California Injury Blog

Published on: June 8, 2009

Will The Driver That Killed My Husband Ever Be Held Accountable?

By Brian Chase

Submitted by Deborah Reichle, a client of Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys personal injury attorneys:

The avalanche of pain, heartache, and financial devastation created by Sara Sherbin’s negligence started on Thanksgiving morning 2008 and has continued through every day of my family’s lives since then. My husband, David Reichle, was pronounced brain dead and taken off of life support five days after the jeep Sara was driving hit him as a pedestrian. Although I expected unbiased justice from the City of Torrance, that is far from what I am currently experiencing.

Sara drove down a very wide, quiet residential street in Torrance claiming the sun was in her eyes and her windshield was fogged up. But rather than stopping to correct her obstructed vision, Sara chose to continue driving blindly on while her jeep drifted to the right. She plowed through David’s body after he exited our family van and turned to talk with a friend standing on the sidewalk. David did not walk in front of Sara’s jeep. Her jeep drove straight at him and our parked van, while an eye witness watched in horror when he realized she wasn’t stopping.

David’s body and head took the full impact of her jeep, while she crushed him between her jeep and the door of our van, bending the door completely back on its hinges and throwing David over 20 feet. When he hit the pavement, the momentum caused him to continue rolling until he landed in the gutter where he lay unconscious and bleeding profusely from his head.

Even while this horrific pedestrian accident unfolded, Sara still claims to have seen nothing. Rather than stopping when the impact occurred, she abruptly over-corrected the direction her jeep was headed and shot diagonally across the street before she finally came to a stop two houses away. If there had been any other cars headed westbound on 232nd Street at that time, she would have hit them as she crossed their lane. These are not the actions of someone who is in control of their car and intently trying to see out of their windshield.
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Published on: June 5, 2009

Virginia Personal Injury Lawyer Ben Glass Is Plagiarized by Montana Attorney

By Brian Chase

When injured victims seek out a personal injury attorney they are looking for someone with integrity. They have already been victimized. The last thing they need is to be further victimized by an attorney who lacks credibility or character.

On that note, let’s talk about Solomon Neuhardt, a personal injury attorney in Montana, who like personal injury attorneys has his own Web site and blog. He even bills himself as the author of several books that provide information for injured consumers. There’s nothing wrong with any of that. What’s atrocious is that some of the material he has posted on his blogs and passes off as his own appears to be plagiarized material, according to numerous sources.

Is it true Solomon Neuhardt that you copied word for word another attorney’s copy-written work and posted it as your own on your blog? Is the “Five Fatal Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Montana Accident Case” book that you offer to give to your Web site visitors a plagiarized book as well? I hope not, but I’m skeptical. Why? Here are the two sentences you use on your Web site to market this book, “Five Fatal Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Montana Accident Case”: “In this book I reveal what the insurance company will try to do to defeat or reduce your claim. I’ll show you how your own health insurance company may want to get your entire settlement for itself and what you can do about it.”
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Published on: June 4, 2009

Irvine Car Accident Kills Yorba Linda Woman

By Brian Chase

Diana Lynn Ross, 61, of Yorba Linda was killed in an Irvine car accident, The Orange County Register reports. The fatal Orange County car accident occurred late morning on May 29, 2009 at the intersection of Main Street and Harvard Avenue when Ross’ car struck another car. Irvine police investigators believe one of the drivers ran a red light, but have not identified which one of the drivers did that. Officials say drugs or alcohol did not play a part in this fatal car crash. Ross died in an area hospital about an hour after the fatal car collision. There is no word on the condition of the other driver. Anyone who witnessed this Orange County car accident is asked to contact Investigator Linda Villelli at 949-724-7212, extension 2002.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Diana Lynn Ross for their tragic and sudden loss. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this woman. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were eight fatalities and 842 injuries involving car accidents reported in Irvine. In Orange County as a whole, 178 deaths and 14,185 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of car accidents.
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Published on: June 4, 2009

Los Angeles County Pedestrian Accident Kills Man In Lancaster

By Brian Chase

A 55-year-old man was struck and killed in a Los Angeles pedestrian accident the night of June 2, 2009, Los Angeles police officials said. According to an article in the Los Angeles Daily News, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred in the 2600 block of West Avenue K near 27th Street West. The pedestrian, who has not yet been identified, was walking west on the south side of Avenue K and had just stepped out into the street when he was hit by a car heading west in the number two lane and driven by 41-year-old Alea Adams. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

My heart goes out to the family of this pedestrian for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved this man. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were five pedestrian involved fatal accidents and 41 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Lancaster. In Los Angeles County, 210 deaths and 5,095 injuries were reported as a result of pedestrian accidents in 2007.
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Published on: June 3, 2009

San Diego Car Accident Caused by Red Light Runner Kills Mira Messa Woman

By Brian Chase

Kara Marie Franco, 24, was killed in a San Diego car accident after a man ran a red light and struck her 2006 Honda Civic, 10news reports. Franco was apparently driving alone when she turned left at the intersection of Camino Ruiz and Carroll Canyon Road the afternoon of June 2, 2009 when her car was struck by another car that speeded through the red light, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office reports. Paramedics took Franco to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. The 73-year-old driver, who is believed to have run the red light at that intersection, was also taken to the hospital with injuries, but he is expected to recover.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Kara Marie Franco for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved the victim in the tragic San Diego car accident. Apparently, Franco lived with her family and worked as a nurse at a large hospital. Please keep her grieving family and friends in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were 84 fatalities and 6,516 personal injuries reported in the city of San Diego as a result of Southern California car accidents. In San Diego County, in 2007, 268 deaths and 14,641 personal injuries were reported involving car accidents.
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Published on: June 3, 2009

Orange County Construction Accident Injures Man

By Brian Chase

A man was injured in a Orange County construction accident the afternoon of June 2, 2009, The Orange County Register reports. Orange County firefighters rescued the construction worker, who was trapped up to his waist in a 10-foot trench. The man remained conscious during the hour-long rescue operation and is recovering from his California personal injuries, officials say. The Orange County construction accident occurred at a construction site on Moody Street and Malaga Drive in La Palma. The man was apparently working when the walls of the trench came down. The man was eventually able to climb out using a ladder after firefighters dug out much of the dirt that had caved in.

