San Diego Injury Law Blog

A UCSD study has confirmed what all of us instinctively know - there is no amount of drinks (of the alcoholic kind) that can be considered safe when driving. The study examined data on 1.5 million fatal car accidents and revealed that alcohol was involved in approximately 34 percent of the accidents. The data allowed researchers to measure the number and severity of accidents involving alcohol starting with those found to have a .01 blood alcohol level. What the study found was not surprising: even drivers with a minimal amount of alcohol in their system are involved in more severe accidents than sober drivers. So-called “buzzed drivers tend to drive faster, are more likely to be improperly seat-belted and are more likely to be the striking vehicle in an accident when compared with non-drinking drivers."

“Accidents are 36.6 percent more severe even when alcohol was barely detectable in a driver’s blood,” researchers said. Even with a BAC of 0.01, there are 4.33 serious injuries for every non-serious injury versus 3.17 for sober drivers.

The study can be accessed by clicking here.

Source: San Diego Union Tribune

The San Diego County drunk driving accident lawyers at Walton Law Firm provide free consultations to individuals who have suffered injury or personal loss due to the negligence or recklessness of others, including cases of car accidents, motorcycle accidents, animal bites, defective road design, pedestrian injuries, worksite injuries, and wrongful death claims. Call (760) 571-5500 or (866) 607-1325 for a free and confidential consultation.

Two San Diego County teens suffered major personal injuries after separate auto accidents on Highway 76 in North County. Both accidents involve negligent drivers drifting into oncoming lanes, and neither accident was the fault of the injured teen. Remarkably, it appears that drugs or alcohol played no role in either crash.

The first accident occurred on April 20th. A 19-year-old Mira Costa College student was hit head on on her way to school at approximately 8:30 a.m. A late model Infiniti driving eastbound on Highway 78 crossed over into the westbound lane, striking the teen's car. The Jaws of Life were need to extract the victim from the car, and she was taken to Palomar Medical center where she underwent extensive surgery to repair a severely fractured right leg.

The other accident occurred on April 23rd, and involved a 19-year-old Conrad Murphy, a student at Valley Center High School. Murphy, a leader on the school's baseball team, was driving his pickup truck on Highway 76 on his way to baseball practice when he was hit head on by a Ford Ranger truck carrying pest control chemicals. The negligent driver told authorities on the scene that he inexplicably "lost control" of his truck, which probably means he was texting or otherwise distracted. Murphy suffered massive injuries and was also taken to Palomar Hospital.

According to his brother, a minor league baseball player, Murphy suffered "head trauma, a broken neck, a broken pelvis and a punctured lung." Hopefully the young man makes a full recovery and is back out on the baseball field before too long. The team played its Monday baseball game in Murphy's honor.

Continue reading "Two Teens Suffer Major Injuries in Separate Crashes on Highway 76" »

By all accounts Junethea Centeno was a popular girl with many friends and an active Facebook page. Sadly, the 18-year-old Palomar College student died last Tuesday after she lost control of her Honda Civic on northbound I-15 in Escondido and struck a concrete barrier where some roadwork was being performed. A memorial Facebook page has been set up with an astounding 25,000 followers.

Junethea's father, who was returning from Japan where he is stationed with the Navy at the time of his daughter's death, believes the death may have preventable. He told the North County Times that he believes the way the temporary concrete barrier was set up created a dangerous condition on the roadway, and that had it been set up correctly, Junethea's collision may have been far less severe. Her boyfriend visited the scene shortly after the crash told 10 News, "There were no orange drums, no cones, no reflectors, nothing like that."

Apparently CalTrans was contacted, but it has refused to comment on the condition of the road. In cases like this, the legal question is whether the construction zone and concrete barrier were set up in a way that created an unreasonably dangerous condition. If the answer to that question is Yes, then a lawsuit could be brought against CalTrans, and probably the construction crew doing the work, assuming it was being done by a separate third-party contractor under contract with CalTrans. Before a lawsuit can be filed, however, a governmental claim must first be made against CalTrans, and that claim must be denied.

