California Injury Blog

Louisa Valdovinos, 55, of Menifee, was killed in a Riverside car accident, which officials report involved a suspected drunk driver. According to a news article in The Press Enterprise, the fatal DUI collision occurred on Winchester Road south of Scott Road near Menifee, during the early morning hours of January 29, 2012. Officials say 30-year-old Jason M. Richter, of Oceanside was under the influence of alcohol when his Pontiac Grand Am drifted into oncoming traffic and struck a Toyota Corolla. The driver of the Corolla, Valdovinos, died at the scene of the crash. Richter sustained critical injuries, while his wife suffered moderate injuries. Richter may face DUI and vehicular manslaughter charges.

My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Louisa Valdovinos following this tragic DUI collision. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

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Aida Gonzalez, 53, was killed in a Garden Grove car accident, which officials say involved a suspected drunk driver, the night of January 15, 2012. According to a news article in The Orange County Register, the fatal DUI collision occurred in the eastbound lanes of the 22 Freeway, near Bolsa Chica Road, in Garden Grove. Authorities report, Charline Vilchis, 21, of Long Beach, was under the influence when she swerved to the left, while driving a Toyota Corolla, and struck a stopped Toyota Camry from behind. The Camry spun out of control and into the path of a Jeep Liberty. Gonzalez was fatally injured in the collision. Vilchis was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence resulting in corporal injury or death.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Aida Gonzalez following this tragic Orange County car accident. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

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The law offices of Bisnar | Chase has decided to sponsor a new video in order to increase awareness to the horrors of D.U.I.'s and their consequences. Named “There are no extra lives when you drink and drive,” the video has a powerful message that is meant to snap teens back to reality about the irreversible tragedy that could occur if they were involved in a fatal DUI crash.

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Upcoming 26-year-old comedian Angelo Bowers was killed in a Los Angeles car accident that was caused by a suspected drunk driver, who also attempted to flee the scene. According to a KTLA news report, the fatal DUI collision occurred early morning on January 3, 2012 at the intersection of Vine and Yucca streets in Hollywood. Bowers was a passenger in a Jeep Wrangler that was northbound on Vine when a Toyota Matrix hit it.

Officials say the 21-year-old male DUI suspect, who was driving the Toyota, had caused an earlier crash by making an illegal U-turn at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Avenue and hitting a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria taxicab. Bowers was fatally injured while the driver of the Jeep Wrangler, Bowers' friend and fellow comedian Josh Adam Meyers, suffered major injuries. The hit-and-run driver is expected to be booked for murder after he is released from the hospital.

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Celia Torres, 73, and her grandson, David Gonzalez, 16, were killed in a San Diego car accident, which police report, involved a drunk driver. According to a news report in The San Diego Union-Tribune, the fatal DUI collision occurred on state Route 125 outside of Fletcher Hills, the night of December 9, 2011. Officials say Celia Torres was traveling at approximately five miles per hour in heavy traffic when a truck slammed into the back of her Nissan Pathfinder. The collision set off a chain-reaction crash involving four vehicles and resulted in two vehicles becoming engulfed in flames.

Celia Torres and David Gonzalez were trapped inside the Nissan Pathfinder and "burned to death within a minute." The driver of the truck, Justin Foulds, 39, of Lemon Grove, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter. Foulds told officials that he had just attended an office Christmas party.

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Stuart Lessig and his wife, Elizabeth, both 24, of Fallbrook, were seriously injured in a San Diego car accident, which officials say, involved a drunk driver, the evening of December 7, 2011. According to a news report in The San Diego Union-Tribune, the injury motorcycle crash occurred at the intersection of South Mission Road and Almond Street in Fallbrook. Police say Stuart Lessig was driving his 2010 Kawasaki motorcycle in the southbound lane of on South Mission Road when he was hit by a Mazda B2300 pickup truck driven by 57-year-old Randall Arnold. Officials say Arnold made a left turn in front of Lessig's motorcycle. Lessig and his wife were thrown onto the roadway and sustained major injuries. Arnold suffered minor injuries and was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

My heart goes out to this young couple that has suffered serious injuries in this motorcycle accident. I wish them both the very best for a quick and complete recovery.

