California Injury Blog

Published on: May 25, 2008

Orange County DUI Accident As Driver Runs Red Light

By Brian Chase

Maria Magdalena Lewis, a 71-year-old Garden Grove woman is dead after her Honda Accord was struck by another driver who police say was driving under the influnce of alcohol and ran a red light. According to an article in The Orange County Register, Lewis was driving home from her job at the Angel stadium when she was hit by 45-year-old Miguel Angel Gallardo of Anaheim, who was driving a GMC Yukon.

Lewis reportedly died on the scene, and a passenger who was with her in the Honda suffered injuries. Gallardo has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter. Police say Gallardo also ran a red light at the intersection of Orangewood Avenue and 9th Street in Anaheim as he struck Lewis’ vehicle.

My heart goes out to Lewis’ family. This was an unnecessary, and senseless tragedy – one of many drunk driving accidents in Orange County, which have led to the loss of a life. It is another reminder to all drivers out there to refrain from drinking and driving. It is not only illegal but just plain irresponsible. Not only do drunk drivers put others in serious danger, but they also risk their own life and well-being.

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Published on: May 25, 2008

Orange County Intersection Accident Victim Dies

By Brian Chase

Bog Soon Seo,71, a Garden Grove woman died of the major head injuries received after she was struck by a car while crossing the street with her 2-year-old grandson in her arms.

According to an article in CBS News’ Web site, the driver of the car saw Seo crossing at the intersection of Garden Grove Boulevard and Yockey Street and swerved to avoid her, but couldn’t do so in time. The toddler was not injured, the article said.

In this case, there were no crosswalk lines at the location, but news reports say it is considered an “unpainted crosswalk” where the driver is supposed to yield to a pedestiran. Clearly this was an extremely dangerous intersection for pedestrians because it did not have a properly marked crosswalk where pedestrians can get across the street safely.

This horrible tragedy could have been avoided had city officials understood the dangers of such an intersection. This is an intersection, which is located in a commercial/business district. Garden Grove Boulevard is a major arterial road in North Orange County and such a busy intersection must at least have a well-marked crosswalk where pedestrians may cross safely. The crosswalk must have brightly painted lines to indicate to the driver that it is a crosswalk and that he or she must stop and yield to pedestrians.
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Published on: May 25, 2008

Motorcyclist dies in PCH accident

By Brian Chase

A Pacific Coast Highway multiple auto accident last Sunday in Laguna Beach killed motorcycle rider Bruce Gold, 61, according to a report in the The Orange County Register.

Gold was headed south on Route 1 that morning when he hit a car that came across from the northbound lane near the Montage Resort Drive intersection. The unidentified male driver of the northbound car had hit another car that was waiting in a left turn lane just moments earlier. The auto crash also caused the only other injury – to the male driver.

My deepest condolences and sympathies are of course with the families of the accident victims. From the reader comments posted following the new article it is clear Gold was a much loved and respected member of his community. The comments also describe that while an official investigation is in progress and a lot of information is still needed, the statement made by Sgt. Louise Callus of the Laguna Beach Police Department is very interesting. Callus is quoted by the report saying the male driver had somehow lost control and crashed his vehicle.
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Published on: May 24, 2008

Dog Bites Houston Postal Worker

By Brian Chase

Sonia Perez, 28, a Houston letter carrier was attacked and bitten badly by a Rottweiler last weekend, according to The Houston Chronicle.

The brief dog bite attack lasted only a few minutes but did enough injury to Perez to put her in the hospital with puncture wounds. The viciousness of the attack surprised even the experienced letter carrier causing her to forget her training in such a situation and use her Mace, said the news article.

I’m truly sorry for the injury suffered by Perez in this brutal and unprovoked attack and wish her a complete recovery. Postal employees across the country are always on the front line in dog attacks and Houston has earned itself the dubious honor of having the most dog attacks against letter carriers. California cities Santa Ana and Sacramento follow closely in the next two places.

California however has the most number of fatalities in dog attacks. Violent dog bite attacks can cause immediate and painful injuries as well as long-term damages including emotional scarring. Among the estimated annual 4.7 million-dog bite victims postal worker, children and the elderly are typically the ones who suffer the most. Additional studies also show this problem is getting worse.
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Published on: May 23, 2008

I-40 Bus Accident near Barstow Kills Woman

By Brian Chase

Faith Creer, 31 of Los Angeles died in a recent charter bus accident reported by The Los Angeles Times. The bus was in the left lane headed eastbound on Interstate 40 when it drifted onto the dirt median. The bus then crashed as the driver tried to correct its direction and fell on its side. Creer died when she was thrown out by the impact of the bus crash that also injured 21 others, eight of them seriously.

