Articles Posted in Car Accidents

Another bizarre car accident occurred this week, this time in Burbank, CA, a city near Sacramento’s strange sister to the south, Los Angeles.

On Monday, March 24, an elderly woman drove her vehicle into a post office, injuring three people, including herself. Apparently, according to the Los Angeles Times, the woman mistook her gas pedal for her brake. The Times states:

“Typically, that’s what happens in these cases,” Sanchez said. “It was an accident. There was no mechanical failure and no intent to cause harm.”

A man caused a four car collision on Highway 20 in Grass Valley, CA, a rural town north of Sacramento, on Thursday, March 13. Steve Poston, 55, of Smartville, apparently weaved and swerved through the morning traffic scattered along the highway, reaching speeds of 80 miles per hour, despite a heavy fog that blanketed the road and reduced visibility to only 200 to 300 hundred feet.

According to witnesses and California Highway Patrol Officer, Dina Hernandez, the officer who reported to the scene, Poston lost control of his silver Dodge pickup and sideswiped the white Ford 250 of James Klauer, 42. Thus began the chaos. In the words of Hernandez, interviewed by TheUnion.com:

The ensuing wreck looked like a war zone,

A 44-year-old Rio Linda, California man died this past Saturday, March 8, 2008, while trying to help a young woman involved in a car accident.

Kaili Jackson, a 20 year old woman from Sacramento, CA, was driving southbound on SR-99 when she drove her Toyota Tundra into the center median and the vehicle rolled over. News10.net reports:

Witnesses said 44-year-old Guy Pierce of Rio Linda stopped on the righthand shoulder and walked across the lanes and checked on the condition of the occupants in the Tundra.

Outside our Sacramento home, in Dixon, CA, a boy was hit by a car as he was crossing Highway 113. The boy, 12 years old, was crossing the highway after leaving his school, Neighborhood Christian. According to reports, the boy was unable to see oncoming traffic because of a parked big-rig truck. Venturing into the road, a car traveling southbound struck him.

The boy was taken by ambulance to U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and was treated for a broken ankle and a possible perforated bowel.

The town of Dixon is in the beginning stages of moving the highway out of downtown. Having it in the center of town poses many risks. Neighborhood Christian School is a prime example of the dangers involved in having a highway nearby, as many students have to cross it to and from school. In addition, reports state that the only way to cross the highway from the school is through a marked crosswalk with no stop sign or signal to provide more safety for the students.

A horrific accident occurred last Sunday just southeast of our Sacramento home in Santa Barbara County Around 2:15 in the morning a man was driving a 2002 Chevrolet Camaro with two female passengers at high speeds. As he took a turn, he lost control of his car, sending it hurtling through a freeway overpass. The Camaro and its passengers fell 40 feet off the overpass onto another freeway, Highway 101.

The car landed on its passenger side with its roof facing oncoming traffic. Immediately, a family of five in a Honda sedan collided with the camaro. The two women passengers were then ejected from the car, dying at the scene. The driver was severely injured. Luckily, the family of five (two adults and three children) left the scene with minor injuries.

Police officers state that the driver of the Camaro’s BAC was way over the legal limits. It is amazing to know that people still drink and drive even with the news stories, all the statistics, and the grave consequences that can occur as result. Studies from the NHTSA show that a driver is 11 times more likely to be involved in a fatal caar crash with a blood alcohol content between .05 and .09. You can only imagine how the stakes rise when greater amounts of alcohol are involved.

Three high school students were involved in a fatal car accident south of our Sacramento home in Rancho Mirage, California. The three students had only just begun their senior year at a private high school, Palm Valley High. The accident occurred about 10 minutes after the students finished school when the driver, 17-year old Tabitha Loftis, lost control of the car and crashed into a tree.

Tabitha, along with the two other students, both 17-year old males, were pronounced dead at the scene. One thing that touched me deeply about this article was the reaction described by the students. The article reported that the school closed for the following day after the crash, but 80% of the students went to school to either talk to grief counselors or seek each other’s comfort. These three students were dearly loved.

