California Car Accident Reports

A man killed in a Sacramento bicycle accident the afternoon of March 6, 2010, after a Regional Transit bus struck his bicycle, has been identified as 46-year-old William Detore. According to a news report in the Sacramento Bee, the bus was westbound on L Street close to 5th Street, when the fatal collision occurred. Detore died at the scene. Police say a preliminary investigation shows that the accident was probably not the bus driver's fault although no final determination has been made yet.

I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of William Detore for their terrible loss. They will certainly be in my thoughts and prayers.

Sacramento Bicycle Accidents

According to California Highway Patrol's 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were two fatalities and 271 injuries involving bicycle accidents in Sacramento. Also, in Sacramento County as a whole, six people died and 569 were injured as a result of bicycle accidents during the same year.

Accident Causes

Based on this news report, it is not exactly clear whose fault this bicycle versus bus accident was. Officials say no "final determination" has been made. Police plan to examine the video cameras on the bus to help them with the accident reconstruction. I trust they will be looking into who had the right-of-way at the time of the collision and also whether the bus driver was impaired, distracted or in any way negligent at the time.

Laws and Liability Issues

Under California law, bicyclists are subject to the same rights and responsibilities as the driver of any other vehicle on the roadway. California Vehicle Code Section 21200(a) states: "Every person riding a bicycle has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this division."

However, if the bus driver is determined to have been at fault for this fatal bicycle accident, the transit authority could be held liable. If there was a dangerous condition on the roadway, the city or governmental agency responsible for maintaining that roadway could be held liable as well. Please remember that any such claim against a California governmental agency must be properly filed within 180 days of the accident or injury. In such cases, victims' families would be well-advised to seek the counsel of an experienced Sacramento personal injury lawyer who will stay on top of the official investigation and ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected.

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.

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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Two people were injured in an Orange County car accident after a small school bus and a Toyota Camry collided at a street intersection in Anaheim, California. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the accident occurred at the intersection of Broadway and Olive Street when the northbound Camry broadsided the Anaheim City School District bus. One child was on the bus, but the child wasn't injured. The bus crashed into a sign post and came to a stop while the Camry continued northbound and came to rest about half a block north on Olive. The driver of the Camry and a child who was a passenger in the car were taken to the hospital with injuries. The school bus driver was not injured.
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Two disabled students were injured in a San Francisco car accident after the school bus they were in was struck by a car. According to a news report in the San Francisco Examiner, the Sunset District bus was in the slow lane of Lincoln Avenue and was headed to Lowell High School the morning of September 14, 2009 when it was hit by a car that was making a right turn from Seventh Avenue on to Lincoln Avenue. The impact of the crash pushed the bus into another car traveling in the fast lane. California Highway Patrol officials said two boys, ages 15 and 16, were transported to the hospital. The students were not visibly injured, but had trouble communicating whether they were in pain.
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Five people were injured in an Orange County car accident after an OCTA bus crashed into a car near an intersection in Fountain Valley, California, the afternoon of August 10, 2009. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the bus was headed north on Harbor Boulevard when it hit a silver BMW car. The driver of the BMW had apparently pulled onto Harbor near Heil Avenue, ahead of the OCTA bus. Four of the injured bus-car accident victims were reportedly bus passengers. Several passengers were taken off the bus with neck braces on. Four bus passengers and one person in the car were taken to hospitals complaining of back and neck pain.
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John Bisnar a California car accident lawyerat Bisnar | Chase often represents victims who have been injured in large truck and bus accidents. Sometimes, truck drivers or bus drivers are responsible, but other times the fault lies with the drivers of the smaller passenger cars. We now find, based on a recent Government Accountability Office study, the unsettling reality of hundreds of trucking companies and bus companies that were previously ordered to shut down because of serious federal safety violations from suspended licenses to possible drug use, have continued to stay on the road by simply using different names. Also, some of these fraudulent companies have been responsible for catastrophic truck accidents and bus accidents in different parts of the country. Read the rest of this entry »

At least five people died and dozens were injured in an Orange County based bus accident on Highway 101 in Soledad, California, the afternoon of April 28, 2009, carrying French tourists who crashed and rolled over on a freeway overpass, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Several passengers were ejected from the bus and onto the overpass as well as the freeway below, California Highway Patrol officials said. The death toll is expected to rise as many of the injuries are believed to be critical. Traffic investigators are looking into what caused this fatal bus accident.

CHP officials said 34 of the passengers on the Orange County bus were French nationals, one was a Canadian guide and the other was an American bus driver. The French tourists were apparently on an eight-day sight-seeing trip, which began in Los Angeles. The group was headed from San Francisco to Santa Maria when the bus accident occurred. Four of the passengers were under 18. Officials are saying that no other vehicles were involved.

My heart goes out to all the victims of this horrific bus crash, which is one of the worst bus accidents this area has ever seen, according to officials. I offer my deepest sympathies to the families of the deceased victims for their tragic, sudden and heartbreaking loss. I'm praying for the injured victims who are fighting for their lives in the hospital and their families that are making arrangements to fly from France at a moment's notice to be with their loved ones. I hope and pray that these injured victims make a speedy and complete recovery.

According to statistics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 278 buses were involved in fatal accidents in the United States in 2007. There were a total of 322 deaths and 15,888 injuries involving bus crashes nationwide during the same year. There are numerous unanswered questions here. How and why did the driver lose control of the bus? Was he distracted, exhausted or under the influence? Was there a mechanical malfunction or product defect in the bus that caused the accident?

Bus companies--whether public or private--owe their passengers the standard of "the utmost duty of care." This means that they are responsible for the safe transportation of their passengers. If this bus accident was caused by the driver's negligence or error or the tour bus company's failure to properly maintain the bus, then the driver and the bus company could be held liable for the accident, injuries and fatalities. If the accident occurred because of a product defect the manufacturer of the bus or the defective product could also be held liable.

The injured victims and families of the deceased victims will be able to file personal injury claims and wrongful death claims against the negligent parties either in California state courts or in federal courts even though they are French nationals and not U.S. citizens or residents. The injured victims and their families would be well-advised to retain the services of skilled California bus accident attorneys who will explain the legal process, their rights and how to get help with medical and other expenses they will be faced with as a result of this tragic accident. The best law firms will provide a free, confidential, comprehensive consultation. Victims and their families would be well-advised not to give any statements to anyone, talk to investigators or adjusters or sign any documents or releases until they are represented by a skilled California personal injury attorney, Bisnar | Chase who would be pleased to provide a free, comprehensive consultation to any one of the passengers or their family.