Car Accident Lawyer Pros' Blog

Cal. Rep. Lungren Receives Warning for Speeding

Lawmakers are expected to have extensive knowledge and understanding of the law, given the fact that they are the ones who are responsible in making it. 

It can be surprising to know that California Rep. Dan Lungren failed to follow the imposed speed limits while he was on his way to Washington D.C. from his house in Virginia. 

According to reports, Lungren was pulled over for speeding while he was being interviewed in a radio program.

While on air, the program’s listeners can hear a police officer telling him to hang up the phone. The 3^rd District lawmaker explained to the audience that he may have been slightly speeding.

Lungren’s spokesman said the lawmaker may have caught the officer’s attention because he was using a cell phone that has no hands-free device, though it is not considered as illegal in Virginia.

Hopefully, lawmakers and other government officials should avoid violating the law and set good examples to ordinary citizens who may be discouraged from obeying the law if they found out that some people who make the law are sometimes the same ones who break it.

Jogger Dies when Hit by Suspected DUI Driver

Taking medication or drugs before driving a vehicle can cause a driver to act irrationally, thus increasing the risks of an accident. Aside from endangering yourself, you will also risk the life of everyone you encounter while suffering from the effects of the drugs you have taken.

A female jogger recently died after she was hit by a 2001 BMW X5 SUV driven by a man who may have been under the influence of drugs.

According to reports, Carrie Jean Holiman, 56, was jogging along the shoulder of Oroville-Chico Highway when she was hit by Jimmy Candido Flores, 25, from Chico.

The driver was moving west when he allowed his SUV to drift off the road and hit the jogger, who was then thrown around 100 feet. The woman was killed instantly, said reports.

Candido said he veered off the road after one of the two dogs inside the vehicle suddenly jumped on him.

Reports said Candido showed signs of intoxication during a field sobriety test. He was arrested on the suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence causing injury.

Authorities said the driver owns a medical marijuana garden in Butte County. 

Hit-and-Run Driver Admits Guilt after Arrest

Hit-and-run happens when a person flees after a crash or collision, without even calling the authorities or helping the injured individuals. Fleeing after an accident may worsen a person’s punishment, especially if someone was injured or killed in it.

A woman who fled after she struck and killed an 11-year-old boy in Los Angeles was arrested by authorities with the help of an anonymous tip.

According to reports, Nathaniel Garcia was hit by a SUV while he was in a crosswalk. The driver Sylvia Saldana, 23, was arrested more than a week after the accident occurred.

Authorities said the driver has no insurance or driver’s license. It appeared that vehicle involved in the fatal accident is owned by an in-law.

The woman admitted her offense and claimed that she fled because she was scared.

Saldana is not the only person who may be liable in the accident. The SUV owner may also be at fault because negligence was committed when he or she allowed Saldana to borrow the vehicle.

Suspected DUI Driver Collides with Big Rig, Injures Three People

Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs impairs your driving skills and increases the risks of an accident.

In fact, a pickup driver who may have been drunk or under the influence of drugs injured three people, including himself, when he collided head-on with a big rig near Goshen.

Reports stated that Jesus Garcia, 21, from Orange Cove, was traveling northbound on Road 60, south of Avenue 328, when he ran over a fence and suddenly entered southbound 99, in front of a Peterbilt.

Both trucks then collided head-on, causing the bigger one to jackknife and block both of the southbound lanes.

Garcia and his passenger Jose Medel, 24, also from Orange Cove, were transported to Community Regional Medical Center in order to receive immediate treatment for major injuries.

Meanwhile, the big rig driver Gerald Slattery, 48, from Newhall, fortunately escaped from injuries. However, his passenger Kathleen Romaro, 48, from San Fernando, was not as lucky as him.

Reports said Romaro sustained moderate injuries and was brought to Kaweah Delta Hospital.

The pickup driver was arrested on the suspicion of driving under the influence.


       

Former Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Pleads Guilty to DUI

Authorities are required to implement the law so all of us expect that they are the ones who will first obey and respect it. If they failed to do so, they will be punished just like any ordinary citizen.

Former Fresno County sheriff’s deputy Brian Hills, 40, entered a guilty plea to a charge of DUI before Fresno County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Gaab.

According to reports, he was arrested after his patrol car was seen moving erratically in rush-hour traffic last December 2009.

Authorities said the former deputy’s vehicle hit a center median and got a flat tire while he was moving near Highway 41 and Bullard Avenue.

When Hills was arrested, police found out that he has a suspended driver’s license, but was not yet informed about it. He also admitted that he took Klonopin for his sleeping problems and Benadryl for his allergies.

