California Injury Blog

Published on: January 10, 2008

Southern California Auto Accident Round-Up

By Brian Chase

Here is a compilation of most recent auto accidents in Southern California.

Fiery fatal crash: Two people were killed and a third person was injured in a fiery three-vehicle crash on the Harbor (110) Freeway in Los Angeles, according to a news article in the Daily Breeze. Firefighters responded to a burning Ford Mustang. A man and a woman who were inside were declared dead. The driver of a large SUV suffered minor injuries and the driver of a minivan escaped without injuries. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

“I blacked out:” A female driver reportedly struck a diesel truck and another vehicle on the 10 Freeway in Fontana after “blacking out” when she was driving. The accident did not cause any major injuries.
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Published on: January 9, 2008

The New Year Brings New Auto Safety and Vehicle Laws

By Brian Chase

There were several new laws relating to motorists that took effect Jan. 1. Some were more publicized than others. Here is a list from the Auto Club of Southern California.

These are the laws that will take effect January 1:

• Street racing offenders: SB 67, which reauthorizes a law that lapsed in 2006, will allow police to impound a vehicle for 30 days when a person is arrested for street racing, exhibition of speed or reckless driving.
• Traffic school: AB 645 prohibits a court from allowing a driver who commits a two-point violation from attending traffic school. Examples of such violations include drunk driving, hit-and-run, speed contests, evading an officer and vehicular manslaughter.
• School zones: AB 321 will now allow local government agencies to adopt ordinances establishing speed limits of 15 mph in a school zone. The current speed limit in these zones is 25 mph. This new law requires that the 15-mph speed limit be posted up to 500 feet from the school.
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Published on: January 8, 2008

Utah Charter Bus Crash Kills 9 and Injures 23

By Brian Chase

A charter bus carrying at least 50 people from a Colorado ski resort skidded off a rain slicked road in South Utah and rolled over several times down an embankment killing nine people and injuring at least 23. According to an Associated Press news report, the Arrow Stage Lines bus was traveling southbound on State Route 163 when it plummeted 41 free down an embankment after failing to negotiate a curve.

Many of the travelers suffered critical injuries while nine were killed in the crash. According to reports, the roof of the bus split open and many of the occupants were thrown out of the vehicle. Several investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are out on scene investigating the tragic, horrific crash. The driver reportedly escaped with minor injuries.

The Associated Press also reported information from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Web site, which shows that Arrow Stage has had seven bus crashes in the last two years, four of which involved injuries. This accident occurred 10 miles north of the area known as the Mexican Hat, in the Four Corners region where Utah meets Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Emergency crews from all four states responded. The nearest hospital was about 80 miles away.
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Published on: January 7, 2008

Ameriquest Pays Out $18 Million In New York Predatory Lending Cases

By Brian Chase

Ameriquest mortgage company is paying out more than $18 million to 13,686 New Yorkers in restitution for indulging in predatory loan practices, a news article in the North Country Gazette reported. The company, like many others around the country, reportedly enticed homeowners to refinance mortgages by misrepresenting and/or failing to disclose loan terms, charging excessive loan origination fees and inflating appraisals to qualify borrowers for loans.

This restitution is part of a $325 million settlement Ameriquest opted for. According to another article, the actual amount of restitution each New York resident will receive depends on the number of eligible New Yorkers who participated in the settlement, which was first announced in January 2006. Residents will be eligible to receive money based on their individual loan, payment history and evidence that the consumer was subjected to illegal and predatory practices.

The settlement came as a result of state governments taking the initiative to hold Ameriquest accountable for their predatory lending practices and dashing the hopes of hundreds of thousands who were in pursuit of the American Dream. Hopefully, the money from the settlement will help these borrowers somewhat defray the price of costly loans they were duped into financing.
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Published on: January 6, 2008

Pet Dogs Bite Causing Major Injuries to San Jose Toddler and Grandmother

By Brian Chase

A 20-month-old San Jose girl and her grandmother were reportedly attacked and badly bitten by their pet dogs believed to be pitbull-boxer mixes, according to an Associated Press news report posted on KESQ TV’s Web site. The toddler’s grandmother, 48-year-old Elizabeth Cinco, was reportedly bitten on the neck, ear and right leg when she tried to fight off the dogs and protect her granddaughter, Anna Leigh Cinco.

The child had to have part of her lip and chin reattached at a clinic in San Francisco, the article said. A news report posted in the San Diego News Tribune, initially said only one of the dogs bit the pair. But an article in the San Jose Mercury News clarified the chaotic incident, which ended up traumatizing the entire family.

