Natasha Rester, 17, sustained critical injuries in a Riverside car accident after striking another car while pulling out of a parking lot the afternoon of August 26, 2009. According to news report in The Press Enterprise, a Ford Explorer driven by 58-year-old Sidney Hernandez was heading west on Riverside Drive in Lake Elsinore, California. A Toyota Corolla driven by Natasha Rester then pulled out of a parking lot in front of the SUV and was broadsided. Rester suffered major injuries to her spleen, pelvis and back. Hernandez was treated for minor injuries and released, Lake Elsinore police said. Police are also asking anyone who witnessed the car crash to call 951-245-3300.

My heart goes out to Natasha Rester and her family. I hope her injuries were not catastrophic. I wish her the very best for a quick and complete recovery. Please keep her in your prayers.

Riverside Car Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were five fatalities and 154 injuries involving car accidents in Lake Elsinore. In Riverside County, 279 fatalities and 9,925 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of car accidents.

Based on this news report, it is hard to tell who may have been at fault, because there are not many details about the circumstances of this California car accident. Usually, when it comes to cars pulling out of driveways, parking lots or smaller streets, it is the motorist on the main roadway who has right-of-way. So, in this case, the Ford Explorer would have had the right-of-way. However, if I were a member of the Rester family, I'd want to be absolutely sure that there wasn't any negligence here that contributed to Natasha's injuries.

Car Accident Liability Issues

There are several unanswered questions here. How fast was the Explorer going? Did he have sufficient time to stop in order to avoid a collision? Was he intoxicated, distracted or otherwise negligent? Were there any visual obstructions such as foliage that prevented Rester from seeing the Explorer on the roadway?

If a dangerous condition on the private property or the public roadway contributed to this accident, then the owner of the private property or the city or governmental agency that is responsible for maintaining the roadway, could be held liable. The liability here could depend on who owned the property where the dangerous condition existed, if such a condition existed. An experienced California personal injury lawyer will be able analyze this incident and determine whether there was any negligence or wrongdoing involved.

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