James Ortega, 23, was killed in a San Francisco car accident when the driver of the car in which he was a passenger, lost control and crashed. California Highway Patrol authorities have arrested the driver, 24-year-old Donald Arrodondo on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving after the fatal car accident, which occurred early morning on February 28, 2010.

According to a news report in The Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Ortega was a front seat passenger in a 2006 Mazda and 24-year-old Chrystina Swan was in the back seat. Arrodondo lost control of the car driving on Frei Road, near Graton, and crashed into a tree and a fence. The car was crushed and wrapped around the tree. Swan was able to crawl out, but Ortega and Arrodondo had to be extricated from the wreckage. Arrodondo was transported to a hospital with injuries, while Ortega was pronounced dead at the scene.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of James Ortega for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. It is indeed fortunate that the other passenger, Swan, escaped without serious injury. Please keep Ortega's family in your thoughts and prayers.

DUI Car Collisions

According to CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were a total of 36 fatalities and 1,988 injuries involving car accidents reported in Sonoma County in 2008. Out of those, 17 deaths and 264 injuries were DUI collisions, according to the report.

Drunk Driving Laws

Driving under the influence is a serious crime under California law. According to California Vehicle Code Section 23152 (a): "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."
A driver whose act of driving under the influence results in the death of another will likely face vehicular manslaughter charges, as Arrodondo does in this case.

California Penal Code section 191.5 (a) states: "Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought, in the driving of a vehicle, where the driving was in violation of Section 23140, 23152, or 23153 of the Vehicle Code, and the killing was either the proximate result of the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony, and with gross negligence, or the proximate result of the commission of a lawful act that might produce death, in an unlawful manner, and with gross negligence."

Getting Legal Counsel

Victims in DUI collisions or their families would be well-advised to retain the services of an experienced San Francisco personal injury lawyer, who has an excellent track record of financially pursuing drunk and negligent drivers. A knowledgeable car accident attorney in San Francisco will also advise the victim's family about how their own car insurance policy applies to an accident case that involves an uninsured or underinsured driver.

The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.

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