One of the dogs first attacked the grandmother, who threw Anna into a couch to protect her. But the dog pounced on the little girl ripping her lip down to her jaw line, the newspaper reported. Another dog also tried to attack Anna’s 9-month-old brother, but the parents were able to fend off the dogs and get the situation under control.
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Published on: January 5, 2008

Missouri Boy’s Water Park Drowning Death Sparks New Law

By Brian Chase

Southern California is the land of amusement parks. There are probably more water parks – public and private – here than in most parts of this country given our year-round good weather and constant flow of tourism. But how many of us think about liability insurance before we send our children to these places or even when we take them to visit a private water park?

This week, a Missouri state lawmaker is proposing new legislation requiring private water parks to carry at least $1 million in liability insurance, according to an article in the Insurance Journal. This after a 6-year-old boy from Joplin drowned last summer in one of the water parks, which was under the radar of state regulation. Ethan Cory’s parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Swimmin’ Hole, the water park, and the Boys and Girls Club of Joplin, that was supervising the children during their field trip to the park.
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Published on: January 4, 2008

Former Yankee Charged In Fatal Florida DUI Crash

By Brian Chase

Former New York Yankees catcher Jim Leyritz was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, running a red light and slamming into another car, causing the death of a 30-year-old woman, according to an

Published on: January 3, 2008

Motorcycle Accident Victim Hit by City Dump Truck Awarded $15.7 Million

By Brian Chase

A Los Angeles jury has awarded $15.7 million to a security guard and retired cop who suffered severe brain injuries after he was hit by a city-operated dump truck when he was riding his motorcycle in Northridge, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The lawsuit was filed by Barry Bowman, a 62-year-old man who worked almost 30 years with the LAPD, who was employed as a security guard on film shoots at the time of the incident, the newspaper reports. Bowman’s attorney told the Times that the city, from the beginning, refused to settle with Bowman, never offering more than $50,000. Bowman suffered severe brain injury, short-term memory loss after the incident and still requires 24-hour care.

The important issue for the jury in this case was whether the dump truck operator, who was contracted by the city, was acting as a city employee when the accident occurred. The city’s attorneys argued that the truck driver was done with his work for the day and was “off site” when the crash happened. The city also said that the truck was going at 2 mph, but Bowman’s attorney said the truck was going at 14 mph, according to an article in the Los Angeles Daily News.
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Published on: January 2, 2008

Mortuary Mix-Up Leads to Wrong Body Being Buried In Newport Beach Grave

By Brian Chase

A funeral home mix-up led to the wrong body being buried in a grave at the Pacific View Cemetery in Corona del Mar. This mix-up was particularly traumatic for the families because it involved four seniors who died in a horrific big-rig crash in Tennessee during a cross-country road trip. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the body that was buried in the grave meant for 72-year-old Rheta Kanter was actually that of Judith Stele, Kanter’s friend who also died in the auto accident.

The mistake has however been corrected, say officials who are blaming medical and mortuary officials for the mix-up. But family members still had to go through the emotional torture of seeing their loved one’s grave being bulldozed open. Not only that, Kanter’s children were earlier prevented from identifying her body because they were told it was “in pieces.” In truth, Kanter’s body was not as badly traumatized.

They are appalled at the mortuary’s incompetence, as they should be. No family, that had already undergone the grief of so suddenly and shocking lost a loved one, should be put through the trauma of having to dig up a body or have their loved one buried in the wrong place. The family had no idea about the mistake until they were given a bag with what officials said was Kanter’s jewelry, when it in fact was Stele’s jewelry.
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Published on: January 2, 2008

Tire Blowout On Freeway Causes Accident – Woman Loses Arm

By Brian Chase

A tire blowout reportedly caused a Sunnyvale woman to lose control of her car that veered off Highway 85 in Cupertino. The accident cost the woman her left arm, according to a news report in the Sunnyvale Sun. The car rolled off a freeway embankment, the article said.

The accident occurred when the woman’s Toyota Celica’s left rear tire blew causing her to lose control of the vehicle. The crash cut the woman’s left arm above the elbow and left her trapped upside down in the car until emergency crews were able to get her out, the newspaper reported. She then had to be airlifted to the local hospital. Officials said that the tire that blew out appeared to be a spare tire.

Defective tires are among the most common causes for drivers to lose control of their vehicles on the freeway. When a tire suddenly blows out or loses its tire tread, the vehicle may go out of control, especially while traveling at freeway speed.
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