California Injury Blog

Published on: January 27, 2009

Los Angeles County Pedestrian Accident Injures Teenager

By Brian Chase

A 17-year-old girl was seriously injured in a Los Angeles County pedestrian versus SUV accident on January 25, 2009, the Whittier Daily News reports. The teenager was walking on Imperial Highway at Meyer Road in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County near La Mirada when she was struck by the sport utility vehicle. The girl suffered head injuries and a broken arm and was taken to the trauma center of an area hospital. The driver of the SUV remained at the scene. California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the accident.

My heart goes out to the young girl who was injured in this accident and her family members, who must be going through a tough time figuring out how and why this accident occurred. I’m relieved that the teenager did not suffer fatal injuries and I sincerely hope her head injuries are not catastrophic. I wish her the very best for a quick and complete recovery and will keep the girl and her family in my prayers.

According to 2006 statistics from the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System (SWITRS), there were six deaths and 11 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in La Mirada. In Los Angeles County as a whole, 212 people were killed and 5,224 were injured during the same period as a result of pedestrian accidents Continue reading →

Published on: January 26, 2009

City of San Diego Repairs Rough Patches on Bike Lane After Bicycle Accident

By Brian Chase

Jon M. Robins of San Diego suffered severe injuries in a bicycle accident on November 8, 2008 because his bicycle hit an uneven pavement on North Torrey Pines Road, according to this news column titled “Just Fix It” in the San Diego Union-Tribune. The bicycle accident occurred between Torrey Pines Scenic Drive and Northpoint Drive when Robins’ front bicycle tire caught a deep but hard-to-see groove in the bicycle lane where the street had sunk about an inch.

Robins suffered 13 rib fractures and a shattered clavicle as he fell to the ground. He is still facing more surgery on his collarbone. Apparently, Robins’ wife Stephanie was trying to bring the city’s attention to this dangerous roadway condition. So she approached the Union-Tribune columnist to help fix those rough patches on Torrey Pines. The city took swift action after being contacted by the newspaper. The city’s street division immediately sent a crew to inspect the rough patches and almost instantly temporary repairs were made in the form of an asphalt coat.
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Published on: January 25, 2009

LAPD Officer Injured in Los Angeles County Motorcycle Accident

By Brian Chase

A Los Angeles police motorcycle officer suffered injuries including a broken leg in a motorcycle accident in Atwater Village after a motorist backing her vehicle out of her driveway struck the officer. According to a news report in the Los Angeles Daily News, the collision occurred in the 3200 block of West Garden Avenue the morning of January 21, 2009. The officer’s name has not been released.

I’m relieved that this on-duty officer did not suffer a catastrophic or fatal Los Angeles motorcycle accident. I wish him the very best for a quick and complete recovery.

According to California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, in 2006, 21 fatalities and 786 injuries were reported as a result of motorcycle accidents in the city of Los Angeles. In the county as a whole, there were 78 deaths and 2,168 injuries that occurred as a result of motorcycle accidents during the same period.
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Published on: January 24, 2009

San Bernardino Pedestrian Accident Kills Woman

By Brian Chase

Juanita Hernandez, 24, of Montclair was killed in a San Bernardino pedestrian accident, according to this article in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Hernandez was walking on Etiwanda Avenue the morning of January 20, 2009 when she was struck by a 1997 Chevrolet Suburban. Hernandez was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Suburban, identified only as a 25-year-old Upland man, stopped after the crash. The accident is under investigation.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Juanita Hernandez. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System in 2006, there were eight deaths and 51 injuries relating to pedestrian accidents in the city of San Bernardino. In the county as a whole, 57 deaths and 448 injuries were reported.

In this article of the fatal San Bernardino pedestrian accident, there is very little information about how exactly this collision occurred. The newspaper report states that Juanita Hernandez was walking on the road. But we don’t know if she was walking in a crosswalk. I trust the investigation will reveal the details.
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Published on: January 23, 2009

Security Officer Suffers Fatal Injuries in Delano Industrial Accident

By Brian Chase

Delano police officials have identified a 19-year-old female security officer who died in an industrial accident at a SEARS warehouse on January 17, 2009, as Rosemary Montiel. According to this news report, Montiel was found in a small electrical security patrol cart, pinned under a trailer, by other security personnel who were looking for her. SEARS workers had lost contact with her prompting the search. Police are still investigating how this fatal industrial accident may have occurred.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family, friends and co-workers of young Rosemary Montiel for their tragic loss. My heart especially goes out to the co-workers who found her pinned under a trailer.

I trust the California Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal-OSHA) is investigating this industrial accident. Based on this news report it is not at all clear how the accident occurred or how Montiel came to be pinned under the trailer.
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Published on: January 23, 2009

Nursing Home Slapped with $121,000 Fine in Patient’s Ventilator Death

By Brian Chase

A San Dimas nursing home has been fined $121,000 in connection with the death of a 90-year-old woman, who health officials say, died because of the nursing home’s negligence and poor care. According to this news report on KTLA’s Web site, the resident who was dependent on a ventilator, died on October 27, 2007, at the Casa Bonita Convalescent Hospital after being disconnected from the machine. Not only that, but the ventilator’s remote alarm had also been turned off so staff were not alerted to the problem.