Continue reading "Family Blames Freeway Design Flaw for Car Accident Death" »

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Rear-end auto accidents are by far and away the most common car accidents. And people tend to underestimate the harm they can cause, even if the impact is at a relatively low speed (think auto insurance companies). But yesterday afternoon a mother and her children were rear-ended in Vista on East Vista Way (at Barsby) and all the passengers were injured.

According to reports, the mother, 31, was hospitalized with what are being described as a broken leg and a knee injury after she was unable to stop her car and slammed into the back of a pickup truck stopped in front of her. Her 4 and 5-year-old daughters were in the car with her, and both suffered injuries, the younger one a fracture of her skull.

Police are still investigating the cause, and it's unclear if all the occupants were wearing seat belts at the time of the accident.

Continue reading "Local Mother and Children Injured in Rear-End Collision" »

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A two-year old lawsuit against the City of Carlsbad by a man who suffered brain injuries after a motorcycle accident on La Costa Avenue has settled his case for $2.9 million. In the lawsuit, plaintiff Frank Gaetani contended that conditions along La Costa Ave. were unreasonably dangerous, that the City of Carlsbad knew about, but failed to do anything about it. Carlsbad denied the allegations, stating that it could find no similar accidents like the one Gaetani suffered in the history of the road.

The accident was a serious one. Gaetani was riding his motorcycle near the 2700 block of La Costa Ave. near Calle Madero when he colloded with a large SUV being driven by a homeowner trying to exit her driveway. Gaetani suffered serious injuries, including permanent brain damage.

La Costa Avenue has been the subject of a long dispute between residents of the busy road and the City of Carlsbad. Residents have been lobbying for years to reduce the speed limit along the road, and Carlsbad has made some efforts to make the road safer. Because of development east of La Costa, the road has become a highly used artery for people trying to get to I-5.

Carlsbad says there will be several changes in the coming years to make the road even safer.

Source: North County Times

Continue reading "Carlsbad to Pay $2.9 Million Settle Motorcycle Accident Claim" »

No one was seriously injured after a spectacular crash on I-5 near Las Pulgas Road in Oceanside. An 83-year-old driver identified as Clarence Kinney was driving a Ford F-150 when he entered the northbound lanes of the free, but drove south. A quick thinking driver on the southbound side of the freeway noticed the man, and recorded the accident on his cell phone. It's pretty dramatic (link below).

It appears that Kinney doesn't even realize that he is on the wrong side of the freeway, and is just cruising at a high rate of speed. All of a sudden, he slams his truck into the concrete center divider, and caroms into oncoming lanes. The video ends there, but reports state that Kinney's truck was then t-boned by a Land Rover, which split his truck in half. The cab portion of Kinney's truck was then hit by a big rig truck, which itself lost control and crashed. A minivan also was involved.

Incredibly, no one suffered serious injuries. Kinney, who was battered like a pinball was taken to a hospital and reported to only have minor injuries. No else needed medical attention. It turns out Kinney was driving with a suspended license.

Source: Fox5SanDiego.com

The car accident and injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm represent individuals who have been injured in all types of accidents, including dog attacks / bites, auto accidents, worksite injuries, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call (760) 571-5500 or (866) 607-1325 for a free consultation.

Researchers from the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics a published a research paper which concludes that there is no statistical link between be the use of a cell phone while driving and car accidents.

“Using a wide array of data on crashes, ownership, cell phone plans, average call likelihood, as well as rare datasets of actual cell phone calls, we find no evidence that an exogenous rise in call volume, induced by the change in cellular prices, leads to an increase in crashes,” the researchers wrote in a paper published December 10, 2010." (Driving Under the (Cellular) Influence)

Much of the research was conducted by analyzing California cell phone use records and car accident data during peak usage times. If there was a correlation between use of the phones and crashes, the researchers posited, there should be an increase in accidents during those times of peak phone usage. There was not.

The researchers, of course, do not suggest that using a cell phone while driving is without dangers, and recommend that use of the phones be limited.

To read the entire research paper click here (.pdf)

Source: San Diego Union Tribune

The accident and injury lawyers at the Walton Law Firm represents individuals and families who have been impacted by all types of injury-producing incidents, including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, wrongful death claims, worksite injuries, elder abuse and neglect, sexual molestation, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call toll free at (866) 607-1325 or locally at (760) 571-5500 for a free and confidential consultation.

