California Injury Blog

Published on: June 1, 2009

Orange County Bicycle Accident Critically Injures 12-year-old Boy

By Brian Chase

A 12-year-old boy has suffered serious personal injuries in a Westminster bicycle accident after he was struck by an 83-year-old driver in a Mercedes sedan the morning of May 30, 2009, The Orange County Register reports. The boy was riding his bike on Westminster Boulevard when he was struck by the driver. Westminster police officials said the boy has suffered major head injuries and was taken to an area hospital. The driver was uninjured. Initial investigations show the boy was crossing Hoover Street on Westminster Boulevard. However, officials are still looking into the circumstances of the California bicycle accident and who had the right-of-way.

My heart goes out to this boy and his family. No matter whose fault this Westminster bicycle accident was, what a horrible time for this 12-year-old boy, his family and friends! I hope and pray that this boy makes it through his serious head injuries and has a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep him in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there was one fatality and 31 injuries reported in Westminster as a result of bicycle accidents. In Orange County as a whole, in 2007, there were 16 fatalities and 1,020 injuries reported as a result of bicycle accidents.
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Published on: June 1, 2009

Ventura County Pedestrian Accident Kills 76 Year Old

By Brian Chase

Joe Mora, 76, died in a Ventura County pedestrian accident after he was struck by a truck that was towing a piece of exercise equipment, the Ventura County Star reports. The fatal car- pedestrian accident occurred the afternoon of May 28, 2009 in the 600 block of East Virginia Terrace when a car towing the exercise equipment slid backwards and struck Mora. He was pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour after the fatal pedestrian-car collision.

Traffic investigators determined that Mora’s 43-year-old neighbor was towing some exercise equipment up her driveway when the pedestrian accident occurred. Mora had earlier tried to help her manually move the package, Santa Paula police officials said. The woman had later placed the exercise equipment on a dolly behind her car and was pulling it when it slid backward for unknown reasons. Police are still trying to determine where Mora was at the time of the santa paula pedestrian-car accident. The woman has not yet been identified, cited or arrested pending an investigation. For now, officials are calling it a “horrible accident.”

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Joe Mora for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. From this news account, it appears Mora was a good neighbor and a man who was always ready to help. I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved Mora. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 traffic accident statistics, there were no fatalities and eight injuries associated with pedestrian accidents in Santa Paula. In Ventura County as a whole, in 2007, eight deaths and 186 injuries involved pedestrian accidents.
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Published on: June 1, 2009

Los Angeles County Dog Bite Incident Injures Police Officer

By Brian Chase

A police officer in Glendora, who was responding to reports of a vicious pit bull at a local residence, became a Los Angeles dog bite victim, according to an article in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. The incident occurred the evening of May 31, 2009 in the 700 block of Hunters Trail. The officer suffered puncture wounds to his leg, but is expected to recover. Neighborhood residents apparently called police to report an unleashed pit bull that had children trapped in a car.

When the officer arrived at the scene, the dog ran down the street and back into its own yard. The dog bite occurred when the officer attempted to close the gate to contain the dog inside the yard. The dog’s owner was cited for violating the leash law and having an unlicensed dog. The pit bull was taken away by animal control officials.

I wish this police officer the very best for a quick and complete recovery from his dog bite injuries. Here was an officer trying to protect a few children from a vicious dog and he got bitten and personally injured in the process. I commend the police officer for putting himself in danger to protect young citizens. He did his job well.
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Published on: May 29, 2009

Long Beach Car Accident Injures Two

By Brian Chase

A police officer and another driver were taken to the hospital with personal injuries the morning of May 28, 2009 after a Long Beach car accident involving a patrol car and a minivan at a Long Beach intersection, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports. The Long Beach car accident occurred at the intersection of Wardlow Road and Los Coyotes Diagonal. The force of the impact caused the van’s airbag to deploy and left the female driver trapped in the car, Long Beach fire officials said. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to free her from the wreckage and took her to a local hospital for treatment of neck and back injuries. The police officer was also taken to the hospital for treatment. Long Beach police officers are investigating the car collision.

I hope the police officer and the other driver did not suffer major personal injuries. I wish them both the very best for a quick and complete recovery.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were 39 fatalities and 2,212 injuries involving car accidents in Long Beach. In Los Angeles County as whole, 712 deaths and 56,475 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of car accidents.
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Published on: May 28, 2009

Ventura County Motorcycle Accident Fatally Injuries Man In Point Mugu

By Brian Chase

Timothy James Waite Jr., 20, died in a fatal Ventura County motorcycle accident the morning of May 27, 2009, KVTA reports. California Highway Patrol officials said Waite was northbound on Pacific Coast Highway when he failed to negotiate a curve to the right and entered the southbound lane. The motorcycle then collided with a southbound car. Waite was thrown off his motorcycle and over the car, landing on the roadway. He was pronounced dead at the scene even before a helicopter could transport him to a hospital. Another person in the car was also injured, but not seriously.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the young motorcycle accident victim for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were five fatalities and 210 injuries involving motorcycle accidents in Ventura County.
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Published on: May 28, 2009

Santa Maria Car Accident Also Injures Eight

By Brian Chase

Five members of a family, including three children, were injured in a head-on Santa Maria car accident on the Highway 166. According to a KSBY news report, the Castellanos family from Guadalupe was returning home from a Memorial Day vacation May 25, 2009 when a white Chevy Caprice driven by Tommy Watkins of Bakersfield tried to pass traffic in an area which quickly turned into a “no-passing zone” and struck the Castellanos’ Chevy Suburban. Watkins’ grandson, 12-year-old Deshawn Porter, who was a passenger in the Caprice, died and another boy, Deshante Porter suffered major personal injuries.

