California Injury Blog

Published on: May 5, 2009

San Diego Pedestrian Accident Kills A Man

By Brian Chase

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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Published on: May 5, 2009

Anaheim Hills Car Accident Versus Dump Truck Injures Six

By Brian Chase

Six people were personally injured the afternoon of May 4, 2009 in an Anaheim Hills car accident after a dump truck lost its brakes and struck several vehicles at the intersection of Imperial Highway and Santa Ana Canyon Road, The Orange County Register reports. Anaheim police officials said the white dump truck traveling north on Imperial hit a Toyota Camry on the driver’s side. That man who was seriously injured had to be cut out of the vehicle using the jaws of life. The truck also hit three other vehicles — a Honda CR-V, a Honda Accord and a Honda Odyssey van. Out of the six people injured, three needed to be hospitalized.

It’s indeed the miracle that the driver of the Toyota Camry who was hit by the dump truck survived this horrible Orange County car crash. According to the Anaheim Police Department’s spokesman, the truck hit the Camry on the driver’s side and crushed it so that the distance between the two front doors was reduced to 16 inches. This Anaheim Hills car accident could have easily ended up in catastrophic injuries or fatalities. Thank God it didn’t! I wish this victim and the other injured victims the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
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Published on: May 4, 2009

Orange County Pedestrian Accident Fatally Injuries One

By Brian Chase

The Orange County Coroner identified a man who was killed in a Garden Grove pedestrian accident as 30-year-old William Mendoza of Anaheim. According to an article in The Orange County Register, the fatal car accident occurred the morning of May 1, 2009 when Mendoza was struck and severely injured by a vehicle near the intersection of Chapman Avenue and Harbor Boulevard. Mendoza was hit by a sport utility vehicle that was going east on Chapman, Garden Grove police officials said. Mendoza was taken to UCI Medical Center where he later died.

The driver of the SUV, who has not been identified, remained at the scene and talked to police. He was not cited or arrested pending an investigation. Police are not yet sure whether Mendoza was in the crosswalk at the time of the fatal pedestrian accident. If you saw this Garden Grove pedestrian accident or have any information about it, please call Investigator Jason Perkins at 714-741-5823.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of William Mendoza for their heartbreaking loss. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to the California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were 49 personal injuries reported in Garden Grove involving pedestrian accidents. In Orange County, 41 fatalities and 726 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of pedestrian accidents.
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Published on: May 3, 2009

Perris Tour Bus Accident Injures 25

By Brian Chase

A Riverside County tour bus accident on the 215 Freeway the afternoon of May 2, 2009 injured 25 people and at least eight suffered critical injuries, according to an article in The Desert Sun. The Inland Empire Stages Ltd. bus was returning to Colton from a San Diego area casino when it veered to the right crossing two lanes and crashed into a cinder-block wall. California Highway Patrol investigators are looking into what caused the 56-year-old bus driver to lose control of the 2003 MCI E-Series Renaissance Coach, which was northbound on the freeway with 27 passengers.

The eight victims who were critically injured were taken to area hospitals. There is no word on how these victims are doing. This Riverside County bus crash occurred three days after a similar bus accident in Soledad took the lives of four French tourists and bus driver, 69-year-old John Agnew of Corona. That investigation is still continuing.
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Published on: May 1, 2009

Soledad Bus Accident Victims Identified

By Brian Chase

Officials have identified four French tourists killed in the April 27, 2009 Soledad bus accident as 68-year-old Daniel Le Garrec, 65-year-old Christian Montmayeur, 64-year-old Jacqueline Montmayeur and 26-year-old Michael Taveira. According to an Associated Press news report, the driver of the bus, who also died in the fatal bus accident, was identified as John Egnew. Four passengers are still in critical condition in area hospitals.

A total of 36 people were on board that Orange County-based Orion Pacific tour bus when it crashed into a guardrail and rolled over on the U.S. 101 near Soledad. The group included 34 tourists from France, a Canadian tour guide and Egnew, the American driver. California Highway Patrol officials are still interviewing witnesses and passengers and looking for any physical evidence that might point to a cause.

This is a challenge for investigators particularly because the driver is deceased. Reports that came out this week stated that Egnew was involved in a Las Vegas pedestrian accident a few years ago when he struck and injured a woman in a crosswalk. His employer settled with the husband of the woman, who suffered a brain injury in that accident.
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Published on: May 1, 2009

Torrance Industrial Job Injury at ExxonMobil under Investigation

By Brian Chase

Cal/OSHA officials have opened an investigation into a fatal Torrance industrial job injury involving an ExxonMobil worker, Nelson Tan, 50, who died April 26, 2009 after he suffered severe burn injuries in the company’s Torrance refinery. According to an article in the Daily Breeze, Tan was scalded by steam April 11, 2009 while working at the ExxonMobil refinery.

My heart goes out to the family of Nelson Tan for their tragic loss. Apparently, he was a long-time employee at that ExxonMobil refinery. I offer my deepest condolences to Tan’s family, friends and co-workers. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to the California Department of Industrial Relations’ 2005 industrial accident statistics, 14 people died on the job in California from burns.