The California Office of Traffic Safety issued a report last week on 2009 car accident data, and included this year for the first time something called "collision rankings." These rankings a based upon data collected by the CHP and the Department of Transportation, which then compares cities with populations of 25,000 or greater.

According to the report, Carlsbad, Temecula, and Poway are some of the safest communities for drivers or cars and motorcycles, as well as pedestrians and bicyclists. In fact, Temecula is rated first in cities with a population of 100,000 to 250,000, and Carlsbad is ranked ninth. In the 50,000 to 100,000 range, Poway ranks fourth safest when compared to 104 similar cities. Escondido and Oceanside don't do as well. Escondido is ranked as the fifth worst and Oceanside the eighth worst.

Here's how the numbers breakdown. In 2009, Escondido had 844 injury or fatal accidents, Oceanside had 752, Carlsbad 350, and Temecula only 116. Cities like Encinitas, Murrieta, and San Marcos finished in the middle tier.

For motorcycle accidents, Lake Elsinore is the worst place to ride. In 2009 there were 12 fatal motorcycle accidents. Lake Elsinore also takes home the prize for most alcohol-related crashes. Murrieta ranks 18th worst in alcohol related accidents, but, oddly, is one of the safest cities for senior citizens to walk in.

Want to see how your city was ranked? Click here to read the entire report.

Source: NC Times

The personal injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm represents individuals and families who have been impacted by all types of injury-producing incidents, including auto accidents, wrongful death claims, worksite injuries, elder abuse and neglect, sexual molestation, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call toll free at (866) 607-1325 or locally at (760) 571-5500 for a free and confidential consultation.

A customer in a San Marcos 7-Eleven suffered serious injuries when a car driven by Teresa Petersen drove over the sidewalk, through the plate glass window of the storefront, and all the way through until it hit the back wall. She was going so fast that the rear masonry wall was damaged.

Carlos Gradilla, 31, was shipping in the store at the time and was hit by the car. Gradilla was seriously injured, and was taken to Palomar Hospital for what was suspected to be a skull fracture and internal injuries.

Authorities are unclear what caused the accident, and it didn't appear that Petersen was under the influence.

Here is news video footage from the crash:

Source 10News & NBC San Diego

The San Diego personal injury attorneys at Walton Law Firm represent individuals who have been injured in all types of accidents, including auto accidents, worksite injuries, nursing home neglect, food poisoning, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call toll free at (866) 607-1325 or local at (760) 571-5500 for a free and confidential consultation, or fill out an online inquiry.

Two Escondido men who hosted a party were charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor, who later lost control of her car and died in the ensuing accident.

San Diego prosecutors charged Michael Love and Nick Bowser with three misdemeanors each, all alleging that they unlawfully provided alcohol drinks to a minor. According to reports, Love and Bowser hosted a party of about 50 people, one of whom in attendance was 17-year-old Veronica Aguirre, a Poway High cheerleader. Aguirre left the party in her Kia Sportage and lost control on Mountain Meadow Road, rolling it several times. She died at the scene.

While it's unusually to see criminal charges in this type of case, the district attorney office felt it had to do something.

"This is a very tragic outcome and this is something that has to be dealt with," said D.A. Garett Wong. "Our office needs to make sure that someone is held accountable for that."

In addition to criminal charges, Love and Bowser both could be held civilly liable for wrongful death. Such a case could be brought by Aguirre's surviving family members. On the criminal side, the defendants face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Source: 10News.com

The accident and injury attorneys at Walton Law Firm represent individuals who have been injured in all types of accidents, including auto accidents, worksite injuries, nursing home neglect, food poisoning, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call toll free at (866) 607-1325 or locally at (760) 571-5500 for a free and confidential consultation, or fill out an online inquiry.

If you live in San Diego County, there are two certainties: death, and car accidents when it rains. The heavy rains of the last few days have contributed to hundreds of auto accidents, and yesterday in North County there were two dramatic ones.