I’m extremely relieved that this Southern California construction accident did not result in tragedy like many other trench collapse incidents have. I commend the firefighters who rescued this man and wish the personally injured worker the very best for a quick and complete recovery.

Trench cave-ins are unfortunately common construction site accidents that can be fatal or cause significant injuries. According to Cal/OSHA’s statistics, over a five-year period between 2001 and 2005, 26 Californians have been killed in trench collapses and 207 Californians have been injured in these entirely preventable construction accidents.
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Published on: June 3, 2009

Newport Beach Car Accident Caused by Cop Who Ran a Red Light

By Brian Chase

An on-duty Newport Beach police officer ran a red light causing a Newport Beach car accident the night of May 28, 2009, the Daily Pilot reports. The Newport Beach street intersection car accident occurred when the on-duty officer, who has not been identified, was eastbound on Pacific Coast Highway. Eyewitnesses said he ran a red light at Avocado Avenue and hit another car that was turning left onto Pacific Coast Highway. Authorities say the police officer was not responding to a call at the time of the Southern California car crash. Both the officer and the other driver were taken to a local hospital with personal injuries.

California Highway Patrol officials are investigating the Orange County car accident so there is no conflict, officials said. It is not out of the ordinary for a second law enforcement agency to step in and take over the investigation when the local agency is involved in an incident.

I’m relieved that this Newport Beach car accident did not cause any catastrophic or fatal injuries. I understand from this news report that both the officer and the injured victim did not suffer major personal injuries. I wish them both the very best for a quick and complete recovery.
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Published on: June 2, 2009

Riverside Car Accident Kills Man In Palm Springs

By Brian Chase

Donald Klimovich, 80, was killed in a Riverside County car accident the morning of June 1, 2009, The Desert Sun reports. The fatal Palm Springs car collision occurred at Indian Canyon Drive and San Rafael Road. Palm Springs police are looking into whether a GMC pickup, which was southbound on Indian Canyon ran a red light and collided with Klimovich’s Infiniti sedan as it moved east across the intersection. Before colliding with the Infiniti, the truck also apparently clipped an eastbound Toyota that stopped just before the truck entered the intersection.

After the Riverside car accident, the Infiniti was pushed into a BMW sport utility vehicle and a Nissan 350Z that were both waiting to turn left from northbound Indian Canyon. No charges have been filed against the driver of the GMC pending a police investigation.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Donald Klimovich for their tragic loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Klimovich. Based on comments left by readers of the news article, it appears that he was a well-loved and respected man. Please keep them in your prayers.
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Published on: June 2, 2009

Buena Park Bicycle Accident Involves Repeat DUI Offender

By Brian Chase

A Buena Park bicycle accident took the life of a young bicycle rider. Heather Elizabeth Azkoul, 31, of Anaheim who had two prior drunk driving convictions, has been found guilty of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and hit-and-run for crashing into and killing bicyclist, 41-year-old Virginia Cordier on January 23, 2007. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, Azkoul had a blood alcohol level of 0.18 — more than twice the legal limit — almost 90 minutes after the Buena Park personal injury lawyer that killed Cordier.

Azkoul was apparently speeding in her 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass in the southbound lanes of Beach Boulevard near Knott’s Berry Farm when she rear-ended Cordier’s bicycle. Azkoul reportedly had two drunk driving convictions prior to this accident — in 2002 and 2004. She drove away after striking Cordier, but was apprehended by police after a tow truck driver spotted her. Personal injury attorneys defending Azkoul argued that Cordier was riding her bicycle in the darkness without lights or reflectors and that Azkoul did not cause the bike-car accident. But the jury didn’t buy it. Azkoul faces 20 years to life in state prison.

I’m glad that Cordier’s family has received the justice they deserve after waiting for three years in this case. I’m also glad the jury did not believe the defense’s argument that Azkoul, who was speeding and driving under the influence (at more than twice the legal limit), did not cause this fatal Orange County bicycle accident. I hope Azkoul is also held civilly responsible for Cordier’s death.
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Published on: June 2, 2009

Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Critically Injures Woman

By Brian Chase

A 25-year-old woman was critically injured in a Los Angeles pedestrian accident the afternoon of June 1, 2009, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. The woman was struck after an out-of-control car slammed into a bus stop in Van Nuys where the woman had been waiting, and dragged her several feet across pavement before coming to stop between a tree and a power pole.

Residents from a nearby apartment complex who saw the horrific Van Nuys car-pedestrian accident rushed to the scene, lifted the car and pulled her out from under it and revived her, Los Angeles police officials said. The accident occurred along the 14000 block of West Vanowen Street and Tyrone Avenue. The injured woman was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. LAPD officials say the pedestrian accident scene was extremely chaotic, everybody was in shock and that the bus bench was “in a million pieces.” The driver, who lost control of the four-door Infinity sedan, was also taken to a hospital, although his condition is not known. It is not clear why the driver lost control. Three other women also suffered minor personal injuries in this car-pedestrian accident.

My heart goes out to all who were injured in this pedestrian-car accident, especially the 25-year-old woman who was struck and then dragged by the car. I commend the neighbors who ran out of their homes to help this injured victim. I wish the young woman the very best for a quick and complete recovery. Please keep her in your prayers.
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