San Diego Accident Blog

Accident Involving ‘Desperate Housewives’ Star And Cyclist

jake — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:00:38 +0000

Today’s streets are not made for the urban cyclist. They are dangerous and put cyclists in the position to get hurt in serious bicycle accidents.

TMZ reports that Shawn Pyfrom, star of television’s “Desperate Housewives”, crashed into a senior biker with his vehicle in a particularly bad car accident in Los Angeles, California. Currently, the severity of the biker’s personal injuries are unknown.

Shawn Pyfrom, TV star, hit a cyclist while riding through Los Angeles (Souce: TMZ)

Our firm’s San Diego car accident lawyers feel that you cannot ride a bike on today’s streets without putting yourself in a position to receive a catastrophic injury or lose your life in a wrongful death accident. This is not the good ol’ days where you could ride your bike in the middle of the street — now it means life or death.

While driving around the San Fernando Valley, Pyfrom crashed into the elderly biker, who was going the wrong way and turned into the path of Pyfrom’s vehicle all of a sudden. When the actor got out of the car to help, he saw that the biker was on the ground and covered in blood.

Pyfrom attempted to administered help to the biker until the paramedics transported him to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. At the moment, neither Pyfrom, nor the biker have been cited for being at fault for the accident.

Our car accident lawyers in San Diego know that when you ride a bike on the road with cars and trucks, there is the strong possibility that you can get hit and it can be life threatening. If you are cycling on city streets with busy traffic, remember to go with the flow of traffic, signal to let drivers know which direction you are going, and of course, always wear your helmet.

If you or a loved one were injured in an automobile accident you didn’t cause, then we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible at 1-800-655-6585 or please click here for a FREE consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in San Diego. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.

Accident Involving ‘Desperate Housewives’ Star And Cyclist is a post from: Personal Injury Accident Blog

Floatopia Loophole Still Makes DUI Car Accidents Possible

adio — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:00:48 +0000

Back in 2004, a group of students at the University of California Santa Barbara started something called “Floatopia” as a way to party and drink on California beaches. The amount of people that attend Floatopia in Santa Barbara has risen every year (2009 had 12,000 attendees).

Students and other citizens in San Diego who are not allowed to drink at the beach due to a November 2008 ban have used this idea as a loophole in the current law. Since the ban doesn’t apply to the water, thousands of people still drink near the beach, just not ON the beach. No matter what, it makes drunk driving car accidents possible for everyone trying to enjoy the sun and surf.

Our car accident attorneys in San Diego know that the alcohol ban was done in an effort to lower the amount of problems at San Diego beaches. A riot that broke out involving hundreds of people during Labor Day Weekend 2008 prompted the ban later that year.

Not only did the ban lower the amount of citations for “drunk in public”, but fewer drunk driving tickets were issued as well. Beaches in San Diego are great places to have fun, but it is important to be careful however you’re doing it. Laws are in place for a reason, and if it prevents car accidents caused by drunk driving, then how can it be seen as a bad thing?

Floatopia, which is held in San Diego near Fanuel Street Park in Pacific Beach, has gained popularity, and one page on Facebook displays that over 8,800 people are planning to attend. The event has become so popular, in fact, there are now corporate sponsors.

A spokesman for Councilman Kevin Faulconer, who spearheaded the alcohol ban, said the event is something Faulconer is keeping on his radar, but it isn’t like the widespread problem that was corrected by the ban. The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) and Lifeguard Service already plan to increase staff around Fanuel Street Park to deal with any public drunkenness and provide extra safety for the public.

Our car accident lawyers in San Diego believe that laws weren’t meant to be broken. Opponents of the ban have said that the ban takes away their rights, but the ban was voted on and passed. Apparently, more people thought drinking on the beach wasn’t a serious sacrifice. Events like Floatopia hopefully won’t create too many problems, and the police and lifeguards should be ready to handle any situations.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced San Diego car accident attorney and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case. No fee if no recovery.