State officials issued the Los Angeles County nursing home with what is known as an “AA” citation, which is the most severe fine or penalty that a nursing home can receive under California law. In addition to the $100,000 fine for an AA citation, the nursing home was also slapped with a $20,000 fine for failing to check on the alarm system and a $1,000 fine for failing to implement staff policies that ensured ventilator education and certification. An attorney for Casa Bonita has said that the operator of the facility, Longwood Management Corp, will appeal the fines.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of this 90-year-old woman, who suffocated to death because her ventilator had been turned off and she stopped breathing. A medical ventilator is an automatic machine that is designed to mechanically move air into and out of the lungs to provide a mechanism of breathing for a patient who is physically unable to breathe or is breathing insufficiently.
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Published on: January 22, 2009

Los Angeles County Pedestrian Accident Injures Four

By Brian Chase

Three young boys were injured in a pedestrian accident January 19, 2009 after they were struck by a car at a Pasadena street intersection. According to this news report in the Pasadena Star News, the incident occurred when a mother and her three sons – ages 3, 4 and 15 – were struck by a car on the corner of Arroyo Parkway and Fillmore Street.

Pasadena police officials say the mother and her sons were about halfway across the street when the light turned green for southbound traffic. A car in the number one lane stopped, but a car in the number two lane continued going and hit the pedestrians who were apparently on the crosswalk, still making their way across the street. The boys were conscious and talking after they were hit in this Los Angeles County pedestrian accident. But the children were all taken to the hospital for treatment. Police now characterize their injuries as “minor.” There is no information about whether the mother suffered any injuries
This is an accident that could have turned tragic in a heartbeat. I’m extremely relieved that it didn’t take that tragic turn. I’m sure this family must be badly shaken up by this street intersection collision and I wish them the very best for a quick and complete physical and emotional recovery.
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Published on: January 22, 2009

Chula Vista Woman and Dog Attacked by Pit Bulls

By Brian Chase

A woman was attacked in downtown Chula Vista by two pit bulls early morning on January 12, 2009 when she was walking her dog, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune news report. Two men who lived nearby apparently heard the woman scream for help on Jefferson Avenue near K Street.

One of the men, 30-year-old Lawrence Kijanka, said he and another man screamed at the pit bulls and chased them about a block away. The woman, who was attacked by the pit bulls, was trying to protect a small black dog she was walking. Kijanka said he saw the woman on the ground with blood on her forehead and apparent bite marks on her arms and legs. Chula Vista animal control officials have put the pit bulls under quarantine. There is no word about the dogs’ owner.

My heart goes out to the woman who was injured in this horrific San Diego County dog attack. I wish her the very best for a quick physical and emotional recovery as these vicious dog attacks can be extremely traumatic Continue reading →

Published on: January 21, 2009

Los Angeles County Supervisors Want Nursing Home Ratings Displayed

By Brian Chase

Los Angeles County supervisors have asked state officials to require California’s nursing homes to prominently post their new federal star ratings, just the way Los Angeles County restaurants display their letter grades. According to this news report in the Los Angeles Times, this proposal is not being supported by patient advocates and nursing home officials, who say that the new federal five-star rating is flawed because it overlooks significant violations and sometimes, even penalizes well-run nursing homes.

California apparently has 1,254 federally rated nursing homes, more than any other state. Out of those, 272 nursing homes received the “one-star rating,” which is the lowest and 148 received five stars, the highest rating. Los Angeles County supervisors have unanimously voted to ask Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state health department officials to support their plan. The proposal also states that nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medi-Cal should display information about their federal rating in any admissions agreements for new patients. Supervisors also voted to link Los Angeles County’s Web site to the federal rating site, Nursing Home Compare.

The ratings were first issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in December after patients and advocates complained that information about nursing homes on their Web site was far from user-friendly. The ratings were based on three years of data gleaned from state inspections and reports provided by nursing homes. The facilities are rated based on, among others, how the nursing home responds to residents’ declining mobility, high-risk bedsores and pain.
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Published on: January 21, 2009

Giving Veterans Hope and a Second Chance

By Brian Chase

Veterans today are facing more challenges than ever before. They are probably the most criticized and underappreciated segment of our population. What most of us forget is that we owe our freedom to these brave men and women who have put their lives on the line. But what happens when they return from duty? They face a slew of challenges from combat stress and readjustment issues to changes in family roles, bonding with children who were born in their absence, job changes and unemployment. If ignored, these issues can turn out to be catastrophic for veterans and their families. Veteran fatalities caused by suicides are said to be at an all-time high among veterans now.

According to studies conducted by The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, about 283,000 veterans are struggling with reintegration issues and won’t seek mental health assistance because of the stigma associated with it and the consequences it could have on their career prospects.

This is where a great group of people called Freedom & Honor come in. This group conducts training and education programs for members of the U.S. military, whether they are veterans or on active duty. These programs have in fact been designed by training experts with the help of combat veterans. The flagship program of Freedom & Honor, Return to Honor, is a 2.5-day cognitive and experiential program using training methodologies proven effective with trauma victims. These workshops takes a peer-to-peer approach that helps these veterans learn how to re-establish connections, with friends, families and society and how they can effectively reduce the impact of combat trauma on their lives. These are not mental health programs, just a training program to help veterans get back to living their lives and becoming productive citizens.
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