California Injury Blog

Published on: March 31, 2009

San Diego Bicycle Accident

By Brian Chase

San Diego Bicycle Accident Injures Man

A bicyclist suffered head injuries in a San Diego bicycle accident after he was struck by a drunk driver, 10 news reports. The accident occurred on March 30, 2009 on Balboa Avenue near Charger Boulevard and Interstate 805, San Diego police officials said. Paramedics took the bicyclist to an area hospital where he is said to be recovering. Officers arrested the 42-year-old motorist, Jeffrey Althoff, on suspicion of driving under influence of alcohol.

It is indeed a miracle that this bicyclist survived this horrific crash apparently caused by a negligent and drunk driver. I wish the injured victim the very best for a quick and complete recovery and hope his head injuries were not severe.

According to the 2007 California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were four fatal bicycle accidents and 392 injuries related to bicycle accidents in San Diego. In San Diego County as a whole, 11 deaths and 797 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of bicycle accidents.
Continue reading →

Published on: March 30, 2009

Los Angeles County DUI Accident

By Brian Chase

Los Angeles County DUI Accident Kills Man

Maximino Angeles Hernandez, 41, a Los Angeles Times delivery truck driver was killed in a North Hills head-on collision after his pickup truck was hit by a suspected drunk driver. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, Hernandez was on his way to work the morning of March 29, 2009, when a Hyundai driven by 23-year-old Sueng Lee crossed the dividing lane and struck Hernandez’s Mazda pickup. The fatal auto accident occurred on Woodley Avenue near Parthenia Street. Lee was driving under the influence of alcohol, police said. He was treated at an area hospital for minor injuries and then arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family of Maximino Angeles Hernandez for their tragic loss. Here was a hard-working man who suffered an untimely death because a negligent motorist decided to drink and get behind the wheel! My heart goes out to the family, friends and co-workers of this victim. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 traffic accident statistics, there were 712 auto accident fatalities in Los Angeles County out of which 268 were alcohol-related. There were also 5,169 injury auto accidents that involved alcohol in Los Angeles County during that time period.
Continue reading →

Published on: March 30, 2009

Los Angeles Hit-and-Run Accident

By Brian Chase

USC Student Killed in Los Angeles Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accident

Adrianna Bachan, 19, a freshman at USC was killed in an auto versus pedestrian hit-and-run accident in Los Angeles, according to a CBS News report. The fatal pedestrian accident occurred at the street intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Hoover Street the morning of March 29, 2009. Bachan and another male student, Marcus Garfinkle, were walking in a marked crosswalk when both Bachan and Garfinkle were struck by a dark-colored car. Los Angeles police officials say, the car stopped and a passenger got out to remove Garfinkle, who was stuck on the hood of the car. The driver then drove away.

Police are describing the hit-and-run driver as a man driving a black Toyota Corolla or a Honda Accord. Bachan, who is originally from Santa Barbara, was pronounced dead at an area hospital. Garfinkle, who is from Scottsdale, Arizona, is still in the hospital in critical condition.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Adrianna Bachan, for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Adrianna Bachan. I also hope Marcus Garfinkle survives his critical injuries and offer my best wishes to him for a speedy and complete recovery. The driver in this case not only struck and killed a person, but also in an absolutely cold, calculated and despicable act paused while his companion removed one of the victims from the hood of the car and then took off. I pray the hit-and-run driver is apprehended and brought to justice.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were 90 pedestrian accident fatalities and 2,690 injuries involving vehicle versus pedestrian accidents in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles County as a whole, there were 210 deaths and 5,095 injuries related to pedestrian accidents in 2007.
Continue reading →

Published on: March 30, 2009

California Nursing Home Negligence

By Brian Chase

California Nursing Home Negligence Could Increase with Lack of Oversight

A watchdog group, which is tracking nearly 1,600 nursing homes and assisted living facilities in northern California, is saying that it expects to see an increase in California nursing home negligence and abuse statewide. According to a News 10 report, Ombudsman Services of Northern California has lost two-thirds of its staff because of California budget cuts and the program’s administrator, Joan Parks, is saying that she is already seeing evidence of nursing homes and assisted living facilities taking advantage of this lack of oversight.

This is not something that’s happening only in northern California. In October, we reported about the loss of funding at the Orange County Council of Aging. Their ombudsmen have been doing an excellent job of making unannounced visits to local nursing homes and have detected cases of nursing home abuse and negligence. This group lost 55 percent of its program funding for the year and was forced to lay off almost all of its paid part-time field ombudsmen. This happened after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed $3.8 million in state funding for long-term care ombudsman programs across California.

Apparently, even unpaid volunteers are being affected by this cut in funding. Some volunteers say they had to quit because they were no longer being reimbursed for mileage. Assemblyman Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) has co-authored legislation to restore funding for these ombudsmen. AB 392 would direct money to the programs from fines levied against nursing home operators who violate the law. We can only hope that this legislation passes and restores funding to this worthwhile group of people who were rendering invaluable service to California’s seniors and their families.
Continue reading →

Published on: March 29, 2009

Atwater Construction Accident

By Brian Chase

Fatal Construction Accident In Atwater

Gregory Moore, a 50-year-old Stockton man, was killed in a northern California construction accident on March 25, 2009. According to a news report in the Modesto Bee, Moore, an employee of Bay City Construction, was with a crew rebuilding Highway 99 near Atwater. Moore was bending over to pick up some debris when he was knocked down and run over by a tractor. Moore was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. Moore’s team was working on the southbound lane near Grove Avenue, which is being built under contract with Caltrans.

