Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

House Explosion Kills one and Injures five Sacramento Residents

January 6, 2009 | by Moseley Collins

Christmas Eve a house exploded in Rancho Cordova, right off Highway 50 between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. One elderly man was killed and five other people were injured. As a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer and a resident of this area, it is very alarming when a home mysteriously blows up, a home that could have easily been mine or a family members. To lose your home is a very tragic and difficult thing to have to deal with, I personally have had to go through a house fire explosion. Though ours was a complete mystery, there has been some speculation that this Rancho Cordova house explosion could of been the result of a gas leak.

According to CBS 13 News:

The explosion sent three victims to the University of California, Davis medical complex in Sacramento in critical condition.

Sacramento Man Kills “Client” in Illegal Chiropractic Session

December 23, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

A Sacramento man died last June from injuries he sustained during an illegal chiropractic session.

The 76 year old man and his wife visited the home of Antonio Arellano, 66 years old, out of which Arellano was operating an unlicensed chiropractic office.

reported:

Real Case: Man Rear Ended on Highway 50 in Sacramento

December 19, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

The following is an actual case fought and settled by Attorney Moseley Collins. It involved a man who was rear-ended on Highway 50 in Sacramento, CA. The names have been changed to protect the privacy of the involved parties.

Robert Brown was a healthy 38 year old man. He was an athletic man who, when not working at his full time job, enjoyed many outdoor activities, such as basketball, fishing, hiking, and camping. He had never had pain issues with his back or neck. Unfortunately for Mr. Brown, that was about to change.

What is Medical Malpractice?

December 19, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

“Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which care provided deviates from accepted standards of practice in the medical community and causes injury to the patient.” That is one definition (Wikipedia) of medical malpractice.

Here at the Law Office of Moseley Collins (Sacramento, California), we see and understand the personal suffering caused by medical malpractice.

We see the results of medical malpractice in the victims of medical malpractice. We see the victim’s suffering and the often overlooked victim’s family and the suffering of the victims loved ones.

Medical Malpractice in Grass Valley: It Happens

December 19, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

On Tuesday, Stephen Sheldon received notification that his medical license was suspended by the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. Sheldon practiced medicine in Grass Valley, a small community east of Sacramento, California.

He was convicted on fraud charges last month. He had been accused of endangering patients by injecting them with fake Botox.

Sheldon has been the target of several Healthline 3 investigative stories. His wife, who handled business affairs, was also convicted. For more information: see NEWS 3 KVBC news article (http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=9445604&nav=15MUCBSd), December 2, 2008.

Yes, unfortunately medical malpractice does happen and it is not always happening to the other guy. In this case, it seems that money took priority over health.

Here’s another example: “She put these women’s lives in serious danger”. Jury selection is set in Los Angeles for a woman accused of posing as a doctor and performing illegal abortions (more charges are also pending in San Diego).

Jury selection is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles on December 1 in the trial of Bertha Bugarin, longtime operator of Clinica Medica para la Mujer de Hoy, a chain of Southern California abortion clinics with the same or a similar name that for years targeted poor Hispanic women in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. Bugarin is charged with 18 felony counts of performing abortions without a medical license. If convicted, she faces more than 15 years in prison.

Rear Ended in Sacramento – What a Shocker!

December 15, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

Sitting at the light just like I did every day of the week on my ten mile commute to work, I started adjusting the radio. I was tired of the talk radio and looking for some “feel good” music when BAM! My car leaped forward like a rabbit and I automatically pressed the brake harder to stop it before I hit the cross traffic.

What a shocker! I had just been rear-ended and I had no clue. I felt like I had just dropped 10 floors in an out of control elevator and hit the bottom floor at full speed.

Now the traffic light turned green and cars on each side of me moved forward leaving me sitting there like a stranded ship. I pushed myself up from the steering wheel and looked in the rear view mirror. All I could see from my low sedan was my rear window full of an SUV grill. It looked enormous even though it was just a regular SUV.

Traffic was passing me like a rock in a stream as I checked my fingers to see if they worked. Everything seemed to be OK. I turned the rear view mirror towards me to see my face, which also looked OK. My nose was starting to throb and I could feel my heart beating.

