California Injury Blog

Published on: January 19, 2008

Boy Suffers Severe Head Injuries In Costa Mesa DUI Crash

By Brian Chase

A 6-year-old Costa Mesa boy suffered critical head injuries after a crash on the 55 Freeway that officials say was caused by a drunk driver. According to a news report in the Daily Pilot, 34-year-old Morgan T. Webster of Newport Beach was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The boy, whose name was not released because of his age and condition, was traveling north on the 55 with three other children and three adults in a 2000 Mazda when a Mercedes Benz slowed down in front of them. The driver of the Mazda hit the brakes and steered toward the center divider to avoid hitting the car, but the Volkswagen driven by Webster, which was behind the Mazda, did not stop in time and ended up crashing into the back of the Mazda and then into the Mercedes before flipping over, CHP officials told the newspaper.
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Published on: January 18, 2008

Santa Clarita Bus Crash Kills One, Injures Six

By Brian Chase

A 25-year-old woman, who reportedly was possibly talking on her cell phone and not wearing a seatbelt, was killed when a public bus carrying school students crashed into the sedan she was driving, also injuring six students on the bus, according to a news report in the Los Angeles Daily News.

The Santa Clarita Transit Bus was carrying 15 passengers including junior high and high school students, officials told the newspaper. The bus driver and one student had to be transported to a local hospital, according to another Associated Press news report. Four other children were reportedly treated at the scene for minor injuries. The children on the bus were students from West Ranch High School and Rancho Pico Jr. High School, the Daily News reported.

The woman driver, whose name has not yet been released, was driving a Toyota Camry.
According to California Highway Patrol officials, the bus was headed south on The Old Road and the Camry was traveling east on Constitution near the Santa Clarita marketplace when the bus crash occurred. The driver’s side of the Camry was completely smashed in and the front of the bus reportedly rested on a concrete median.
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Published on: January 17, 2008

Driver in Fatal California Bicycle Accident Gets No Criminal Charges

By Brian Chase

The Shasta County District Attorney has decided not to file charges in the fatal bicycle accident case where a bicyclist was struck and killed by a car on Highway 299 in Redding two months ago. According to a news article in the Redding Record Searchlight, Sherry Mann, 58 was riding her bicycle east on the highway when Morgan Watkins, 21, drifted over to the shoulder and hit Mann while reaching into the back seat to get a baby bottle.

But district attorney’s officials have decided against filing criminal charges against Watkins because they say there is little or no physical evidence in the case and no eyewitnesses. It also seems as if Mann’s husband influenced the DA’s decision not to try Watkins on misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges. Officials say that without specific evidence about where the impact occurred, it is tough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Watkins drifted over the fog line and hit Mann.

The DA’s decision has local bicyclists worried and angry. Of course, it is disturbing to many when a life is lost and the person who apparently caused the death walks away from it, uninjured and without facing any consequences. But Mann’s husband, Russell, told the newspaper that he doesn’t believe the driver deliberately hit his wife and that she probably paid a hefty price for a small mistake. He says he doesn’t believe her mistake warranted a criminal charge.
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Published on: January 16, 2008

Pedestrian Struck and Killed By Ontario Airport Sweeper Truck

By Brian Chase

A 20-year-old pedestrian died after she was hit by a maintenance sweeper truck at the Ontario International Airport while she was walking across a marked crosswalk. According to an article in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the Ford Dually being driven by an airport employee was traveling at 15 miles an hour, southbound on the rental car lane when it struck Reyna Rivera of Madison, Wisconsin.

Rivera was air-lifted to the Loma Linda University Medical Center, where she died of her injuries, according the San Bernardino County Coroner’s report. The newspaper reports that the airport is investigating the accident to see if their employee was responsible for the fatal accident. Apparently, there were witnesses who saw it happen. The truck driver was released.
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Published on: January 15, 2008

E. Coli Beef Recall, One California Consumer Reports Illness

By Brian Chase

A Minnesota meat packer has recalled close to 188,000 pounds of ground beef patties and other meat products because officials believe the beef could be contaminated with dangerous E. Coli bacteria, according to an MSNBC news report. Rochester Meat Co. reportedly issued the recall after five people reported becoming ill in Wisconsin and one person became sick in California after consuming the tainted products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a warning stating the meat may be contaminated with a strain of bacteria – E. Coli 0157:H7, which can be potentially deadly. Common symptoms of this disease include diarrhea and dehydration. Those who are most prone to being seriously affected are the very young and senior citizens.

The tainted meat was reportedly manufactured Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. It was sent to distributors nationwide and the meat could have been used by restaurants and food service institutions around the country. It was however not sold by retailers, USDA officials said.
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Published on: January 14, 2008

15-Passenger Van Accident Kills 7 Students and 1 Teacher In Canada

By Brian Chase

Canadian officials are investigating a tragic 15-passenger van crash that killed eight out of 12 people in the vehicle — seven members of a high school basketball team and their teacher. According to a news article in Canada’s CBC News, the Ford Club wagon fishtailed and collided with a big rig Saturday when the Bathurst High School team was returning home from a game.