First, in Carlsbad, two motorists had to be hospitalized after a serious accident on El Camino Real near Cannon. According to reports, yesterday in the late afternoon a van driving southbound on El Camino Real lost control and crossed over into the northbound lanes, driving into the path of a small pickup truck. The truck was spun around and hit by a SUV. The driver of the van, who was at fault for the accident, and the driver of the truck were both seriously injured in the accident, and taken to local hospitals.

The other serious accident occurred on Northbound I-15 when a big rig truck crashed onto of a small vehicle. This accident occurred at nearly the same time as the Carlsbad crash, and also caused injury. According to reports, the big rig lost control in the rain and jack-knifed in the rain, landing on top of a compact car. It spilled gravel across freeway lanes and caused a huge traffic jam. The driver of the small car suffered injuries.

Source: 10News.com

Based in San Diego's North County, the personal injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm represent individuals and families throughout San Diego County who have been impacted in all types of accidents, including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, construction accidents, and property injuries. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free consultation.

Caroline McElhaney would have been 53 years old in two weeks. The mother of three, grandmother of five won't see her next birthday because of the poor judgment of a negligent driver on Interstate 15 near the Ninth Avenue exit.

Yesterday during the morning commute, the southbound driver of a 1999 Dodge Ram was coming upon stopped traffic and quickly changed lanes only to have the cars ahead of him stop as well. According to unconfirmed reports, he was speeding at the time, and unable to stop his truck, which slammed into the back of Ms. McElhaney's Mercedes Benz, which in turn rear-ended the car ahead of it. In total there were five cars involve in the accident.

Paramedics transported four people, including McElhaney, to Palomar Medical Center. The three other victims were treated for minor injuries and released.

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Source: 10News.com

The accident and injury attorneys at Walton Law Firm represent individuals who have been injured in all types of accidents, including auto accidents, worksite injuries, nursing home neglect, food poisoning, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free and confidential consultation, or fill out an online inquiry.

The fireworks show at San Marcos' Bradley Park turned out to be a bit of a dud, and a painful dud at that, when an errant firework shot into a crowd of spectators and injured four people. Thankfully, the injuries don't sound serious, but one individual was taken to Palomar Hospital for treatment and apparently released.

It's unclear what caused the firework to shoot sideways instead of up, and the company Pyro Spectators of Rialto did not return calls from the North County Times.

The misfire occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. just as the crowd of about 4,000 was waiting for the grand finale. Those injured were all sitting near the caretaker's residence inside the park. According to city spokesperson Jenny Peterson, this is the first time in 25 years there was a mishap.

News of the incident was first publicized via Twitter by witnesses on the ground, including one person who promptly posted a video of incident. The video does show the actual misfire, but is audio of the aftermath, including the victim in what is obviously severe pain.

Source: North County Times

The accident and injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm represent individuals who have been injured in all types of incidents, including auto accidents, worksite injuries, nursing home neglect, food poisoning, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free and confidential consultation.

A Del Mar man was struck and killed Friday while trying to cross Centre City Parkway with a group of people. Escondido police said that 29-year-old Wesley Askins III died when he was struck at about 10:25 p.m. near the cross-street of Brotherton Road. Askins was thrown several yards by the collision, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The southbound driver who struck pulled over at the scene and cooperated with police officers. Police are reporting that the driver did not appear to be under the influence of any drugs or alcohol.

Anyone with information about the accident is encouraged to call Officer Mike Nelson at (760) 839-4407.

Source: SDNN.com

The San Diego County accident and injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm represent individuals who have been injured in all types of accidents, including auto accidents, worksite injuries, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free consultation.

Car accidents caused by the use of cell phones while driving is starting to show up in statistics. Dave Downey of the Californian has a column this morning about the dangers of driving at night. While the number of people dying in car accidents has been falling over the last decade, the number of deaths occurring at night has actually increased.

According to a study by the Texas Transportation Institute the percentage of auto accident fatalities occurring is on the increase, particularly among teenage drivers.

Back in 1999, the proportion of fatal crashes caused by drivers age 20 and up that occurred at night was 38.6 percent for the nation as a whole and 42.2 percent in California. Nine years later, those percentages had increased to 41.5 percent and 45 percent, respectively. When it came to fatal accidents caused by 16 to 19-year-olds, the proportion occurring at night increased from 45.1 percent nationwide in 1999 to 49.7 percent in 2008.