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Two people were injured in a Los Angeles car accident after a driver crashed his vehicle into a Norms restaurant. According to a City News Service report, the injury collision occurred at the Norms 24-hour diner at 470 North La Cienega Boulevard, during the early morning hours of November 17, 2011. A patron and a waiter suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. Officials say they found bottles of beer in the back seat and the floor of the abandoned silver Mercedes. Police have not released any information about the suspect. An investigation is ongoing.

My heart goes out to the injured victims of this hit-and-run car accident. I'm relieved to hear that they did not suffer life-threatening injuries. I wish them the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep the victims in your thoughts and prayers.

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Darwin Almeida, 3, was killed in a Santa Ana car accident, which officials say was caused by a suspected drunk driver who also left the scene of the crash. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred the evening of November 9, 2011 at the intersection of Fifth and North Bewley streets. Darwin's mother was walking in an unmarked crosswalk carrying her 1-year-old daughter and holding Darwin by the hand. At the time, an SUV pulled out of a nearby parking lot at a high rate of speed. The vehicle struck the boy, pulling him underneath the vehicle. The woman and the baby were lifted onto the hood of the vehicle before being thrown off. The driver of the SUV fled the scene.

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Four Covina teenagers were injured in a Los Angeles car accident, which police report, involved an underage drunk driver. According to a report in The Glendale News-Press, the DUI crash occurred on Honolulu Avenue at Ocean View Boulevard in Glendale, during the early morning hours of October 30, 2011. Officials say Eric Corona, 19, was under the influence of alcohol when the vehicle he was driving struck a large tree. He was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence. Corona was not hurt but his four female passengers suffered serious injuries including dislocated hip, broken arms, a spine fracture, a compression fracture, and a cut to the head.

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Larry Hallstrom, 57, was killed in an Anaheim car accident, which officials say involved a driver who was under the influence. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred early morning on October 22, 2011 in the 500 block of Beach Boulevard between Lincoln and Orange avenues. Officials say Hallstrom was crossing the roadway outside of a crosswalk and in traffic lanes when he was hit by a northbound 2000 Chevy S-10 pickup truck.

Hallstrom died at the scene. The driver of the pickup, 36-year-old Alexandro Cedillo, was arrested on suspicion of DUI and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Officials are also looking into whether other vehicles struck the pedestrian and left the scene. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Anaheim police at 714-765-1860.

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A 65-year-old woman suffered major injuries in a Laguna Beach car accident after she was hit by an SUV whose driver is suspected of operating under the influence. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the injury pedestrian collision occurred on Laguna Canyon Road near the Festival of Arts/Pageant of the Masters. The pedestrian was crossing the roadway with another person, the night of October 15, 2011, when she was struck by the westbound SUV. The woman suffered major trauma and was transported to an area hospital. The driver of the SUV, identified as 65-year-old Sharon Niggemann, was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI.

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Two pedestrians, a man and a woman, were killed in an Anaheim car accident, near the Disneyland Resort, which officials say, involved an underage drunk driver. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the fatal DUI collision occurred at a crosswalk on South Harbor Boulevard, the early morning of October 1, 2011. The driver of a Chevrolet Astro van hit the two pedestrians as they crossed the road in a crosswalk. A male teenager, whose age was given as under 18, told police he was driving the van. Both victims were fatally injured in the crash. Alcohol has been described as a factor in this collision.

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Maria Arreola, 60, was killed in a Los Angeles car accident, which police report, involved a drunk driver. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the fatal DUI crash occurred at the intersection of Slauson and Normandie avenues in Los Angeles’ Chesterfield Square, the morning of September 13, 2011. Officials say a driver, identified as 23-year-old Danilo Hernandez, ran a red light at the intersection before striking another car driven by a man. Arreola, who was pronounced dead at the site of the collision, was a passenger in one of the vehicles. The male driver whose car was hit has also been injured but is expected to survive. Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter.

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Rodolfo De Los Santos, 54, was seriously injured in a Ventura car accident, which officials say, was caused by a driver who was under the influence of drugs. According to a news report in The Ventura County Star, the injury collision occurred the afternoon of September 11, 2011 on Highway 126, near Sespe Creek, in Fillmore.

