California Injury Blog

Christa Balch, 40, suffered major injuries and her 4-year-old son, Sebastian, was killed in a California car accident involving a suspected drunk driver the night of August 9, 2009. According to a news report in the Monterey Herald, Balch's car was hit by a 2006 Dodge truck driven by 31-year-old Dion Gussner. California Highway Patrol officials say Balch has stopped in the right lane at River and Las Palmas roads in Salinas when Gussner crashed into the car. Sebastian died at the scene while Balch and her 2-year-old daughter were taken to a San Jose hospital with major injuries. Gussner was charged with felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter.

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Thousand Oaks Dangerous Intersection Causes Concern

The grandmother of an toddler whose aunt threw him out of the way before she was struck and critically injured at a Thousand Oaks intersection accident on March 10, 2009, is urging the City Council to make that dangerous intersection safer for pedestrians. According to a news report in the Ventura County Star, 2-year-old Mitchell Ito was crossing the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Devonshire Avenue in a marked crosswalk with his aunt, 49-year-old Argelia Rojas, when they were hit. Mitchell suffered minor injuries, but Rojas is still in the hospital in critical condition.

Ito's family says this intersection has long been a problem for pedestrians. They and other parents have taken the matter to the City Council. Neighbors say motorists speed along the four-lane road. Drivers don't pay attention to the crosswalk and do not slow down for pedestrians who are crossing the street, many say. Other neighbors said the crosswalk needs some type of signals to get the attention of motorists. Parents of children who attend a school nearby said they want to see a flashing light and yellow pedestrian signs. Police, who have been doing targeted enforcement at the intersection, apparently cited 21 drivers for failing to yield to a pedestrian during a 90-minute operation

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Oxnard police have arrested a man on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter in connection with a January 27, 2009 fatal traffic collision, which killed 44-year-old Sherry Bernadette Anthony. According to this news report in the Ventura County Star, police arrested Isaac Chavez based on information provided by community members along with video evidence that was obtained.

Chavez was arrested a day after the fatal accident. Anthony was apparently on her way to work. She was making a left turn from northbound Rice Avenue onto Latigo Avenue when a pickup truck heading south on Rice broadsided Anthony’s van. She was pronounced dead on the scene. Chavez was taken to a local hospital with a broken collarbone and other injuries. Eyewitnesses also told police that Chavez had run a red light before crashing into Anthony’s van. Chavez now faces felony vehicular manslaughter charges.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Sherry Bernadette Anthony for their heartbreaking loss. Here was a woman who was on her way to work early morning and she gets killed because of another driver’s negligence and reckless auto driving. Tragic! I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Anthony.

This news article doesn’t say whether Chavez was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. However, going by the eyewitness reports and the video police obtained, Chavez was driving recklessly as he ran a red light and broadsided Anthony’s van.

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