Floatopia Loophole Still Makes DUI Car Accidents Possible is a post from: Personal Injury Accident Blog

Rollover Accident Causes Marine’s Wrongful Death

adio — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:00:12 +0000

Soldiers are accustomed to putting their life on the line for the country they love, so when they are home enjoying the freedom they fight for, it’s unfortunate when they’re killed by something that has nothing to do with the battlefield.

For one soldier, the simple act of driving on the road caused his death. A rollover crash in Mira Mesa led to the wrongful death of a 21-year-old Marine just after 10:30 p.m. on the night of March 19, 2010 as reported by San Diego News 6.

A 21-year-old Marine was killed as a result of this rollover accident in the Mira Mesa section of San Diego. (SOURCE: San Diego 6)

Our firm’s San Diego car accident lawyers cannot compare fighting on the roads with fighting in a foreign land defending the United States. Deaths of soldiers are always tragic no matter what causes it. Rollover car accidents are even more deadly because of the possibility that the roof will put too much pressure on the head, neck and spinal cord, which can easily cause permanent injuries like paralysis or lead to wrongful death.

The Mazda sedan that the Marine was driving went off the road at Carroll Canyon Road and Camino Ruiz after crashing into a guardrail. The car then landed on its roof after rolling about 30 feet into a ravine.

Both people in the Mazda were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment where the Marine, who was the passenger, died. The Marine, whose name has not been released yet, was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Our car accident attorneys in San Diego want to remind all drivers to be careful out on the roads. No matter what you do for a living as a day job, be it saving the country or doing the regular 9-to-5 thing, drive carefully while you’re traveling. You never know what’s going to happen.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced San Diego car accident lawyer and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case. No fee if no recovery.

Rollover Accident Causes Marine’s Wrongful Death is a post from: Personal Injury Accident Blog

Driver Loses Control Of Car, Crashes Into Garage

adio — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:00:39 +0000

Two elderly women were hurt yesterday March 16, 2010 when the car they were driving crashed into a garage in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego. At about 12:10 p.m., the driver lost control of the car and crashed after turning off Rosecrans Street onto McCall.

Personal injuries or wrongful death can be especially harmful to the very young and the very old. Elderly bodies, like younger ones, do not do well when it comes to dealing with high amounts of trauma, so it’s important for both of those age groups to be careful when it comes to being on the road.

Two elderly women were hurt yesterday when their car crashed into this garage. (SOURCE: Debbi Baker/Union-Tribune)

Our San Diego car accident lawyers know that sometimes automobile accidents like these can happen to elderly drivers. While they are often the most experienced drivers on the road, their strength wanes and their reflexes aren’t always as quick as they once were. That said, many senior drivers are fully capable of driving safely. Hopefully, that is still the case for the driver of this car.

Scott Maurer, the neighbor next door, was grilling on his patio when he heard the crash as he went inside. Maurer and other neighbors nearby ran outside to find both women sitting in the car after hearing the loud crash.

“I heard this loud explosion,” Maurer said. ”Everything shook.”

The passenger of the car was able to get out on her own, but firefighters had to help the driver get out. Both women were taken to a nearby hospital with unspecific serious conditions at this time. According to an account, they were coming home from the grocery store at the time of the crash, and authorities aren’t sure what caused the driver to lose control of the car.

Maurer said the owners of the damaged house weren’t home and said that if it weren’t for his neighbor’s garage, the woman driving the car would have been in his dining room.

Our car accident attorneys in Point Loma believe that everyone needs to be careful when they are on the roads driving. Some people believe that you shouldn’t be allowed to drive once you hit a certain age, but our car accident lawyers don’t agree. Accidents like these happen, and that’s no reason to condemn an entire class of citizens. All drivers need to do their part to prevent automobile accidents.

Please contact us for a FREE consultation with an experienced San Diego car accident attorney — we speak both English and Spanish — at (800) 655-6585. Click here and you may also submit your case for a Free Review.

Driver Loses Control Of Car, Crashes Into Garage is a post from: Personal Injury Accident Blog

Your Car May Know Who Is At Fault For An Auto Accident

jake — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:59 +0000

The black box is something that gets a lot of attention when a plane crashes because it is the device that records everything that happened on the plane prior to the accident. However, now they are being implemented in cars to show everything from design defects to driver speeds before the impact.

