California Injury Blog

Published on: March 1, 2013

Man Files Negligence Lawsuit After Injury At Work

By Brian Chase

Jose A. Salazar, a 52-year-old worker, has filed a negligence lawsuit against Caltrain alleging that the agency did not provide a safe work environment. Salazar suffered a fractured skull and a broken back after fellow workers hit him with a 39-foot long, 1,768 pound section of steel track while performing railroad work in South San Francisco. Salazar was in a month-long coma after the Nov. 8 accident, but the extent of his recovery or his prognosis is not known.

Workers Were Negligent, Suit States

On the day of the injury, Salazar and some of his co-workers were fixing a damaged section of rail north of the South San Francisco Caltrain station. A piece of rail struck him after the workers lost control while lifting it. Salazar was eventually pinned to the ground.

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Published on: February 13, 2013

CHP Issues Guidelines for Legal Motorcycle Lane Splitting

By Brian Chase

The California Highway Patrol has taken an unusual step of issuing a set of guidelines that affirm the legality of lane-splitting, a controversial practice among motorcyclists, but point out the circumstances when it is safe to split lanes. According to a news report in The Sacramento Bee, California is the only state in the country where lane-splitting is legal. Lane-splitting is when motorcyclists pass vehicles in adjacent lanes by driving between them. CHP officials are posting the first-ever written guidelines on the website as part of a broader highway safety initiative.

Increase in Motorcycle Collisions

CHP officials say this is a good time to release these guidelines because the number of motorcyclists is on the rise in California as is the number of motorcycle collisions. According to CHP’s statistics, 9,600 people were injured in 2010 motorcycle crashes, up 25 percent since 2000. According to the California’s Office of Traffic Safety 87 percent of California motorcycle riders reported that they split lanes. So far, it has been common knowledge that it is a legal practice, but no guidelines have been issued with regard to its safety.

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Published on: February 11, 2013

Two Men Injured in Fullerton DUI Crash

By Brian Chase

Two men were hit and injured near Fullerton by a suspected drunk driver early morning on February 9, 2013. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, Rosenne Garnica, 24, was driving east on Santa Fe Avenue near Heroes Bar and Grill when she hit two men standing outside a car talking to people inside it. Police say both men were thrown by the impact and lost consciousness. They were transported to an area hospital for treatment of facial, leg and head injuries, but are expected to survive. Police estimate Garnica was traveling at about 20 mph at the time of the collision. She was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI.

DUI Statistics and Laws

There were three fatalities and 57 injuries involving DUI crashes in Fullerton, according to California Highway Patrol’s 2010 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS). During the same year, 45 people died and 1,317 were injured due to alcohol-related collision in Orange County as a whole.

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Published on: February 8, 2013

Born to be Wild? Studies Show Aging Bikers are Three Times More Likely to Get Injured

By Brian Chase

Studies over the years have consistently shown that older motorcycle riders are more prone to injuries and fatalities regardless how experienced or healthy they may be. According to an NBC news report, recently, researchers used data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System and found that there were 1.4 million injuries between 2001 and 2008 involved people over 20 years of age.

The number of injury cases among riders over 50 years of age increased during that time period by 247 percent percent, from 4,352 in 2001 to 15,107 in 2008. It other words, it almost quadrupled in the space of nine years.

How did this happen? The numbers also coincide with the time period when more and more aging baby boomers took to motorcycling. About 15 years ago, motorcycling, which requires quick reaction times, physical dexterity and conditioning, became increasingly popular among the 50 and above age group, according to a study by epidemiologists in Brown University.