The question is Why?

According to Downey, who cites researchers, the rise in deadly crashes involving teens driving after dark is the use of the cell phone. More specifically, it's texting while driving. This is becoming a very serious problem, and justifiably getting the attention of public safety organizations, and even Oprah Winfrey, who has been very active in her "No Texting" campaign.

Source: The Californian

The North County accident and injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm represent individuals and families who have been impacted by personal injury accidents. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free and confidential consultation.

Tri-City Medical Center is probably in the news way more than it wants to be. For the last few years, the hospital has been the subject of much turmoil, from serious budget problems, to battles with unions, but it had hoped to move beyond all of that a year ago when it hired Larry Anderson as its CEO. Anderson had a track record of turning troubled hospitals around and making them profitable.

Last week, however, that all changed when Anderson was fired, then rehired in a 24-hour period. On Monday the board of directors voted 4-3 to oust Anderson, and then reversed itself the following day, allowing Anderson to stay on until August, when his job performance is scheduled to be reviewed.

Anderson spoke to the North County Times about the turmoil, and said his flirtation with unemployment was due to fundamental disagreements over recent business deals he has entered into on the hospital's behalf. One of those deals addresses how uninsured personal injury victims would be treated, and how the hospital could be compensated.

Personal injury lawyers throughout North County will tell you that it is not uncommon to have legitimate personal injury clients without medical insurance call for legal advice. It's a conundrum. These folks (most of them fully employed) have good cases, need non-emergent medical help, but have no insurance and no family doctor. Yet the insurance company of the negligent actor that caused the injury (auto insurance, homeowner's insurance, etc.), won't pay a claim until the injured party has completed medical treatment. What do most attorneys do? The either try to find a doctor that is willing to treat the client on a lien, or send them off to the emergency room.

This is where Anderson got it right, but where he has ruffled feathers. He entered a deal with a company called Medical Acquisitions Corp., which will underwrite the medical expenses of individuals with valid personal injury claims, then, when the case resolves and the victim is compensated, the cost of medical care will be reimbursed to the hospital. This is a way to recoup costs for treatment that would otherwise have been provided to a patient without any ability to pay. Tri-City hospital provides about $20 million in care to individuals who are uninsured. A certain percentage of those are accident victims who arrive at the hospital without insurance, but who the hospital will provide care. This program at least provides a chance that the hospital will get compensated for some of the care.

Board member Ron Mitchell, without explanation, thinks it’s not "ethical" for a community hospital to be in "this type of business." But Anderson sees a way for his hospital to get compensated. Regardless of what one thinks of personal injury claimants (and, ahem, their attorneys), this is simply smart business.

Source: North County Times

The North County accident and injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm represent individuals who have been injured in all types of accidents, including auto accidents, worksite injuries, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free consultation.

Fatal motorcycle accidents fell by 16 percent in the first nine months of 2009 after rising steadily for the previous decade, a report just issued by the Governors Highway Safety Association found. The reasons for the sudden plunge in motorcycle deaths are unclear, but there was some speculation that current economic conditions were keeping motorcyclists off the road. Indeed, new motorcycles sales were down 42% in 2009.

But the decline in deaths is obviously good news. Professor Samir Ahmed, who studies the causes of motorcycle accidents at Oklahoma State University, was stumped as to the cause of the decline. He told the Washington Post, "It's good news that fatalities are decreasing, but I really don't have a clue as to why. I really don't see anything that would cause that, unless people are just not riding."

In addition, motorcycle riding has changed dramatically over the decades. It boomed in the years after World War II, when it was primarily popularized soldiers coming home from the war, but over the years the age of the average rider has risen dramatically. In 1987, the average age of a rider was 27, but by 2004 the average age was 41. Statistics from 1975 show that the riders under 50 years old accounted for 97% of all motorcycle accident deaths, whereas now more than 28% of all deaths are riders over 50.

