Driver in Fatal Central California Tour Bus Crash had History of Prior Accidents

You have likely heard about the recent deadly tour bus carrying tourists, mostly from France, from the San Francisco area down to Los Angeles, where they were due to depart back to France. The Orion Pacific tour bus had overturned on a highway overpass in Central California where four passengers were ejected from the bus as it lay in a wreck around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. There were five confirmed deaths from the bus accident.

A new detail reveals that the American driver, John Egnew, 69, of Corona in Riverside County, had been involved in another accident about three years ago. The Associated Press found evidence that in 2005, Egnew struck a 71-year-old woman in Las Vegas as she was crossing the street with her husband, leaving the woman with serious injuries. Egnew claimed that he didn’t see the pedestrian on the road.…

Highland Entomologist Killed in San Diego County ATV Accident

Highland resident Benjamin Lobato Huante, 49, who was an entomologist working in San Diego County in Fallbrook on Wednesday, was killed after his car tumbled off of a cliff more than 100 feet, and died.

Huante had been setting traps for insects around the avocado trees in the area for the study had been in an all-terrain vehicle that crashed when he overcompensated and fell down a cliff around 11 a.m. San Diego County sheriff’s and coroner’s officials reported that Huarte died at the scene, as noted on the county coroner’s Web site.

The victim of the San Diego County auto accident worked for Integrated Growers Service of Escondido, as Dean Fryer, a spokesman for the California Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health said.…

Teen Bicyclist Dies In Los Angeles Hit-And-Run Auto Accident

Alex Romero, 17, suffered fatal injuries in a Los Angeles bicycle accident that occurred on April 20, 2011, about 9 p.m. in the right lane of De Soto Avenue. According to Officer Rosario Herrera, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department, Alex Romero was riding his bike on the far right lane of De Soto when a gray Toyota Corolla rear-ended his bicycle. Romero was pronounced dead at the accident scene.

The death of a young member of the family is devastating. If I were a member of his family, I would want to know how this accident took place. Who was at fault? Did the Toyota driver do enough to prevent the accident? Was he driving under influence of drugs or alcohol? If my daughter or brother had lost his life due to someone else’s negligence, I would go to any extent to ensure that the guilty were punished and that my family received maximum compensation for the loss of life—money that could be used to help family members grieve or fulfill something positive.

It would be wise for Romero’s family to seek counsel from an experienced Los Angeles bicycle accident lawyer to learn about their legal right and options, even if they ultimately decide not to file a claim. As family members of the deceased, they might be able to obtain compensation to pay for funeral and burial costs, loss of future earnings, loss of love and companionship, and other accident-related damages.

Our law office offers our sincere condolences to all those who knew and loved Romero for their tragic loss.…

Elderly Woman Suffers Injuries In Otay Mesa Pedestrian Accident

An unidentified 50-year-old pedestrian suffered serious injuries while crossing a street near Silverwing Park in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego. San Diego Police Officer Frank Cali stated that the victim was attempting to cross Arey Drive around 10:30 a.m. on April 16, 2011, when she was hit by a BMW car traveling east towards Picardor Boulevard.

The injured woman suffered a serious head injury and was immediately transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Based on this news report through 10news.com, it is suspected that the sedan driver might have run the stop sign or was speeding and this lead to this serious car accident. Normally, California law holds that drivers must give the right of way to pedestrians in marked crosswalks and at an intersection. Drivers are operating potentially deadly machines and can inflict fatal injuries on pedestrians if they are not following the law or are careless. However, even given these protections (which are set forth in California Vehicle Code Section 21950) pedestrians must always exercise reasonable care for their safety.

Even if the pedestrian was at fault, the victim should consult with an experienced San Diego personal injury lawyer to determine her legal rights and options in this case. The lawyer may also find a way to obtain compensation to cover medical and hospitalization expenses, pain and suffering, and other accident-related expenses.…

Chula Vista Pedestrian Dies After Being Struck by Car

A 90-year-old Chula Vista pedestrian was hit by a car nearby Broadway and Park Way in on April 1st at approximately 8 p.m. According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office, the man was taken off life-support on Saturday afternoon because of the deterioration of his medical status. The Chula Vista pedestrian suffered a head injury with internal bleeding.

