California Injury Blog

A 26-year-old man died after he crashed his Lexus ES 300 into a tractor trailer that was parked on the shoulder of the 210 Freeway in Claremont, according to an article in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

The article says that Arthur C. Yeh, an Upland resident, was in his Lexus doing about 70 miles an hour when he drifted on to the shoulder, speeding up as he approached the disabled tractor trailer. The driver of the big rig was reportedly standing right in front of his truck when Yeh slammed into it, the Daily Bulletin reports. Fortunately he suffered only minor injuries and got a cut to his arm when the headlight from the Lexus flew off and struck him in the arm, the newspaper reports.
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A disturbing article in the Los Angeles Daily News says that many drivers who cause hit-and-run traffic collisions in the San Fernando Valley and the city of Los Angeles actually get away with it. According to this news report, last year nearly half of all 16,792 traffic collisions in the Valley were hit-and-runs. But apparently, Los Angeles Police Department investigators have solved only 54 percent of those cases.

Just from watching the news and keeping track of recent accidents, we know that hit-and-runs are only going up in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Increasingly, many of these accidents involve major injuries or deaths. But it’s outrageous and disgusting that in the San Fernando Valley, there’s a 50-50 chance that if you hit someone and leave them to die on the street, there’s a good chance you’ll get away with it!

The incidence of hit-and-run accidents is reportedly higher in the Valley and city of Los Angeles than neighboring cities such as Burbank (13 percent), Santa Clarita (24 percent) and Glendale (29 percent). So, who are most often the culprits in hit-and-run crashes? There’s no surprise there – a majority of them are drunk drivers, people driving without licenses or those who have a warrant out for their arrest, the newspaper reports. Sometimes, these folks are so drunk that they don’t even know if they’ve damaged someone’s vehicle or have struck and killed a pedestrian.
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A speeding driver traveling at more than 90 miles an hour and involved in a dangerous street race may have caused a fiery crash in Anaheim Hills last week that killed one man and seriously injured another, according to a news article in The Orange County Register.

Justin Simpkins died after losing control of his 1987 Mercedes on Santa Ana Canyon Road and his 22-year-old brother, Ryan, who was a passenger in that car, is fighting for his life. Witnesses who spoke to investigators said the Mercedes was racing another car at the time of the crash, the newspaper reported. The speed limit on that street was 45 mph, but Justin Simpkins may have been doing more than 90 mph, officials said.

Justin was pulled out of the car by firefighters just before the car burst into flames, the Register reported, while his brother was ejected from the vehicle. According to Anaheim Police Sgt. Rick Martinez who is quoted in the Register news article, these type of speed-related accidents are quite common in that area.
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