Officials from the California Department of Industrial Relations say they are looking into exactly what occurred. They will be examining and analyzing the area the industrial accident to make sure that everything was operating properly and that the company and its workers were following proper guidelines. The last death at this refinery occurred April 2003 when a worker was electrocuted while working on an air conditioner.
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Published on: May 1, 2009

San Bernardino County Pedestrian Accident Leaves One Dead

By Brian Chase

Brian Benito Ornelas, 34, of Alta Loma, was killed in a pedestrian accident the night of April 17, 2009, the San Bernardino Sun reports. Ornelas was walking in the 1500 block of West Northpark Boulevard when he was struck by an eastbound 2002 Mitsubishi Galant. The driver of the Mitsubishi, identified as 47-year-old Morris Pezant, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Police say an altercation occurred between the driver, Pezant, and friends of the victim. If you have any information about this pedestrian versus car accident, please call the San Bernardino Police Department hot line at 909-384-5656.

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

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 traffic accident statistics there were four fatalities and 34 personal injuries relating to pedestrian accidents in the city of San Bernardino. In San Bernardino County as a whole, there were 50 fatalities and 432 injuries relating to pedestrian accidents in 2007. Also during the same time, there were reports of 105 alcohol-related car accident fatalities in San Bernardino County.
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Published on: May 1, 2009

Los Angeles County Dog Attack

By Brian Chase

A San Pedro man shot and killed a pit bull that turned on him after attacking a neighbor’s cat April 15, 2009, the Daily Breeze reports. The dog attack began when the cat’s owner started screaming for help as her pet was being attacked by a loose pit bull. The man armed himself with a handgun from his house before walking outside to help. The dog charged towards the man as he walked down his driveway when he shot and killed it. The pit bull, which Los Angeles police officials said, weighed at least 60 pounds, had apparently escaped from another neighbor’s yard and then attacked the woman’s cat.

The woman had attempted to rescue her cat and even tried hitting the dog with a broom and then a brick. But according to the woman, the pit bull held onto the cat and “was just tearing it up.” The badly injured cat had to be euthanized at a local veterinary hospital. The pit bull’s owner was not cited because animal control officers had not seen the pit bull out of the yard or unleashed, first hand.

My heart goes out to the woman who lost her cat in this brutal dog attack. These incidents tend to be brushed aside because they don’t involve any people. However, to pet owners, losing a pet especially in such a sudden, violent manner is devastating.
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Published on: April 30, 2009

Soledad, California, Tour Bus Accident: Passengers Suspect Mechanical Problems

By Brian Chase

Soledad, California, tour bus accident driver of an Orion Pacific tour bus had been involved in pedestrian accident seriously injuring a woman in a Las Vegas crosswalk four years ago, the Associated Press reports. The driver, 69-year-old John Egnew of Corona, died after he crashed the tour bus loaded with French tourists, into a guardrail on Highway 101 on April 28, 2009. Egnew himself was ejected from the tour bus and died of head and neck injuries.

In the 2005 Las Vegas pedestrian-bus accident, Egnew said he did not see 71-year-old Joan Smith when he hit her with a bus, as she and her husband were crossing the street. Smith was knocked backwards and struck her head on the pavement. The bus continued rolling on top of Smith before backing off. Smith apparently suffered brain injuries and a fractured pelvis in that tour bus accident. The bus company involved in the pedestrian accident reached a $750,000 agreement with Smith and her husband last year. Egnew also pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of “starting improperly from a stopped position.” Investigators are still looking into what might have caused Egnew to lose control of the bus this week that cost him and four others their lives.

The Associated Press reports that Weeks Enterprises, an Orange County-based company owns the tour bus operator, Orion Pacific. The company has had a solid safety record in the two years leading up to the Soledad bus crash. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which is the federal agency that regulates commercial interstate travel, this particular carrier has not been involved in accidents in any state for the last 30 months. The agency also conducted 14 random roadside inspections. There were reportedly no driver issues or problems with any of the company’s 12 buses. The National Transportation Safety Board also announced that the California Highway Patrol will take the lead on investigating this fatal Soledad bus crash.
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Published on: April 29, 2009

Washington Motorcycle Accident Injures Woman

By Brian Chase

Pamela Cole, 44, of Stillwater was injured in an Washington motorcycle accident after her 2004 Yamaha motorcycle went off the road the afternoon of April 25, 2009, the Post Star reports. Cole was heading south on State Route 40 in Easton when her motorcycle went off the right shoulder striking the guard rail. Cole was ejected from the motorcycle. Both she and the vehicle rolled down a steep embankment. Cole was transported to a local hospital. She had suffered severe personal injuries to her arm and leg.

My heart goes out to Pamela Cole who suffered serious personal injuries as a result of this motorcycle accident. I wish her the very best for a quick and complete recovery from her injuries.

Apparently, the number of Washington State motorcycle accidents is increasing at an alarming rate, particularly the number of fatal motorcycle accidents. Just in the early part of 2009, there have been five fatal motorcycle accidents in Washington State. The total number of motorcycle accident deaths reached 75 in 2008, which is an increase of nine incidents from 66 in 2007. Totally, Washington State troopers have investigated 584 motorcycle accidents in 2008 resulting in 200 injuries.
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