California Injury Blog

Khaliunaa Dranov, 23, of Los Angeles was killed in a Los Angeles car accident and three others suffered critical personal injuries after she lost control of her car and drove into a statue in MacArthur Park early morning on May 10, 2009. According to a CBS News report, Dranov was driving east on Wilshire Boulevard near Park View Street when the car crash occurred, Los Angeles Police Department officials said. Three adult passengers in the car were hospitalized in critical condition. Dranov was pronounced dead on the scene. LAPD is still investigating the accident.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Khaliunaa Dranov for their tragic and untimely loss. My heart goes out to Dranov’s family as well as the three car collision victims who are in the hospital with critical personal injuries. I hope they make a quick and complete recovery. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to the 2007 California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were 260 deaths and 27,110 injuries as a result of car accidents in the city of Los Angeles. In Los Angeles County as a whole, there were 712 fatalities and 56,475 injuries involving car accidents in 2007.
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Three members of a Fullerton family — Maynardo Orosa Romey, 59; Lucilla Abdon Romey, 60, and their 17-year-old son, Patrick Maynard Romey — died in a Los Angeles car accident the morning of May 9, 2009. According to an article in the Pasadena Star News, the Romeys were traveling eastbound on the 60 Freeway in a Honda Civic when the driver, Maynardo Romey, lost control of the Civic for unknown reasons and veered into the number two lane into the path of a Cadillac STS. The Cadillac then struck the Honda with great force, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The Honda Civic had major T-bone damage on the passenger side. All three family members were pronounced dead following the Hacienda Heights car accident. The driver of the Cadillac was reportedly hospitalized with moderate personal injuries. No arrests have been made in connection with the Los Angeles car accident.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the Romeys for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this family. I can only imagine the grief and pain they must be going through. Please keep them in your prayers.
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Ramon Camacho of Wapato is in critical condition in a Seattle hospital after a Seattle car accident, according to an article in the Yakima Herald-Republic. Camacho was riding a tractor on Clark Road when he was rear-ended by the driver of a Ford Focus the night of May 5, 2009. The driver of the car, 52-year-old Joy Douglas, is under investigation for vehicular assault, Washington State Patrol officials said. Douglas was not personally injured. A passenger in the Focus — 42-year-old Traci Bennett, was also uninjured. Police say the use of intoxicants played a role in this Washington car accident.

My heart goes out to the personal injury victim Ramon Camacho and his family who must be going through a very hard time. I wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep him in your prayers.
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A man sustained serious personal injuries in a Palm Springs pedestrian accident, The Desert News reports. The car versus pedestrian accident apparently occurred at about 8:20 p.m. on May 5, 2009 in the 2300 block of North Palm Canyon Drive. The injured victim was taken to an area hospital with injuries. The extent of his personal injuries is not known. The driver fled the scene of the accident. A description of the suspect vehicle is not available, but officials say the car should have major front-end damage. If you saw this pedestrian accident or have information about it, please call Palm Springs Police at 760-323-8115.

My heart goes out to this injured pedestrian and his family. I hope and pray that his personal injuries were not major and wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. I trust the driver who struck this pedestrian and left him injured on the roadway will soon be apprehended and brought to justice. Leaving the scene of a car-pedestrian accident where a victim has been injured and rendered helpless is an inhumane and despicable act!

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 traffic accident statistics, there were three pedestrian accident deaths and 20 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Palm Springs. In Riverside County, 43 deaths and 393 injuries involving pedestrian accidents were reported in 2007.
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Henry Wei, 49, was killed in a San Diego truck accident the morning of May 5, 2009 after he crashed his box truck into a big rig on the 5 Freeway, according to a news report in the North County Times. Wei was driving a Ryder box truck that failed to brake and crashed into a tractor trailer, which had slowed down to about 5 mph. California Highway Patrol officials say they are not sure why Wei did not brake. One tractor-trailer was stopped; about to exit the freeway and a second tractor trailer behind it was going at 5 mph when the box truck Wei crashed into it at full speed. CHP officials are inspecting all three trucks for possible car defects such as mechanical problems.

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

According to statistics provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there were 4,808 fatalities and 83,908 injuries involving big-rig and large truck accidents in the United States in 2007. During the same year in California, the federal agency reports 363 deaths and 5,959 injuries involving big rig accidents..
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Twelve people were injured, seven of them critically, in a Hollywood car accident on the 170 Freeway that involved several vehicles, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. The Sun Valley car accident occurred on the southbound side of the 170 Freeway near Sherman Way in the early morning hours of May 6, 2009. The car accident involved at least four vehicles, California Highway Patrol officials say.

Eleven adults and one minor were taken to area hospitals, Los Angeles city fire officials said. Seven victims suffered critical personal injuries and five sustained relatively minor personal injuries. Firefighters reportedly had to free two victims from the wreckage — a motorist in a red car that had rolled over and another victim trapped in a white car. A man who had been riding a bicycle on a nearby overpass apparently told a camera crew that he saw the Hollywood car crash occur and even saw some of the vehicles involved flee from the scene.

I feel for all the victims who were injured in this car collision. My heart especially goes out to the seriously injured victims and their families, who must be going through a traumatic time right now. I wish them all the very best for a quick and complete recovery. Please keep them in your prayers.
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Richard A. Gomez, 32, of Escondido died the night of May 2, 2009, shortly after he suffered critical personal injuries in a San Diego pedestrian accident, the North County Times reports. Gomez was apparently crossing the street and in the westbound lane of East Valley Parkway near Rose Street, when he was struck by a Dodge Ram 350 van. The van’s driver stopped and waited for police to arrive. Gomez was taken to a local hospital where he died. No charges have been filed against the driver pending an investigation.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family of Richard Gomez. My heart goes out to everybody who knew and loved this man. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to the California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were nine pedestrian accident fatalities and 63 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Escondido. In San Diego County as a whole, there were 51 deaths and 1,068 personal injuries involving pedestrian accidents in 2007.
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