to a local hospital with injuries, but they have been listed in stable condition.

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Kristen Bedard, 36, was killed in a San Diego car accident after she was struck by a suspected drunk driver while walking down a Poway street. According to a 10news report, Bedard was walking north on a sidewalk in the 13700 block of Community Road in Poway the morning of November 23, 2009 when a southbound vehicle driven by 44-year-old Becky Marie Anderson veered off the roadway and struck Bedard, who died at the scene. San Diego County Sheriff's deputies arrested Anderson on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated.

Continue reading "Pedestrian Killed in San Diego DUI Car Accident" »

Cydil Kohlmeyer, 35, was killed in a San Diego car accident after she was struck by a suspected drunk driver, while walking on a street, 10news reports. Kohlmeyer was walking in the 1200 block of Pepper Drive the night of November 21, 2009 when an eastbound pickup truck driven by 51-year-old Deborah Felix, went off the roadway and hit her.

The out-of-control pickup truck then continued on and plowed into several mailboxes, a parked truck, a fence, crossed two front yards and crashed into a house. Felix tried to run away from the scene, but several neighbors caught and held her at the scene, California Highway Patrol officials said. Felix was taken to a hospital and then arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter. Kohlmeyer was transported to a local hospital where she died during surgery, the San Diego County Coroner's office reported.

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Marcos A. Arredondo, 18, and Macrina M. Ocampo, 58, were killed in a serious California car accident in Santa Barbara the morning of November 8, 2009 caused by s suspected drunk driver, according to a KCOY news report. The car that Arredondo and Ocampo were in, a Honda Accord, was struck by a driver who was going north on the southbound lanes of the 101 Freeway in Goleta, California. A California Highway Patrol officer, who had been alerted by a Santa Barbara Sheriff's Sergeant about the wrong-way driver, witnessed the accident. Two others in the Honda sustained major injuries and were hospitalized. The wrong-way driver was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter.

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Brook Boynton, 51, was killed in an Orange County car accident after a suspected drunk driver, who officials say was travelling at over 100 mph on the 73 toll road, struck his car. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, 37-year-old Richard Ernest Caselli was speeding in a Volvo sedan the night of October 16, 2009, when he rear-ended Boynton's Nissan SUV on the southbound 73 near Laguna Canyon Road. The impact from the crash caused the SUV to spin out of control and roll over. Boynton was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.

Continue reading "Orange County Fatal DUI Car Accident, Driver Arrested" »

Vickie Chen and Elaine Shin Ly, both 19, sustained critical injuries in a San Bernardino car accident the morning of October 10, 2009 after they were struck by a suspected drunk driver on the 10 Freeway while changing a flat tire. According to a news report in the San Bernardino Sun, Chen and Ly were standing in front of their Toyota Camry along the westbound 10 lanes near the Richardson Street overpass in Loma Linda when they were hit.

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Brock Warmuth, 22, was seriously injured in a Ventura County car accident after his bicycle was struck by a car the morning of October 6, 2009. According to a news report in the Ventura County Star, Warmuth was riding his bicycle east along Bristol Road when a car driven by 48-year-old Cynthia Ginn hit him from behind. Warmuth was thrown off his bike. Ginn did not stop at the scene of the crash. A witness to the hit-and-run car accident followed Ginn while another person stopped and called 911 to help the injured bicyclist. Police arrested Ginn after they saw her passed out behind the wheel of her vehicle. She was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence and felony hit-and-run. Warmuth, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered major injuries and was taken to an area hospital.

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A 65-year-old man was killed in a Los Angeles car accident caused by a suspected drunk driver, the Pasadena Star News reports. Police in El Monte arrested 24-year-old Joyce Polzin on suspicion of drunk driving and felony manslaughter in connection with the fatal accident, which occurred early morning on October 4, 2009 in the northbound lanes of Peck Road near Lower Azusa Road. El Monte police said the collision occurred when Polzin hit the man who had just got out of his parked Toyota Tundra pickup. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Polzin tried to drive away from the scene of the accident in her damaged Chevrolet Avalanche, but was stopped by a Good Samaritan just a few blocks away.

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David Joseph Garcia, 34, and Alex Estrada, 33, were killed in a Ventura car accident caused by a suspected drunk driver who crashed head-on into their vehicle, the Ventura County Star reports. Garcia and Estrada were killed in the crash the morning of September 27, 2009 on Highway 118 near Rose Avenue in Ventura, California. Joseph Garcia's wife, Sonia, was critically injured in the crash. California Highway Patrol officials arrested 24-year-old Jorge Hernandez on suspicion of felony drunk driving. Hernandez was apparently driving the wrong way on the highway and did not have his headlights on.

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