After entering a guilty plea, he was placed under probation for three years. In addition, he was required to attend a first-offender driving under the influence class and pay a $1,000 fine.

Reports said he was saved from jail time because of his participation in a 30-day in-patient drug-treatment program.

Parents Learn How to Properly Install Child Safety Seats

Child seats can save a child’s life in the event of an accident. However, it might not properly function if it was not correctly installed in the vehicle.

To prevent injuries caused by incorrectly installed car seats, parents were taught how to use them properly by eight certified car seat technicians who were provided by the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

Reports said this free car seat installation training was a part of the Buena Park Child Car Safety event.

The event was hosted by State Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, the National Latino Peace Officers Association of Orange County, the city of Buena Park, CHP, and MOMS Orange County.

Nearly 60 booster, convertible, and infant car seats were also given away for free to families in Buena Park that have low-income. Some people were given a car safety seat because they did not own one while others received it in exchange of their old one.

According to reports, all parents were asked to join the car seat installation training and they were also provided with important information regarding child safety.

 

Speeding Driver Dies after Falling Over Embankment

Speeding is strictly prohibited by the law because it can cause a driver to lose control of the vehicle. True enough, a speeding 68-year-old male driver, from San Mateo, recently died after his vehicle fell down an embankment in Danville.

Reports stated that Steven Medell’s 1984 Cadillac El Dorado veered across three lanes of southbound Interstate 680, north of Crow Canyon Road, before it fell over.

According to authorities, the vehicle was found around 50 feet off the roadway, wedged between a soundwall and couple of trees.

Mendell was still inside the vehicle when it was found. He was rushed to San Ramon Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Witnesses said the Cadillac was moving at a speed of 75 mph when the accident occurred.

Speeding is an unlawful action that drivers can easily avoid. It is just a matter of exercising self discipline and respecting traffic rules. In addition, they can avoid feeling the urge to do it if they will allot more time on the roads and plan their trips ahead of time.

Suspected DUI Driver Involved in Two Crashes in One Night

A suspected drunken driver has been arrested after he was involved in two accidents in just one night.

According to reports, the GMC Sierra 1500 pickup that is being driven by Jason Ljepava, 35, from Concord, smashed into a parked vehicle before hitting a fence along Minert Road and Brittany Lane in Concord.

He was not injured in the first crash, thus enabling him to continue driving without thinking about the damages that he have caused.

Ljepava was then involved in a second crash along Lyons Circle, which is a half-mile away from the area where the first accident happened.

A witness stated that Ljepava’s pickup ran over a fence and a number of trees before he crashed into the corner of a house.

Reports said the driver was rushed to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek to receive treatment for moderate injuries. He was then arrested by the authorities on the suspicion of DUI. 

He may be required to spend time in jail and pay fines if it was proven that he committed a DUI violation. Hopefully, his arrest, the injuries he sustained, and the punishment that he might face will remind him of the effects of drinking too much alcohol before driving.

Driver Dies after Head-on Collision with Big Rig

Head-on collisions can result in severe injuries or deaths, especially if the drivers involved in it were moving at an excessive speed. In fact, statistics revealed that collisions caused by over speeding account for around 10.1% of all fatal accidents in the U.S.

A woman was recently killed after her car suddenly collided head-on with a big rig truck along Road 80 northwest of Visalia.

According to reports, the woman was traveling southbound when her 1998 Toyota moved across the center line and crashed into a northbound big rig.

The unidentified woman was announced dead. Meanwhile, the big rig driver who was identified as Randall Hifner, 60, from Visalia, left the scene unharmed.

Reports said the area was closed for around 2 ½ hours after the fatal accident.

Avoiding the occurrence of a head-on collision may just be a matter of driving cautiously. In addition, it can be prevented if drivers will be more careful when they overtake other vehicles. 

Drunk Driver Injures Three, Splits Car

No one should ever risk their safety by driving under the influence of alcohol. It affects one’s judgment and provides a feeling of invincibility which can make you do stupid things like going in a freeway at a very high speed.

Just like what a driver recently did in San Diego.

An accident has recently sent three people to a hospital with moderate injuries after the driver crashed into the center divider.The Dodge Neon that the four was riding along the southbound lanes of state Route15 was split in half after the driver lost control and hit the road fixture. The vehicle was split and some of its debris scattered across the highway.

Authorities said that the vehicle was travelling at a high speed and they have a reason to believe that alcohol was a factor in the accident.

Accidents like this could result to more serious injuries or even death. Luckily, all the occupants survived and, hopefully, their first-hand experience in a drunk-driving accident will teach them never to drink and drive.