National Public Radio (NPR) reports that emergency data recorders or EDRs are being used more and more to find out what happened during a car accident. Lately, with all the attention that Toyota Motor Corp.’s has getting over accelerator problems, ERD information might hold the key to the reason why a crash occurred.

Car blackboxes are being used to find out who is at fault for a car accident (Source: National Public Radio)

Our firm’s San Diego auto accident attorneys believe that any information about why a car accident occurred is a good thing to have, especially in the event that it could help solve the case of a wrongful death. When manufacturers and investigators find out why an accident happened so they can prevent future ones from unfolding in the same manner.

It can also give some insight as to who was in fault during an accident, you or another driver.

Courts have seen the use of EDRs go up in recent years. A judge in Florida denied an attorney’s request to have EDR information admitted as evidence against his client in drunk driving accident (DUI) case. Because that data was admissable, it became a key element to convicting the drunk driver of killing two people due to his reckless driving.

Unlike the black boxes found on planes, a car’s EDR is not a series of chips and sensors that collect information all over the vehicle, downloading everything up to five or six seconds prior to an accident on a hard disk. For cases like the runaway Toyota Prius on San Diego’s Interstate-8 freeway, this information can be used to find out if the driver made a mistake or the car malfunctioned.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked for a rule in 2006 that would require the majority of vehicles to install ERDs and all models made after 2013 would have a mandatory initiative to collect 15 different types of data.

The auto accident attorneys in our San Diego firm think that while EDRs cannot be expected to put a stop to all accidents, they can find out the reason why a crash occurred so that measurers can be taken to prevent similiar accidents in the future.

Your Car May Know Who Is At Fault For An Auto Accident is a post from: Personal Injury Accident Blog

Government Orders Recall Of Over 1 Million High Chairs

adio — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:33 +0000

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a voluntary recall involving Atlanta’s Graco Children’s Products, Inc., a prominent maker of children’s and baby products. About 1.2 million high chairs have been recalled due to a potential fall hazard.

Certain parts of the Graco Harmony-MT can become loose and cause the chair to fall over. These dangerous tip overs have resulted in over 20 reports of children’s injuries ranging from bumps and bruises in some children to a hairline arm fracture in another. The government issued the recall to prevent any further children’s injuries as reported by the Associated Press.

Government officials with the CPSC issued a voluntary recall of the Graco Harmony-TM highchair. Fall hazards have led to at least 20 accidents where children's injuries occurred. (SOURCE: www.gracobaby.com)

Our personal injury lawyers in San Diego know every product could have a potential design flaw. Ideas for consumer products may be thought to be designed without problems, but it only takes one accident to expose a flaw. When it comes to children’s injuries, that one accident can cause serious injuries because of high levels of trauma that children’s bodies can’t handle like adults can.

The CPSC investigated the design of the high chair and found that screws holding the front legs of the high chair can become loose and fall out. Plastic brackets can then crack and cause the chair to tip over unexpectedly causing injury. Consumers who already own those chairs were advised to stop using the chairs immediately.

A statement released by the Graco company stated that “In the case of Harmony, we have worked closely with the CPSC to identify and provide an appropriate fix. We are confident that we have come up with a solution that will improve the performance of this chair.”

Our personal injury attorneys in San Diego hope Graco is right when they have found their solution. There are millions of babies in the United States, so the products that are made specifically for them need to be designed and constructed in the best ways to prevent children’s injuries.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced San Diego personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case. No fee if no recovery.

Government Orders Recall Of Over 1 Million High Chairs is a post from: Personal Injury Accident Blog

Grandpa Personally Injures Toddler By Backing Out Car

jake — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:12 +0000

At Serious Accident, we usually advocate for less technology in cars so that driver distractions occur less often. But in the case of back-bumper sensors and cameras, there might be good cause for installing them.

That’s what experts are saying after a Mountain View man personally injured his grandson by backing up his SUV out of the driveway and hitting the 18-month old boy, reports San Diego 6 News. The man claims to never have seen his grandson, who managed to unlock his grandparents front door and darted behind the SUV before the pedestrian accident.