I’m deeply saddened by the loss of life and the scale of injuries caused by this bus wreck. It is always scary to imagine that as a passenger in a vehicle you can have your whole life suddenly upturned or even destroyed. And it is interesting to note here that CHP Officer Taj Johnson is quoted as saying they don’t know why the driver of the bus drifted across the lanes and also that the driver himself didn’t know how it drifted.
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Published on: May 23, 2008

Riverside Truck Crash Kills Two

By Brian Chase

An auto accident that happened at Jefferson Street near Evans Street in Riverside last Saturday killed Robert Robinson, 21 and an unidentified 18-year old male, according to The Press Telegram report posted on the Web.

The Dodge Ram pickup involved in the truck crash is believed to have rammed into a tree after having gone airborne crossing a railroad track. The truck wreck also injured four others, two of them seriously and putting the others including the driver, in intensive care. According to Riverside Police department spokesman Steven Frasher, the pickup truck was doing 55 to 60 mph at the time it crossed the tracks.

A later CBS report identified the teen who died in the Saturday night crash south of the 91 Freeway as John Magula, 18, of Riverside.

I feel deeply for the victims’ families, for their loss and for the young people who are affected by this tragic auto accident. From the news report it appears the truck was going too fast as it went across the railroad crossing, but it is also very possible that there were other factors that caused or contributed to this crash. In addition to the information from the official accident investigation report, an independent investigation is recommended, as it will pursue all avenues to help determine exactly who or what was responsible. If I were a family member I’d press to understand what exactly caused this accident.
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Published on: May 23, 2008

Swimming Pool Accidents And Injuries

By Brian Chase

With temperatures soon warming up throughout the country, pools and spas are going to see a lot of use again. A timely article posted on the consumeraffairs.com Web site sadly serves to remind us of the dangers this seasonal activity typically brings with it.

The number of pool and spa-related deaths and swimming pool accidents has increased over the recent years according to a recent Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) report. Children age five and younger are the most at risk from accidental drowning or a near-drowning, an accident that has the potential to cause terrible injuries. These types of accidents are largely preventable; happening as a result of poor or no adult supervision, mostly occurring in residential locations, and involving both large in-ground pools, as well as small inflatable pools. Currently inflatable pools do not fall under the barrier requirements of local building codes and as a result people often buy them without considering the safety needs.
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Published on: May 22, 2008

Calaveras Carnival Ride Accident Injures 23

By Brian Chase

An amusement park ride at the Calaveras County Fair called the Yo-Yo injured 23 people, three of them seriously when its swings collapsed, according to a news article in the Modesto Bee. The large swing-style ride that lifts the swing seats into the air on long chains and spins in circles broke apart injuring a number of children on the ride. 20 children suffered from welts and bruises from road rashes and getting hit by the ride’s equipment and the remaining three children with the most serious injuries were airlifted to area hospitals.

While the ride owner and operator – Midway of Fun, an Oroville-based company, did not talk to the media, officials from the local police department and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) who investigated the incident told the San Francisco Chronicle that the center hub of the ride, from which its arms extend, stopped rotating or worked intermittently.

Amusement parks are required to have constant inspections of their rides and attractions, as are carnival operators. When carnival ride accidents occur, the injuries are usually quite significant because of the number of people involved and the size and weight of the ride equipment. These rides have the ability crush, pin and eject riders, causing catastrophic injuries. In 2004 alone there were 2,500 amusement ride related injuries reported in the United States, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
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Published on: May 21, 2008

Foresthill ATV Riders Found Dead

By Brian Chase

Placer County Sheriff’s search and rescue teams located the all-terrain vehicle and the bodies of its two missing riders this past Tuesday just before midnight. The teams discovered the bodies of Vitaliy Kolyadich, 25, of Carmichael and Svetlana N. Koval, 23, of Redlands, which had fallen in an embankment seemingly after an accident involving their ATV, according to a Auburn Journal Web article.

Dena Erwin, a spokeswoman for the Placer County Sheriff’s Department is quoted as saying that the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department learnt about the two ATV riders when their families reported them missing on Monday.

My sympathies and condolences are with the families of the two young accident victims. The sad outcome of this search must have crushed their hopes and one can only imagine the grief and pain they’re going through.
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Published on: May 20, 2008

Berkeley Motorcycle Accident Near I-80 Injures Bicyclist

By Brian Chase

A hit-and-run accident at the Acton and Ashby intersection near San Pablo Avenue has put a bicyclist in the hospital. According to a news report, CHP officers are looking for a motorcyclist and a now damaged 2006 blue Suzuki GSXR 650 believed to be responsible for running the woman bike rider down late evening Sunday.

CHP spokesman Sam Morgan is quoted in the article stating officers had earlier been chasing the speeding two-wheeler on the Interstate 80 but decided to stop on city streets as the motorcyclist turned off at the Ashby Avenue exit.

This accident must come as a terrible blow for the victim and her family and I hope and wish her a fast and easy recovery. It is terrifying to imagine an accident such as this that happens out of nowhere causing an innocent person personal injury and suffering.
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