My hear goes out to the family and friends of Gregory Moore who was killed in this tragic on-the-job accident. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved this man. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics construction accidents accounted for 1,226 fatal work injuries in the United States in 2006, the most of any industrial sector. Construction accident fatalities increased by 3 percent in 2006 compared to 2005. According to the California Department of Occupational Health and Safety there were 92 construction accident fatalities in California in 2005.
Continue reading →

Published on: March 28, 2009

Santa Rosa Pedestrian Accident

By Brian Chase

Santa Rosa Crosswalk Accident Kills Man in Wheelchair

Richard Trenam, a 58-year-old man, died after being critically injured in a Santa Rosa auto accident, the Press Democrat reports. Trenam was on life support after being struck and injured by 24-year-old Antonio Salano Villa, 24, in a Guerneville Road crosswalk near Coddington the morning of March 20, 2009.

My heart goes out to all those who knew and loved Richard Trenam. Apparently, he survived an earlier auto accident that left him brain-injured and in a wheelchair. I offer my deepest sympathies to all who will miss Trenam.

The newspaper reports that Villa told police he had the green light when the collision occurred. I would definitely treat that with skepticism. Officials say there was no indication Villa was not speeding at the time of the crash. It would be very important for officials to interview eyewitnesses who saw the collision and can testify to what happened here. Something doesn’t quite add up.
Continue reading →

Published on: March 26, 2009

San Diego Freeway Accident

By Brian Chase

San Diego County Fatal Freeway Accident

Raymundo Ambrosio-Vasquez, 53, was killed in a San Diego County auto versus pedestrian accident on the Interstate 15 in Poway the morning of March 25, 2009, according to a news reports in the San Diego Union-Tribune and 10news. The fatal accident occurred when Ambrosio-Vasquez, who was driving a white Toyota Tercel, had pulled over to the right shoulder and was standing outside his car. Ambrosio-Vasquez was struck by an Acura that had just entered the freeway from Poway Road, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The driver of the Acura stopped right away because he thought he had hit something and couldn’t see what he had hit in the dark. When he found the body of Ambrosio-Vasquez in the left two lanes of the northbound Interstate-15, the Acura driver started directing traffic to keep others from hitting Ambrosio-Vasquez.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Raymundo Ambrosio-Vasquez. I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved this man. Please keep them in your prayers.
Continue reading →

Published on: March 26, 2009

Los Angeles Forklift Accident

By Brian Chase

Los Angeles Fatal Forklift Accident

Andrew Guipanay Bagsiao, 86, died in a Los Angeles pedestrian accident after he was run over and crushed by a forklift whose operator was part of a crew working in the ambulance entrance of the former County-USC Medical Center in Boyle Heights, The Press-Enterprise reports. The fatal forklift accident occurred the afternoon of March 24, 2009. The forklift operator was not injured, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said.

I offer my deepest condolences to everybody who knew and loved Andrew Guipanay Bagsiao. Obviously, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers at this difficult time.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates there are about 85 forklift accident fatalities that occur each year. This number includes workers as well as pedestrians and bystanders. OSHA also estimates that each year in the United States, about 35,000 people are seriously injured in forklift accidents. Also according to the Industrial Truck Association, there are about 855,900 forklifts in the United States, so over 11 percent will be involved in some type of accident each year. Most forklift fatalities occur in manufacturing facilities and construction zones.
Continue reading →

Published on: March 26, 2009

California Cemetery Fraud

By Brian Chase

Placer County Family Sues Cemetery over Lost Body

A California family has filed a lawsuit against a Placer County cemetery after their loved one’s body was missing from his burial plot and another woman was buried in the space reserved for his wife. According to an Associated Press news report, the family of Frank Farinha is suing Lincoln Cemetery questioning their record-keeping practices. Farinha reportedly died in 1947.

The family started to suspect something when Farinha’s wife, Mary, died at age 105 and the family wanted to bury her next to her husband beneath a double tombstone. But as it turned out, the cemetery had sold the plot to someone else and when cemetery workers tried to disinter Frank Farinha, his body could not be found. The family’s lawsuit also names Placer County Cemetery District No. 1, the agency that runs the public memorial park.

My heart goes out to the Farinha family that had to go through the nightmarish process of trying to exhume their loved one. It is indeed shocking to find out that the place you thought was your loved one’s final resting place was not in fact his final resting place! Unfortunately, these mix-ups in cemeteries are quite common all over the country including in California. These heartbreaking incidents that cause severe emotional distress and pain to families not only occurs at cemeteries, but also in funeral homes where all of us expect to be treated with sensitivity and dignity.
Continue reading →

Published on: March 26, 2009

Newport Beach Employee Rights Case

By Brian Chase

Jury Awards $1.2 Million to Newport Beach Cop in Employee Rights Case

An Orange County jury recently awarded $1.2 million to a Newport Beach police officer because he endured on the job discrimination based on rumors and gossip that he was gay. According to an article in The Orange County Register, Sgt. Neil Harvey, a 27-year veteran of the department, also faced retaliation for flagging misconduct among his fellow officers and was passed up for promotions because of rumors about his sexual orientation.

Jurors have spoken out in no uncertain terms that they believe the Newport Beach Police Department has serious issues when it comes to treating their employees fairly. What do Harvey’s superiors have to say? They claim that his lack of progress in the department was his own fault – that he alienated his colleagues with his “hypercritical” style. Harvey’s resume includes advanced college education and a top award for bravery. A disturbing image of the Newport Beach Police Department has emerged as Harvey’s civil case against his own department progressed.

Apparently, Harvey endured constant gossip about him being a “fag” and comparisons to Lt. Dangle, a short-shorts-wearing gay officer on Comedy Central’s “Reno 911.” Jurors awarded Harvey $1.2 million for economic damages and enduring mistreatment.
Continue reading →