According to another article in the Santa Maria Times the driver of the Suburban, Anthony Castellanos, suffered moderate California personal injuries as did his passengers, 14-year-old Justime Castellanos, 8-year-old Sarah Castellanos, 11-year-old Nicholas Castellanos and 78-year-old Susan Jones. Lisa Castellanos, 34, suffered major injuries.
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Published on: May 28, 2009

Fallbrook Car Accident Caused by San Diego Red Light Runner

By Brian Chase

Evelyn Crenshaw, 84, was killed in a Fallbrook car accident after a man ran a red light and slammed into her sedan the afternoon of May 26, 2009, 10news reports. The 47-year-old Fallbrook man who has not yet been identified, was driving a Chevy Silverado pickup truck eastbound on Mission Road when he ran a red light and struck Crenshaw’s sedan. Crenshaw was apparently turning left on Mission from the Interstate 15, California Highway Patrol officials said. Crenshaw suffered fatal personal injuries and died at the scene. CHP officials say the distracted driver of the Silverado did not notice the red light and went right through. He will likely face misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges.

My heart goes out to the family of Evelyn Crenshaw who died tragically because of another driver’s apparent negligence. I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved Crenshaw. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), in 2006, as many as 171,000 car accidents and 144,000 injuries and 887 deaths were attributed to red light running. Public costs exceed $14 billion per year and more than half of the deaths in red light running crashes are other motorists and pedestrians as opposed to the red light runners themselves.
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Published on: May 27, 2009

Santa Ana Pedestrian Accident Injures 8-year-old Boy

By Brian Chase

An 8-year-old boy is in critical condition after he was injured in a Santa Ana pedestrian accident the evening of May 24, 2009, The Orange County Register reports. The boy, who has not been identified, was playing with several friends just before the Santa Ana car accident occurred. He apparently stepped onto Hickory Street and was struck by a southbound Toyota Previa, Santa Ana police officials said. The pedestrian accident occurred near Bishop Street. The boy was taken to an area hospital and is said to have suffered critical personal injuries.

My heart goes out to the parents of this child and his friends, the other children, who saw him get hit by the truck on the street. I hope that this boy has a speedy and complete recovery. I can only imagine the strain this family must be going through. Please keep this young victim and his family in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were nine fatalities and 127 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Santa Ana. In all of Orange County, 41 deaths and 726 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of pedestrian accidents.
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Published on: May 27, 2009

San Diego Motorcycle Accident Injuries CHP Motorcycle Officer in Freeway Collision

By Brian Chase

A California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer suffered serious personal injuries in a San Diego motorcycle accident after an out-of-control pickup truck struck his motorcycle when the officer was on the Interstate 15 in San Diego assisting another motorist. According to an article in the San Diego Union Tribune, the motorcycle officer, a 12-year CHP veteran, and another officer were parked in the median just south of the Interstate 8 the morning of May 26, 2009. They had been investigating a solo non-injury car crash when a man driving a green 2000 Toyota Tacoma entered the freeway from eastbound I-8 and veered across all lanes. The driver of the Toyota truck was identified as 43-year-old Brian Joseph Andrews.

The truck hit the median and slammed into the officer’s BMW motorcycle and then hit him. The officer was caught under the truck and dragged before the Toyota came to stop in the center median. The officer suffered serious personal injuries, but was listed in good condition and said to be recovering in an area hospital. Andrews did not suffer serious injuries. The other officer was uninjured in the truck accident.
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Published on: May 26, 2009

San Bernardino Motorcycle Accident Kills Man

By Brian Chase

Samuel Surles, 69, was killed in a San Bernardino motorcycle accident in Hesperia the morning of May 23, 2009, the San Bernardino Sun reports. Surles was riding a 2009 Harley Davidson motorcycle and had stopped for a red light at the intersection of Main and E streets in Hesperia. The driver of a 2001 Ford Explorer was stopped at the intersection as well. But as the light turned green, both drivers entered the intersection at the same time. The driver of the Explorer made a left turn in front of Surles causing him to crash into the front portion of the SUV. Surles was taken to an area hospital and was pronounced dead shortly afterward, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials.

My heart goes out to the family of Samuel Surles for their sudden and tragic loss. I offer my deepest condolences to the motorcycle accident victim’s family and friends. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there was one fatal motorcycle collision and seven personal injuries involving motorcycle accidents in Hesperia. In San Bernardino County as a whole, 28 fatalities and 627 injuries were reported as a result of motorcycle accidents in 2007.
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