Another CBC News article also points out that the Ford van, which was traveling on a snowed-on highway, was not fitted with snow tires, but regular or all-season tires. Transport Canada, a national regulatory agency, is not only investigating the accident, but also reviewing the idea of creating a new classification for 15-passenger vans, that will include tougher safety standards, CBC reported.

A public funeral is being planned for the seven students. According to a Sports Illustrated article, all of the deceased students were between 15 and 18 years of age. Most were ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead on the scene. Four people, who were injured, including the driver who was the team’s coach, are expected to recover, the article stated.

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Published on: January 14, 2008

Thousands of BMW Owners Worried About Defective Airbags In their Vehicles

By Brian Chase

Federal investigators are looking into reports of front passenger seat airbag failures in about 330,000 BMW cars and SUV’s, the consumer watchdog Web site, Consumeraffairs.com reports. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/01/nhtsa_bmw_airbags.html In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Defect Investigation is reporting that the BMW vehicles’ front airbags may be defective rendering them ineffective during a crash.

The models that are part of this investigation include 2004 to 2006 BMW 5 and 7 series sedans, Z4 convertibles and X3 SUVs, as well as 2006 BMW 3 and 6 series cars and X5 SUVs. So far, federal safety regulators have received 729 reports about this malfunction from owner and 23,739 warranty claims for the faulty airbags in these vehicles, the Web site reports.

Readers from all over the country have reported to Consumeraffairs.com about the problem. One person reported that his 2003 BMW 352i got broadsided by a red light runner at 45 mph and the air bags still did not deploy. Another reader says that the air bags didn’t even work in a frontal collision which occurred at a speed of 30 mph. Yet another man reported that his BMW hit a concrete light pole and caused $10,000 in damages to his car and the airbags did not deploy. That reader also complained that BMW is not taking responsibility for the vehicle defects.
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Published on: January 13, 2008

Father of Four Dead In Possible Drunk Driving Crash in Carson

By Brian Chase

A drunk driver may have put the end to the life of a Compton man who worked four truck-driving jobs to support his wife and four kids, the Daily Breeze reports. Juan Gabriel Ontiveros, 32, was on his way home when his vehicle was broadsided by the driver of a Toyota pickup truck on Wilmington Avenue at Sepulveda Boulevard in Carson.

Sheriff’s deputies found a smashed case of beer and smelled alcohol in the pickup, according to the article in the Breeze. The broadside crash threw Ontiveros from his 1982 Cadillac Coupe Deville into the street. He was reportedly pronounced dead on the scene. Officials are also reportedly investigating whether the driver was drunk and if he was at fault.

Police say it is hard to figure out if the beer cans were open at the time of the crash because of the intensity of the accident. Whatever the facts of the case, one truth doesn’t change. Ontiveros’ family will be devastated by this accident. According to the newspaper article, the family had recently obtained permanent residency in the United States and bought a home last year.
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Published on: January 12, 2008

Washington Diocese Settles Four Sex Abuse Lawsuits For $200,000

By Brian Chase

The Catholic Diocese of Yakima in Washington State has paid $200,000 to settle lawsuits brought by four women who accused a now-deceased priest of brutally raping them when they were young girls in the 1960s. According to an article in the Yakima Herald-Republic, the bishop apologized to the women, but the diocese denied liability in the matter.

It’s been the general story line of the Catholic Church sexual abuse saga. Grown men and women melt and are reduced to shameful tears as they recall the nightmarish experiences they’ve been through with these so-called “men of God.” According to the plaintiffs, the diocese did nothing to stop Rev. Michael Simpson, the Irish priest with a drinking problem, who allegedly grabbed the girls and raped them on the desk in his rectory office with hairbrush handles.

The victims apparently lived with the pain and shame for decades. Rose Lamey of Seattle was the first victim to publicly come forward and tell the truth about Simpson’s atrocious conduct. Simpson died in Ireland in 1977 and the diocese has spent about $1.25 million to settle claims involving seven priests.
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Published on: January 11, 2008

Quadruplets and Mom Escape With Minor Injuries In Costa Mesa Rollover Crash

By Brian Chase

A set of quadruplets 4 years old and their 30-year-old mother survived with minor injuries in what could have been an extremely tragic accident in Costa Mesa, the Daily Pilot reports.

The accident reportedly happened on Bear Street in Costa Mesa. The mother and children, whose names have not been released, were northbound on Bear and were turning left to enter the 405 Freeway when a moving truck ran a red light and broadsided the van, the article said. The van rolled and came to a stop on the onramp entrance.

Thankfully, everyone inside was buckled up and no one was ejected. All passengers were able to get out of the van, which was on its side with its windows shattered, the Pilot reported. Traffic had to be diverted from the area as officials cleared up the scene.
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