Man backing up his car accidentally hit his 18-month-old grandson who darted behind the car. (Source: San Diego CW 6)

Our firm’s San Diego car accident attorneys have experience with children’s injuries in cases such as these and we are happy to say that it looks like the boy only has some minor bruising. That being said, catastrophic injuries and the deaths of children are often the result of pedestrian accidents like this one.

The young child was rushed to Rady’s Children Hospital for medical treatment of his bruises and minor scratching. The family, who has only identified the boy as Damian, wants others to learn from this near-fatal pedestrian accident that dangers lurks backing up out of your driveway.

San Diego 6 News suggests that to prevent these types of personal injuries and pedestrian accidents, you should install rear bumper cameras and sensors that can detect if an object or person is within four yards of the rear of your vehicle. When something does cross its path, a loud noise, as well as a camera feed directly to the dashboard, will let the driver know to stop.

Every other week in the United States, 50 children get backed over by cars pulling out of driveways, according to a report by KidsAndCars.org. Of those hit every week, two of those children die as a result of their injuries.

While our stance remains firm on less technology in the car, our car accident lawyers in San Diego are willing to make an exception for this type of technology. It can help prevent children’s injuries and fatalities of young children who might not know to not run behind a vehicle that’s about to back out — who can argue with saving lives and preventing pedestrian accidents?

If you or a loved one were injured in an automobile accident you didn’t cause, then we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible at 1-800-655-6585 or please click here for a FREE consultation with an experienced car accident attorney in San Diego. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.

Grandpa Personally Injures Toddler By Backing Out Car is a post from: Personal Injury Accident Blog

Baby Slings Warned By CPSC Amid Wrongful Deaths

adio — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:00:09 +0000

A Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) investigation found at least 13 wrongful deaths have been a result of sling-style infant carriers in the last 20 years. Another case involving a wrongful death is still being investigated, and the CPSC determined that 12 of the 13 wrongful deaths were with babies younger than four months old.

Parents and caregivers are advised to be careful when they use infant slings for babies younger than four months because many of the babies who died in the slings were either a low birth weight twin, had a cold or were born prematurely.

The Infantino SlingRider is one of many different types of baby slings that the CPSC has warned against because of suffocation and strangulation hazards. (SOURCE: www.infantino.com)

Our personal injury lawyers believe companies who make products for children need to be especially careful when designing their products. Children’s injuries can be even more potentially dangerous because children (young infants, especially) still have developing bodies that cannot handle large amounts of trauma.

In the CPSC’s warning, suffocation hazards present in two different ways:

A sling’s fabric can press on a baby’s nose and mouth, which blocks the baby’s breathing and suffocating a baby within about two minutes.

Babies cradled in a curved position nestled below the parent’s chest or near the belly can be vulnerable due to their weak necks. A baby’s head can fall forward causing the baby’s face to be pushed into the parent’s body causing suffocation.

The baby slings are made of soft fabrics that wrap around the chest so that parents on-the-go can carry their kids. Slings have also been promoted by baby experts as a way to keep babies calm or for nursing mothers who want to breast feed.

Of all the slings, the “SlingRider” by Infantino has been criticized the most because of its curved position. The SlingRider was linked to the wrongful death of one-week old Derrik Fowler in Oregon and was recalled in 2007 because of problems with the plastic sliders on the sling’s strap.

Our San Diego personal injury attorneys urge companies to be more careful when it comes to making products that are for children and infants. If there is a potential suffocation or strangulation hazard, companies may want to reconsider their design to prevent them from happening.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced personal injury attorney in San Diego and find out how we can help you. We look forward to providing advice for your case.

Baby Slings Warned By CPSC Amid Wrongful Deaths is a post from: Personal Injury Accident Blog

Driver Distractions In Police Cars And Ambulances

jake — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:00:25 +0000

Police and emergency medical teams (EMTs) require a certain level of information to be provided for them quickly and conveniently to do their jobs. And with computers in their vehicles, isn’t there a level of distracted driving that comes with having this technology on their dashboards?