The victim’s identity was not made public so that San Diego County officials could notify the family about the death.…

Lakeside Child Pedestrian Hit by Car, Dies

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office reported last week that a 9-year-old boy was struck by a car near Riverview Elementary School in Lakeside. The boy was walking along Winter Gardens Boulevard south of Knoll Crest Place around 4 p.m. on April 6, 2009, when the fatal Lakeside pedestrian accident happened. The boy was taken to Rady Children’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. His name has not been released.…

San Diego DUI Driver that Killed Mother Found Guilty

An El Cajon jury reached a verdict regarding a Nov. 21, 2009 car crash that killed 35-year old Cydil Deann Kohlmeyer. The guilty driver was sentenced for 15 years on the charges of misdemeanor hit-and-run and gross vehicular manslaughter for driving while intoxicated.

The guilty, 53-year-old Deborah Felix, had fatally injured Kohlmeyer, a mother of three while driving drunk along Pepper Drive in El Cajon. Felix had also managed to strike mailboxes and a pickup after hitting the victim. Felix will be sentenced on May 11 by El Cajon Judge Lantz Lewis. Jurors also found Felix guilty of a sentence-enhancing allegation that she had fled the scene of the accident after committing the crime. According to Felix, she wanted to urinate and had gone farther away from the scene to relieve herself. What a silly and inexcusable reason to leave the scene of the accident!

Our office is in agreement with the verdict and hope that Felix serves all of her time for taking the life of Ms. Kohlmeyer. People driving under influence should be punished harshly. We hope that other drivers learn from this, and restrain themselves from drinking and driving. If a drunk driver is unfortunate enough to cause an accident, please be responsible enough to stay at the scene and try to assist the injured until help arrives.…

Los Angeles Motorcycle Accident Kills Stuntwoman

A 28-year old Hollywood stuntwoman lost her life in a fatal Los Angeles motorcycle accident that happened on April 6, 2010, on the Ventura Freeway in Studio City.

The deceased, April E. Stirton of North Hollywood, was on the 101 Freeway going over 55 miles per hour when she lost the balance of her Yamaha Roadstar and fell down. The Roadster jammed under a big rig and she was hit by the rear wheels of a tow truck. According to the California Highway Patrol, Stirton was drag for nearly 10 miles before the truck driver realized what had happened. Stirton has worked on shows like CSI and True Blood.

Our office offers our heartfelt prayers and condolences to the friends and family of Stirton. It is sad to have lost such a remarkable stuntwoman while doing something what she is good at. It is even more horrible that her body was drag for nearly 10 miles before the truck pulled over. Didn’t the truck driver feel the impact? Didn’t he sense that his truck was not driving properly? How did he not notice?…

Woman Arrested for DUI after Fatal Anaheim Car Accident

Cameron Cook, 18, of Ladera Ranch was killed in a fatal Orange County DUI car accident that occurred on April 2, 2011 around 11:40 p.m., south of Katella Avenue along the 57 freeway in Anaheim, approximately 91 miles from San Diego. California Highway Patrol officers reported that Cook was a passenger in a Camaro that was struck by a Honda Civic driven by Ashley Bryan.

California Highway Patrol officer Devon Boatman said that the Camaro spun after being struck and finally came to rest facing north on the right shoulder of No. 5 lane along the southbound 57 freeway. The vehicle was then struck by Bryan’s vehicle, pushing Cook over the edge of an overpass to the ground below. Cook was immediately transported to a local hospital for treatment where he was later pronounced dead.

Officials later arrested Bryan on suspicion of driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter. From the available information, it is clear that Bryan’s negligent actions lead to this fatal car accident that killed the teenager. It is indeed an unfortunate thing that due to the negligent and intoxicated driver the young teenager lost her life. Bryan will most likely be found to have violated California Vehicle Code Section 23152(a) which states that “It is unlawful for any person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage and drug, to drive a vehicle.”

Cook’s family members should consult with an experienced wrongful death lawyer in Orange County to obtain compensation to pay funeral and burial costs, loss of earnings and financial support, and loss of love and companionship. Our law office offers sincere condolences to all those who knew and loved Cook for their loss.…

San Diego Bus Accident Injures Nine People

Nine people were injured in a San Diego bus accident that occurred between a Metropolitan Transit System and a Mitsubishi Eclipse in the City Heights area of San Diego on March 24, 2010 around 3:40 p.m.

The car driver was apparently drunk and ran a red light at the University Avenue intersection with 37th Street. He then collided into the bus that was eastbound on the 37th Street. The car rammed into the bus just behind its front wheels which made the Eclipse spin. The drunk driver fled from the scene on foot. The collision caused back and neck pains to nine of the forty passengers.

Our office hopes for the young driver of the Eclipse is caught as soon as possible and prosecuted. He should be charged for such reckless behavior and for felony drunk driving causing injury. Driving while intoxicated is inexcusable, particularly when it causes serious injury.

We sincerely hope and pray that none of the injured victims sustain any-life threatening injuries…