Source: Washington Post

The Walton Law Firm represent accident victims throughout San Diego County and has recovered millions of dollars for individuals involved car accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian injuries, uninsured motorist claims, defective products, construction accidents, slip and fall injuries, dog bites, insurance disputes, and medical malpractice suits. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free consultation.

The San Diego Union Tribune is out with a story today about the risks elderly drivers pose behind the wheel, and the problem of "pedal misapplication." What is pedal misapplication? An innocuous way of describing what happens when a driver accidentally hits the gas when they think they are applying the brakes.

In the article there are several accounts of San Diego accidents caused by elderly drivers, several of them fatal (and a few covered in this blog). Although pedal misapplication can happen with a driver of any age, the evidence suggests that it is mostly elderly drivers that are the cause.

“I get these cases maybe one week, and three the next week,” said San Diego police Detective Dan Wall. “They’re usually hitting several cars or several people, dealing with very rapid acceleration, flying through the back side of a garage, driving through the front of a post office, a bank, a convenience store, a restaurant, a fast-food store.”

At the Sharp Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Center’s Driving Performance Lab elderly drivers are tested for the driving acuity, and frequently have problems. Dr. Peter Rosen, the director of the center told the Union Tribune that it’s common for the elderly to confuse the pedals.

“As we get older, our neurological processes slow down. Our vision and reaction time slow down,” he said. “The conduction rate at which neurons fire slows, so that our brain function slows. Brain function determines driver fitness — that is 99 percent of it.”

What to do about the problem. There is an effort to change law, and require elderly drivers to obtain annual certifications to continue driving.

Click here to read the entire Union Tribune story.

The accident and injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm represent individuals who have been injured in all types of accidents, including dog attacks / bites, auto accidents, worksite injuries, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free consultation.

SANDAG officials will tell you that Highway 67 is not the most dangerous highway in San Diego County. In fact, the windy, mostly two-laned road from Lakeside to Ramona ranks 17th in priority of roads in the county in need of improvements according to SANDAG. Tell that to the numerous individuals who have been seriously injured on the road, or who, as stated by the San Diego Union Tribune, "completed their trips in a hearse."

In 2007, Supervisor Diane Jacob called a transportation summit to address concerns about the road. There were 46 recorded deaths on the road from 1998 to 2008, and in the last decade, there have been numerous lawsuits against the State of California for defects in the road. Those lawsuits argued, many successfully, that the road constitutes a "dangerous condition" and that state must address.

Attorney Ben Bunn has represented many families in cases involving the 67, and he'll tell you first hand how dangerous the road is. In a letter published by the San Diego Union Tribune last year, Bunn argued strongly that the road is unreasonably dangerous, that the fatality rates exceed the state average, and that the many injuries and deaths on the road are preventable with some alterations to the road. (Read it here .pdf)

The San Diego Union Tribune has also weighed in. It ran a series of editorials critical of SANDAG and the slow government response to the obviously risky road. The UT editorials followed a high profile incident where a young mother, Alexandria Drake, was killed in March of 2009. But while the attention has subsided, the injuries and deaths continue. (Just Google "Highway 67 Accident.") The most recent being Bridgette Hale a young mother who died on the road in January when a driver fell asleep and drifted into oncoming lanes. And more recently, a head-on crash that occurred yesterday, injuring three people.

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Until there are major changes to the road, there are going to be very serious automobile accidents, and more innocent lives lost.

The accident and injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm represent individuals and families who have been impacted by personal injury accidents, including auto accidents, worksite injuries, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free consultation.

The number of local Marines killed while riding motorcycles decreased for the first time in three years. The decrease is the result of new safety classes made available to Marines at Camp Pendleton and Miramar Air Force Base. In particular, the Marines are targeting those who ride sport bikes which are lightweight, powerful and popular with younger riders. The course teaches practical skills and mental training according to Richard Stampp, who works with Camp Fox Professional Services which designed and delivers the new course. The Marines have made the new course more accessible, and riders don't have to wait to get into the course. At both Miramar and Camp Pendleton, riders can enroll very soon after signing up for it. As another means to promote safety, the Marines are encouraging more experienced riders to act as mentors for those with less experience. The mentors hold monthly rides and demonstrate safe riding techniques. Marine leaders are committed to training riders and helping them avoid injury and death.