California Highway Patrol officials say De Los Santos was riding his motorcycle east on Highway 126 when a vehicle that was going the wrong way on the highway struck him. De Los Santos was thrown off his motorcycle and suffered a broken leg, road rash and abrasions. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The wrong way driver, identified as 70-year-old Alicia Gonzalez, has been booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.

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A 44-year-old man was killed in a Los Angeles car accident involving a teenage driver, who officials say, may have been under the influence of alcohol. According to a report in the Los Angeles Daily News, the fatal DUI collision occurred on the southbound 110 Freeway, near Vernon Avenue, on September 4, 2011. The victim was with two other men on the shoulder of the freeway trying to repair a stalled Chevrolet Monte Carlo, when the 18-year-old driver of a Smart car crashed into the Chevrolet, forcing it into the three men.

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Esmeralda Ramirez, 24, was killed in a Los Angeles car accident involving a suspected drunk driver, the afternoon of August 14, 2011. According to news reports, the fatal DUI collision occurred at the intersection of Stewart Avenue and Baldwin Park Boulevard in Baldwin Park. The woman was walking with her boyfriend to church, when a 2005 Jeep Laredo driven by 27-year-old Rafael Espinoza Moreno went out of control and struck Ramirez. The Jeep then crashed into a bus bench and another building.

Moreno fled the scene of the crash, but was soon found by officials a couple of blocks away, hiding in bushes. Moreno's blood alcohol level was more than twice the limit of 0.08 percent when he was tested after the crash. Police say he has never had a valid driver's license and has received prior citations for speeding and driving without a license. He now faces drunk driving, hit-and-run, and vehicular manslaughter charges.

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A 46-year-old man was seriously injured in a Huntington Beach car accident when a drunk driver struck his motorcycle. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the DUI crash occurred on Pacific Coast Highway, near Goldenwest Street, in Huntington Beach, the afternoon of August 12, 2011. Police say Jesse Rodriguez, 21, was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup in the bike lane to pass slower vehicles when he clipped the Harley-Davidson driven by the victim.

The motorcyclist sustained serious injuries. Rodriguez fled the scene, but authorities were able to track him down and arrest him shortly after the incident. Rodriguez faces several charges including, driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, hit-and-run, and reckless driving.

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Arthur John Jacobs, 64, was fatally injured in a San Diego car accident after his bicycle was struck by a suspected drunk driver. According to a 10News report, the fatal bicycle accident occurred the night of July 27, 2011 near the intersection of El Camino Real and Cassia Street in Carlsbad.

Witnesses told officials that the 23-year-old driver, later identified as Julianne Elyse Thomson, crashed into a curb and some bushes and sped away into an apartment parking lot. Jacobs was found lying on the roadway and pronounced dead at the scene. Police found Thomson hiding in the bushes shortly afterward. She was arrested on suspicion of DUI, vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run.

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Kelly Pham, 21, of La Mirada, was killed in a Fullerton car accident, which officials say, involved a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the fatal DUI collision occurred when the driver, 23-year-old Justin Drake, was speeding in a 2006 Mazda westbound on Malvern Avenue, near Woods Avenue, the morning of July 24, 2011.

Police say he lost control of the car at a curve and struck a tree and retaining wall. Pham, who sustained critical injuries, was transported to a local hospital where she died. Drake was also injured, but was arrested on suspicion of DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter. Anyone with information about this crash is asked to contact Fullerton police at 714-738-6716.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family members and friends of Kelly Pham for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

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A 28-year-old man was killed in an Anaheim car accident, which officials say, involved a drunk driver, early morning on July 17, 2011. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the fatal DUI collision occurred on the southbound 5 Freeway, near Disneyland Drive, in Anaheim. A 28-year-old female driver of a 2002 GMC pickup changed lanes and struck the back of a 1995 Mercury Villager. The GMC then veered out of control, onto a steep embankment and rolled over several times. A male passenger in the GMC was killed and the driver suffered major injuries. She was later arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

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