California Injury Blog

A fatal Santa Barbara personal injury accident took the lives of Leonel Leon, 22, Lorena Guadalupe Tellez-Pacheco, and Jaciel Tellez, 8 on August 24, 2010. According to a report in the Santa Maria Times, the truck driver and owner of the big rig, Joaquin Garcia Morales, rented a trailer that he loaded with 26 tons of gravel. As he was driving down a hill on Highway 152, he lost his brakes. The out of control big rig truck eventually came to halt when it collided with a 1,000 square foot wooden home.

The small 50-year-old wooden home was flattened and three of the occupants suffered fatal injuries. One of the families occupants had left the home moments before the devastating big rig crash occurred. In the height of the crash response, there were nine engines, a latter truck, two search and rescue vehicles, a search dog and 10 chief officers.

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A 9-year-old boy, who was killed in a Los Angeles car accident after his scooter was struck by an SUV at a Walnut intersection, has been identified by local officials as Mauricio Vigo. The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports that the accident occurred near the intersection of Wesleyan Avenue and Temple Avenue in Walnut. Mauricio was riding his scooter downhill turning from Wesleyan to Temple when he was struck by a 2008 Mercedes Benz SUV driven by a 49-year-old man. Mauricio was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. An investigation is ongoing.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mauricio Vigo for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. This grieving family will certainly be in my prayers.

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Sumiko Maria Thomas, 81, was killed in a San Bernardino car accident on January 6, 2010 after she was hit by a vehicle while crossing the street. According to a news report in the Victorville Daily Press, Thomas was crossing Country Club Drive near Makai Court in Victorville, when a 2005 silver Cadillac CTS struck her. California Highway Patrol officials said Thomas was taken to an area hospital where she died. An investigation is ongoing.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sumiko Maria Thomas for their tragic loss. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this woman. Please keep them in your prayers.

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A 26-year-old man was killed in an Orange County car accident after he was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street, The Orange County Register reports. The man was crossing the street near the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Peregrine Street in Anaheim, the night of December 23, 2009, when he was hit. Anaheim police officials say the victim was walking in a crosswalk, but are looking into whether he had the right-of-way at the time. The driver initially fled the scene, but turned around and came back in a few minutes. Police say they are not treating the case as a hit-and-run and have not arrested the driver.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of this pedestrian accident victim for their tragic and sudden loss. I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved this man. Please keep them in your prayers. I'm also pleased to note that this driver found the courage to return to the scene of the accident despite initially leaving in a panic. He did the right thing.

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Meiyun Kang, 82, was killed in a San Bernardino pedestrian accident the morning of June 16, 2009, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports. The Chino pedestrian accident occurred when 76-year-old Mary Lemos, who was driving a 2003 Honda Accord west on Riverside Drive near Cypress Avenue, struck Kang. Chino police officials said Kang attempted to cross Riverside from the south side and was hit by Lemos. A witness apparently told police that Kang crossed the street outside of the crosswalk area. Kang was pronounced dead at the scene. Lemos was uninjured. If you have more information about this fatal San Bernardino County pedestrian accident, please call Chino police at 909-590-5571.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Meiyun Kang. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Kang. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were three fatalities and 11 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Chino. In San Bernardino County as a whole, 50 fatalities and 432 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of pedestrian accidents.

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A lawsuit from a former employee at Eternal Hills Cemetery and Mortuary accuses the mortuary of several disturbing practices including double-selling cemetery plots and permitting employees to look at deceased people whose bodies were brought in after horrendous accidents or suicides. The cemetery, which is the largest in Northern San Diego County, is owned by Houston-based Service Corp. International (SCI). Our source for this blog was this news report in the North County Times.

The former employee, Angela Maney-Sorrell, sued the company in October alleging that she was wrongfully terminated after pointing out problems at the funeral home. She had been an employee there for 21 years. Funeral home administrators have issued a statement saying that Maney-Sorrell is a “disgruntled employee” and have denied all the allegations.

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