That’s the idea that a NY Times article explored regarding the number of car accidents with police vehicles and ambulances due to drivers checking on-board computers rather than paying attention to the road. They need the technology to save lives and prevent wrongful deaths, but how can they look at a computer and drive at the same time?

Emergency vehicles have on-board computers, but are they helping or causing car accidents with distracted drivers? (Source: NY Times)

Our San Diego auto accident attorneys want to make sure that the emergency teams who respond to personal injuries don’t end up causing them in route to the accident or when they return to the hospital for medical treatment. These are human beings, who can make mistakes out on the road just like any one, but what good is an ambulance to those injured in a car accident if the EMTs are injured in route due to distracted driving?

With 75% of police cruisers having computer equipment in the drivers seat and 30% of ambulances equipped in the same way, auto accidents are bound to happen. It is a double-edged sword: these emergency responders need to look up information — such as various types of medicines or license plates of reckless drivers — in order to do their job.

Everyone agrees, however, that there must be a balance so that accidents are prevented with these vehicles. New York City’s largest ambulance system is controlled via the New York Fire Department and has mandated that on-board computers not be used by drivers in traffic — the partner in the ambulance is authorized to use it then. Unfortunately, if the passenger EMT is in the back with a patient, then only the driver can use it. Distracted driver alert!

Our auto accident attorneys mainly want clearly defined laws about when, where, and how drivers of police vehicles and ambulances are able to use their on-board computers. At least then, we’ll know what’s legal and not. We must find the right balance of usage, right?

If you or a loved one have been involved in an automobile accident, we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible following the accident at 1-800-655-6585 or please click here for a FREE consultation with an experienced San Diego auto accident attorney. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.

YOUR TAKE

Do you believe the risks outweigh the benefits (or vice-versa) for the possibility of driver distractions caused by on-board computer usage in emergency response vehicles?

Driver Distractions In Police Cars And Ambulances is a post from: Personal Injury Accident Blog

Honda Recalls 400,000 Vehicles With Brake Issue

adio — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:00:37 +0000

Over 400,000 Honda Odyssey minivans and Honda Element trucks will be recalled. A potential problem in the braking system can make it harder to stop a vehicle if it isn’t repaired. This auto recall is associated with 344,000 Odyssey models and 68,000 Element models from the 2007 and 2008 model years.

“It’s definitely not operating the way it should, and it’s safety systems, so it brings us to the recall status,” said Honda spokesman Chris Martin.

Honda Motor Corp. issued a recall of over 400,000 Odyssey minivans and Element trucks due to a potential problem with the brake system. (SOURCE: USA Today)

Our car accident attorneys have blogged about several auto recalls lately with car companies correcting design defects. Two recalls have been already issued by Toyota: one to correct the gas pedal in almost 4 million cars and another to correct the brakes in the Prius hybrid.

This auto recall isn’t be Honda’s first in 2010, either. Back in January, Honda recalled about 370,000 Accord, Civic, CR-V, Odyssey and Acura TL automobiles because of faulty airbags. American confidence in Japanese cars has been wavering this year, and another recall is the last thing Japanese investors needs.

These recalled Honda models are equipped with a vehicle stability assist modulator that selectively brakes all of the wheels to help prevent rollover accidents. When the car starts, that system tests itself by permitting a small amount of air into the hydraulic brake lines. Over time, an air bubble in the line could cause a loss of braking power making it necessary to push the pedal in further to stop the car.

A Honda statement issued said that all vehicles aren’t affected by that, but they are recalling all possible automobiles to make sure. Letters advising consumers of the recall should be going out near the end of April. After April 19, Honda owners can determine if their recalls are being recalled by going to the Honda recall Web site or by calling (800) 999-1009 and selecting option number four.

Our car accident lawyers in San Diego understand that there will always be cars with defects of some kind that can cause accidents. After all, cars are complex machines and anything, from initial design to human error, can one day lead to a recall. Hopefully, these problems can be corrected before car accidents happen.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a FREE consultation with an experienced San Diego car accident attorney and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case.

Honda Recalls 400,000 Vehicles With Brake Issue is a post from: Personal Injury Accident Blog