Source: North County Times.

Walton Law Firm, a North San Diego County law firm, represents accident victims throughout San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties and has recovered millions of dollars for individuals injured by car accidents, pedestrian accidents, motorcycle accidents, uninsured motorist claims, defective products, construction accidents, slip and fall injuries, dog bites, insurance disputes, and medical malpractice suits. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free consultation.

It is being reported that a Fallbrook school bus struck a man in the 1700 block of Reche Road killing him. According to news reports, the man was "drawing on the road with chalk" when the bus hit him and knocked him into a Ford Explorer. The accident occurred in front of Potter Junior High School.

The driver of the 25-seat bus, Gabriel Perez, told SHP that the pedestrian looked up but did not move out of the way in time. It is not clear what the man was doing in the middle of the road.

Local news coverage of this story can be found by clicking here, here, and here.

The North County based personal injury law firm of Walton Law Firm represents accident victims throughout San Diego County and has recovered millions of dollars for individuals involved car accidents, pedestrian accidents, motorcycle accidents, uninsured motorist claims, defective products, construction accidents, slip and fall injuries, dog bites, insurance disputes, and medical malpractice suits. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free consultation.

In the 24-hour period after the death of 15-year-old Lucas Giaconelli, the Vista boy hit by a car while riding his skateboard, police were looking for a hit-and-run driver. Those of us who followed the story assumed it was some felonious character, who probably fled the scene because he (or she) had something to hide. When a 92-year-old man turned himself in the following day, people were stunned. Not necessarily because he was 92, but because despite a major impact - his car was damaged - he was totally unaware that he had hit a person.

This terrible tragedy raises the question: when is someone too old to drive? For friends and family of Lucas, this man should never have been allowed to have his license renewed. As one said, “If he's 92 years old, why is he on the streets driving?"

There has been a recent spate of San Diego car accidents involving elderly driver, including fatalities. Last year an elderly driver slammed into a Chula Vista home. In October, a 75-year-old man drove of a cliff in Point Loma and died when he mistook the accelerator for the brake. And just a few months ago, an elderly man with no known medical problems drove into an El Cajon Carl’s Jr., killing a diner.

According to the DMV, a California driver over 70 years can not renew a driver's license by mail, but there are no other mechanisms in place monitor elderly drivers. It is really up to individuals and families to determine when it is too old to drive.

Source: 760Kfmb.com

The car accident and injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm represent individuals throughout San Diego County who have been injured in all types of accidents, including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free consultation.

VISTA - A man working on the refrigeration system at Northgate Market in Vista suffered concussive injuries yesterday when a pressurized tank exploded. The explosion caused major damage to the store. The injured man was taken to a local hospital.

It is currently unclear what caused the explosion, but authorities say the company was hired by the store to replace a compressor. The store remained open during the work, and arrangements were made to keep foods chilled while the compressor was changed. It's unclear how that was done, and whether or not it contributed to the accident.

The injured man may have barely escaped with his life. According to Vista Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Hahn, "a containment tank about the size of a scuba tank exploded with significant force, and did a lot of damage to the refrigeration system. The man was very close, but was not hit by the tank."

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Source: sandiego6.com

The San Diego North County injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm represent individuals throughout San Diego County who have been injured in all types of accidents, including auto accidents, property injuries, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, construction accidents, and wrongful death cases. Call (866) 607-1325 for a free consultation or submit a confidential online form.

Two people suffered serious injuries in unrelated car accidents in San Marcos this weekend. The first occurred on Saturday afternoon when a woman driving a GMC Yukon was traveling north on Woodland Parkway and was t-boned by a Dodge truck as she entered the intersection at Rancheros Drive. The force of the collision caused the Yukon to overturn, and partially ejected the driver, who suffered serious injuries in the crash. According to news reports, the woman is expected to survive.

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The other accident occurred at approximately 8:45 p.m. on Pico Avenue near the Corky Smith Gym. In that accident, a Saturn car hit a pedestrian as he was trying to cross Pico. The collision caused the pedestrian to roll onto the Saturn's roof and on to the road. Interestingly, the man got up from the scene and walked to his home nearby. His daughter called for medical help, and the mane was taken to Palomar Medical Center with a broken arm and a skull fracture.