These types of accidents, which involve people so young, are incredibly tragic. It is such a devastation for someone to die so young. At our Personal Injury Law Office, we have seen the immense amount of sadness that follows an car accident of this kind. If a loved one has ever been in a tragic accident because of someone else’s negligence, please give me a call at the Law Offices of Moseley Collins, I am here to help.

It is one of the saddest things to lose a child. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be for a parent to cope with this grief. These thoughts shadowed my mind after reading an article on News 10, a Sacramento news station. The article was about two teenagers who were dramatically killed in a drunk-driving accident that could possibly have been avoided.

The accident occurred when the driver of the car, a 20-year old named Michael Dimitras, lost control of his car and slammed into a utility pole. Two passengers, Kendall Lui (18-years old) and Brian Haight (19-years old), were killed, while two other passengers, Colin White and Ryan Neal, suffered from serious injuries. Michael was charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving causing great bodily injury. He was sentenced to six years and 4 months in prison.

It is amazing how a moment can change your life forever. When tested, Michael’s BAC was at a 0.09. As a 20-year old, any BAC over .01 would have been illegal, however it is interesting to note that his reading was only .01 over the legal BAC for adults 21-years and older. Even this limit can alter a driver’s ability to react in time to dangerous situations and handle a motor vehicle in a safe manner. Therefore, serves as another piece of solid proof that you shouldn’t mix drinking and driving.

A country road tends to give people the feeling of safety at high speeds, especially if those people are teenagers. In many cases, that feeling sadly turns to be false. A car crash near our Sacramento home in Fresno, California put 2 teenagers in critical condition and one dead. My thoughts are with their families.

Police reports say that five teens were riding in a vehicle along a country road at speeds reaching up to 90 mph. Apparently, the car lost control and hit a tree, totaling the car. The two teens that are now in the hospital with critical conditions were not wearing their seatbelts and were ejected from the vehicle onto the ground. It is unknown if the fatal victim was also not wearing his seat belt or if alcohol or drugs played any part in all of it. Police says further information will be necessary before they can release any more information to the public.

Accidents such as this are so easily prevented by maintaining a safe speed and keeping seatbelts on. Talk to your own teens about the necessity of taking such measures, as it could save their life. Often, this type of prevention starts at home, and we seem to forget it.

I was reading an article in the newspaper today while having breakfast that reminded me of the dangers of the “blind spot” while driving. Not that far from our Sacramento home, a woman in San Ramon was the victim of a “blind spot” car crash when she lost control of her car in a fatal way.

The article tells of a 20-year old man driving his Suzuki Sidekick along the freeway. He merged to get in the slow lane without seeing the San Ramon woman, Cynthia Muson-Lim, driving in the lane next to his car. To avoid the Sidekick, Cynthia swerved off the freeway, completely losing conrtol of her car and hitting a tree. She died at the scene due to the violent collision.

The thing that amazed me more about this story was the fact that the young man not only did not realize the woman was there initially but even after the accident he was not aware of what had happened. He turned without making sure it was safe, and because of his lack of attention, a woman lost her life because of it. A witness actually followed him, lights flashing, to inform him of the crash. It’s not only tragic, it’s very disturbing.

I read an article in the news today in which the family of a girl killed in a car accident south of Sacramento is suing the city of Simi Valley, CA. The victim of the crash, Cynthia Scott, was traveling in the passenger seat with her boyfriend in October of 2005. Driving at high speeds, Cynthia’s boyfriend eventually lost control of the car and wound up smashing into a 3,500 lb. concrete block that was placed six feet from the side of the road.

The article continues on to state that Cynthia’s family is suing the city over the close proximity of these concrete blocks to the edge of the road and the matter should proceed to court. It is unclear on whether the case is strong enough to get Cynthia’s family the compensation they claim, however by pushing the matter before a judge it seems they have obtained at least one goal. Starting a public debate on the subject.

One of the most interesting points that I found in this case, is the fact that California State roads require about 30 feet of clear space next to roadways. The road of Cynthia’s crash was a city street, however, and therefore governed by city rules. In my opinion, however, thirty feet to six feet is a big difference when a car veers off the road in a dangerous situation. It’s now up to the court to reach its own decision.