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Published on: February 6, 2013

Los Angeles Teens Lose Fingers after Playing Tug-of-War

By Brian Chase

A boy and a girl underwent several hours of surgery after their fingers became severed during a schoolyard tug-of-war game. According to a news report in The Associated Press, a simple length of rope tore off the fingers of the two teens during the game, which was organized at South El Monte High School to boost campus spirit. The boy and girl had stable vital signs and doctors were trying to reattach their fingers.
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Published on: January 31, 2013

Woman Sues Fresenius Over Mother’s GranuFlo Death

By Brian Chase

An Oklahoma woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Fresenius Medical Care and Davita Inc. alleging that her mother died as a result of side effects caused by GranuFlo, a medication that is used in dialysis treatments.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed Jan. 2 in the Oklahoma Western District Court, Shanterra Goff alleged that her mother, Rhonda Goff, had been prescribed GranuFlo and/or NaturaLyte three times a week beginning in July 2008 to prevent acid build-up in her blood. This is because patients who suffer from kidney failure can no longer clear acid from the blood on their own.

Fatal GranuFlo Side Effects

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Published on: January 28, 2013

Superman’s Hairstylist Sues for Damages

By Brian Chase

The woman who styled Superman’s hair in the upcoming movie Man of Steel has filed a lawsuit for damages, claiming she was injured on the movie set as the result of her job. The hairstylist was asked to walk across a set to fix an actor’s hair during filming; the set was full of rubble and presented a “hazardous walking surface” according to the plaintiff’s claim. She fell and injured herself and is now suing Warner Bros. for damages.

Superman’s Hair Can Be Dangerous!

According to Cheryl Pickenback, the key hairstylist for Man of Steel, she was instructed to cross a set in Plano, Illinois, that had been made to appear full of rubble for an upcoming shot. She was asked to walk out onto the set to address hair issues with one of the actors. As she attempted to cross the set, she slipped and fell on the rubble, resulting in severe injuries that necessitated surgery and other treatments. Her suit alleges that Warner Bros., Third Act Pictures and Legendary Pictures failed to provide a safe working environment and that this negligence led to her injuries. The suit has been removed to federal court to encompass set manager James McAllister, who claims he had no role in the Illinois set’s configuration or safety protocols.

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Published on: January 25, 2013

Frozen Pizza Recalled Due to Possible Metal Fragments

By Brian Chase

A report from ABC News indicates that a Berkeley company is recalling a number of frozen pizzas after discovering that they may be contaminated with metal fragments. The company found that a flour mill screen may have sifted metal into the pizza dough, posing a threat to consumers. So far, no injuries have been reported as a result of this problem.

Annie’s Homegrown Rising Crust frozen pizzas with “best by” dates of January 9, 2013, to September 14, 2013, are affected by the recall. Retailers have been asked to pull these products from the shelves and any consumers who believe they may have these pizzas are asked to return them to the store of purchase for a refund.

Why Do Companies Recall Products?

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Published on: January 22, 2013

Female Injured in Suspected DUI Motorcycle Accident in Orange County

By Brian Chase

A female motorcyclist in her 50s was critically injured in a suspected DUI crash the afternoon of January 17, 2013, The Orange County Register reports. Officials say the woman was riding her Honda motorcycle eastbound on Collins Avenue near Prospect Street in Orange when she collided with a Mazda 626 pulling out of a residential property.

Officials say the driver of the Mazda, a 26-year-old woman, pulled in front of the motorcyclist as she made a left turn from the private driveway onto westbound Collins. The motorcyclist was transported to a trauma center with life threatening injuries. The driver of the Mazda was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs. Anyone with information with this crash is asked to contact Orange Police Department at 714-744-7444.

Orange County Crash Statistics

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Published on: January 21, 2013

Dog Bite At Elementary School Frightens Neighborhood

By Brian Chase

Police have now located the dog and owner involved in a frightening dog bite injury attack at an elementary school in an upscale Virginia neighborhood, according to Falls Church News.

Dog Bite Upsets Residents

Children were frolicking on the playground at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School on Oak Street when the lovely afternoon suddenly turned horrifying. A dog, running loose on the playground, attacked and bit a victim on the leg. According to police sources, two men were allowing the dog to run without a leash and refused to give any information to witnesses after the dog attacked.

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