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Source: North County Times

The North County based Walton Law Firm represents accident victims throughout San Diego County and has recovered millions of dollars for individuals involved car accidents, pedestrian accidents, motorcycle accidents, uninsured motorist claims, defective products, construction accidents, slip and fall injuries, dog bites, insurance disputes, and medical malpractice suits. Call (760) 607-1325 for a free consultation.

The car accident deaths of two San Diego teens and prompted a reexamination of the enforcement of teen driving laws that were enacted a decade ago. Under those laws, teen drivers ages 16 to 18 are prohibited from driving a vehicle with anyone under 20 years old in the car during the year after they first get their license, unless an adult was present. [Cal. Veh. Code 12814.7] The teen license is called a provisional license.

It is widely agreed that teenagers that follow the law are safer drivers. In the case of the two local deaths, there is a good chance both accidents would have been presented with an adult in the car. Studies have shown that when a teen has one other teen in the car, the risk of a car accident doubles. With three or more passengers, the risk quadruples.

But many believe that the teen driving laws are rarely enforced. Under the law, a teen cannot be cited solely for violating the provisional license. They must be pulled over for some other infraction first. According to CHP officer Lew Hall, most officers don't write many tickets for provisional license violations because they are more focused on the driving infraction, and may not notice that the driver had been licensed for less than a year.

Last year, CHP cited 2,106 teen age drivers for driving in violation of their provisional license. Many believe the laws have been working. Only two years after the laws were enacted in 1998, car accidents involving 16-year-old drivers dropped 24 percent. In 2007, the last year data was available, personal injury and fatal accidents involving 16-year-old drivers were at a 13-year low.

Source: North County Times

The Walton Law Firm represent accident victims throughout San Diego County and has recovered millions of dollars for individuals involved car accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian injuries, uninsured motorist claims, defective products, construction accidents, slip and fall injuries, dog bites, insurance disputes, and medical malpractice suits. Call (760) 607-1325 for a free consultation.

A terrible story out of Ramona this evening, where a motorcycle rider lost his life after being hit by the negligent driver of a rental car. According to reports, the driver was unlicensed.

The unlicensed driver was driving a 2007 Dodge Caliber westbound on Hanson Lane when she stopped, then attempted to make a U-turn. She didn't see 46-year-old Mark Taylor, who was riding his Honda motorcycle. The front of the rental car clipped Taylor's bike, sending him into the road. He suffered major injuries and died at the scene of the crash.

Many questions remain about this accident, and CHP is continuing its investigation. The big question is how does an unlicensed driver end up behind the wheel of a rental car. Presumably rentals can only be made to licensed drivers. Second, why is the woman unlicensed? Did she have a license that was taken away for reasons related to her ability to drive? According the news article, criminal charges may be made against the woman.

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Source: SignOnSanDiego.com

The accident and injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm LLP represent individuals and families who have been injured in all types of accidents, including car accidents, motorcycle accidents, property injuries, and other negligence related injuries. Call (760) 607-1325 for a free consultation.

A 37-year-old library volunteer died Tuesday while riding his bike south on Cole Grade Road at Bernabeo Court. According to reports, the driver of a Chevy pickup noticed Angel Guadalupe Galvez, and tried to pass, but accidentally hit himhttp://www.waltonbarber.com/lawyer-attorney-1278138.html while traveling at least 50 mph. Galvez's helmet was knocked off on impact, and died at a nearby hospital.

Witnesses said Guadalupe was riding on the right-hand side of the road as required when he was hit.

Police believe that neither drugs nor alcohol played a role in the incident, but said that the negligent driver may have bee speeding and could be charged with misdemeanor manslaughter.

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Galvez will be missed at the Valley Center Library, where he volunteered regularly. “He was here every morning. He was just part of our family,” said branch librarian Sandy Puccio. “A lot of people knew him and loved him.”

Source: signonsandiego.com

The San Diego personal injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm LLP represent individuals and families who have been injured in all types of accidents. Call (866) 607-1325 for a free consultation.