I noticed the door made a new squeaking noise as I opened it and carefully stood up out of the car. I felt like I was getting out of bed after a bad nights sleep.

I slowly walked back to the SUV and all I could see through the windshield was air bags and a hand pressed against the driver’s window.

Sacramento Motorcycle Rider Loses Focus

December 15, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

I have been riding for years and I take pride in my rider skill level. I do all of the right stuff, all of the time. I wear a helmet. I maintain a buffer zone around me, never riding side by side with any cars and so on.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning as I rode along Auburn Boulevard here in Sacramento, California. This stretch of Auburn Boulevard is four lanes, two in each direction, posted speed limit 35 mph, and the road is tree lined residential with businesses and apartments dotting the roadside.

My Harley was running great; the air was warm and sweet with the summer smells of gardens and pine. I was in the left lane doing about 40 mph with a slower car on my right side in the slow lane. I had seen this car from about a half mile behind and it was riding along straight and true, no problem. I intended to just continue on past it and continue my ride.

Without warning, another can changed lanes from the slow lane into my lane. It was doing 50 or 55 mph and never hesitated as it roared into my right side.

The way accidents happen on a motorcycle is that they happen right now. I mean right now! You make a decision and go with it right now. Making no decision or a slow decision is not an option.

High Risk California Jobs: Linesman

December 12, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

You tend to not notice linesman working on telephone poles as it is a common sight, just part of the landscape here in Sacramento, California, as you drive by.

Most of today’s line work takes place out of a bucket truck or on ladders but there are still a lot of folks climbing poles to keep the utility systems running everyday.

It is a dangerous job. Interestingly, those linesmen who work at lower altitudes like telephone lines at 20 feet above the ground, have more falling accidents than their power line brothers who work at 40 feet and higher. The explanation is that the lower height linesmen become more careless and take more shortcuts to get the job done.

In any case, whenever any linesman falls, as soon as the lineman reports the accident to the supervisor (assuming they are not already in an emergency room) the linesman is sent off to see a doctor. Even when the linesman says they feel fine, no problems, the company insists on sending them to be checked by a doctor. They do this because they, the company, know that an expert opinion is absolutely necessary to ensure that no damage has been done to the employee. Most linesmen are not physicians and are not experienced enough to make the call.

Are these companies simply pro-employee or are they simply doing what is necessary to ensure employee productivity and avoid legal exposure? Most likely they are all of these things. Constructing and maintaining aerial utility lines are their business and they know what they need to do to be successful.

How to Avoid a Car Accident in Sacramento

December 12, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

Unless your name is Evil Knievel, you are probably a person who likes to avoid perilous situations while driving your car. Here are a few suggestions that might help:

1. Never drink and drive,
2. Don’t speak on your cell phone without a hands-free device,
3. Check your side-view and rear-view mirrors often, and

4. Avoid Watt Avenue.

While the first three suggestions are fairly common, if not well-followed by most drivers across the country, the fourth is probably new to you.

According to a report by Caltrans, called the “5 Percent Report,” Watt Avenue is among the most dangerous streets in California. The report is based upon the crash rates on half-mile segments of streets between 2004 and 2006. The study included local cities Folsom, Orangevale, Rancho Cordova, CItrus Heights, Carmichel, Roseville, Placerville, and others. The city of Sacramento is the second most crash-prone city in California, with nearly 100 high- accident “hot spots.” Of those one hundred hot spots, 9 are situated along Watt Avenue.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Watt is prone to car accidents because it is one of the few streets that not only crosses the American River but also connects Highway 50 and Interstate 80. The high number of streets that pour into it and the nearby popular Arden Fair mall doesn’t help either. For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.

California Highway Patrol’s Lizz Dutton commented to the Bee,

It’s an aggressive street. It’s so busy, and people are coming at you from every direction.

Nobody in Sacramento (or anywhere else) asks to get a Brain Injury

December 11, 2008 | by Moseley Collins

You will never see a “To-Do List” like this:

• Get laundry

• Pay bills