California Car Accident Reports

A 9-year-old boy sustained fatal injuries in an Orange County car accident after he was struck by a vehicle while attempting to ride across the street. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the boy was riding his bike home from school the afternoon of December 3, 2008 at the intersection of Orangewood Avenue and Loara Street in Anaheim. The driver of a raised Ford F-250 truck was headed westbound on Orangewood Avenue and stopped at the stop sign, at the intersection, Anaheim police said. Seeing the truck stop, the boy attempted to get across the street. But the driver of the pickup truck failed to see the boy, started driving and hit him. The child was taken to an area hospital in critical condition, but died shortly afterward. The boy was wearing a helmet.
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Daniel Ornelas, 41, was seriously injured in a Portland car accident after his bicycle was hit by a car at a Gresham intersection. According to a news article in the Portland Tribune, Ornelas was riding his bike north on Southeast 187th Avenue and was crossing Stark Street in a marked crosswalk when a westbound vehicle on Stark hit him the afternoon of November 4, 2009. One of the vehicles stopped and yielded right-of-way for Ornelas, but a vehicle driven by 52-year-old Brian Cairns did not stop and struck Ornelas.

The bicyclist sustained serious head injury after he was knocked off his bike. Ornelas was apparently not wearing a helmet. He was transported to a local hospital. No arrests have been made in connection with this car accident pending a police investigation.
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A 45-year-old woman was injured in an Orange County car accident after her bicycle was struck by a car at an Irvine intersection. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the accident occurred the morning of November 16, 2009, when a 71-year-old man driving east on Irvine Center Drive crashed into the female bicyclist who was apparently crossing the intersection. Irvine police say it is not clear how bad the woman's injuries were. The driver was uninjured. The woman was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Police are still investigating the cause of this bicycle accident and are asking that anyone who witnessed the collision call 949-724-7024.
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A man was killed in a Long Beach car accident the night of November 6, 2009, as he rode his bicycle across the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and 6th Street in Long Beach, the Press Telegram reports. Police say a preliminary investigation showed that the victim, who has been identified only as a 65-year-old Asian man, was crossing 6th Street against a red light when he was struck by an eastbound 1995 Chevrolet van. The victim was taken to an area hospital where he succumbed to his critical injuries. The driver of the Chevy van was interviewed and released at the scene. An investigation is still ongoing. Anyone who witnessed this fatal car accident or has more information about it is asked to call Long Beach Police Department at 562-570-7355.
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Kipp Daniel Crawford, 31, was killed in a Portland car accident after his bicycle was struck by two separate drivers, both believed to be under the influence of alcohol. According to a news report in the Portland Tribune, police arrested 41-year-old Carlos Tyrone McCall and 44-year-old Felisa Washington-Berry and charged both with DUI. At the time of the crash, McCall was driving a Cadillac and Washington-Berry, an Isuzu SUV. The fatal bicycle accident occurred at the intersection of North Willamette Boulevard and North Haven Street early morning on November 4, 2009, near the University of Portland campus.
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A man was injured in a Los Angeles car accident the morning of October 22, 2009 after the bicycle he was riding collided with a car at a Castaic intersection. According to a news report in The Santa Clarita Signal, a 28-year-old woman was turning left onto Lake Hughes Road from Diamond Lane when the bicyclist heading eastbound struck the woman's 2000 Honda Accord. The 25-year-old bicyclist sustained moderate injuries and was taken to a local hospital.
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An 11-year-old boy was injured in a San Francisco, California bus accident after a school bus struck him as he was riding his bicycle to school. According to a Bay City News report, the bicycle accident occurred the morning of October 16, 2009 at the corner of 40th Avenue and Mera Street near Jefferson Elementary School in Oakland, California. The child suffered leg injuries. There were children aboard the school bus as well, but thankfully, no one else was injured in this collision.
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Aubrey Head, 60, was killed in a Los Angeles car accident after his bicycle was struck by a car, which was driving out of a parking lot in El Monte, California. According to a news report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the fatal car accident was reported on September 20, 2009 near the intersection of Peck Road and Woodville Drive. Head was apparently riding against traffic when a driver who was coming out of a supermarket parking lot struck him. The driver told police that he did not see Head on his bicycle. Head was transported to a local hospital and died during surgery, officials said.
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Robert John Ross, 60, was killed in a California motorcycle accident after he lost control on a curve on Highway 58 in San Luis Obispo County, California and crashed. According to a news report in the Ventura County Star, Ross was critically injured in an August 9, 2009 collision that involved three motorcycles and a truck. He was eastbound behind two other motorcyclists, when all three riders inched over double yellow lines on a curve, and into the opposite lane, California Highway Patrol officials said. The lead rider then sideswiped a large trailer being pulled by a westbound pickup truck causing all three motorcyclists to lose control and crash.
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Ricardo Sandoval, 33, was killed in a Los Angeles County hit-and-run bicycle accident the afternoon of July 10, 2009, the Press Telegram reports. Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Century Station are seeking the public's help to find a driver who they say struck and killed Ricardo Sandoval at Wright Road and Duncan Avenue in Lynwood. The suspect vehicle then took off. It is described only as a black car, which was last seen going east on Wright. The vehicle apparently dragged Sandoval's body about 50 feet before driving away. Sandoval died from critical injuries suffered in this bicycle accident the following day. If you witnessed the Los Angeles car accident or have any information about the suspect, please call Detective Jason Paar at 323-568-4000.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Ricardo Sandoval for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to them. Please keep them in your prayers. I also hope that this hit-and-run driver who so heartlessly struck and left this father of two dying on the road, will soon be apprehended and brought to justice.

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were no fatalities, but nine injuries occurred involving bicycle accidents in Lynwood. In Los Angeles County, 27 deaths and 2,902 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of bicycle accidents.

Based on this news report, it's not clear exactly how this car-bicycle accident took place at this Los Angeles County intersection. No matter whose fault this collision was, there is no question that the motorist should have stopped and rendered aid to Sandoval. California Vehicle Code section 20001 (a) states: "The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident."

Ricardo Sandoval's family would be well advised to consult with an experienced Los Angeles County bicycle accident attorney who will fight for their rights and make sure they receive compensation for their enormous loss. In cases where negligence or wrongdoing is involved, families of deceased accident victims may be able to seek compensation for funeral expenses, loss of earnings, loss of companionship and related damages. A skilled Los Angeles personal injury lawyer will advise families how the uninsured/underinsured motorist clause in their car insurance policy will apply to a hit-and-run accident or in a case where the at-fault driver has little or no car insurance coverage.