California Car Accident Reports

Robert Junyor, 36, and his girlfriend Brentina Dawn French, 43, were killed in a Bakersfield car accident after their 1997 Isuzu Rodeo was struck by another vehicle and plunged into a canal. According to a news report in The Californian, the tragic car accident occurred the night of March 6, 2010, when the driver of a Chrysler PT Cruiser broadsided the SUV at the intersection of Lerdo Highway and Zerker Road. Read the rest of this entry »

A piece of furniture on the roadway caused a San Diego car accident injuring a female driver. The North County Times reports that the injury collision between a car and a big rig occurred the night of March 1, 2010. The driver of the large truck slowed down when he saw a dresser in traffic lanes of the 15 Freeway in Escondido, and came to a stop. The 17-year-old woman who was driving a Toyota right behind the big rig could not stop in time and crashed into the back of the truck. She sustained injuries, but they are not believed to be life-threatening. According to other drivers, a pickup truck, moments earlier, had dropped the dresser in traffic lanes. Eyewitnesses said the driver of the pickup did not stop or notify authorities. Read the rest of this entry »

A man was seriously injured in a San Bernardino car accident after he was struck by two cars while crossing Highway 18 in Apple Valley. According to a news report in the San Bernardino Sun, a driver was going east on Highway 18 at Kiowa Road the night of February 28, 2010 when a pedestrian walked in front of his car. Officials said the impact tossed the man into the air. A San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy driving behind the first vehicle also hit the pedestrian. Both drivers stopped to help the injured pedestrian. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of major injuries. Anyone who witnessed this accident is asked to call San Bernardino Sheriff's officials at 760-240-7400. Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Alfredo Garcia, 29, was injured in a Huntington Beach car accident after his Infiniti G35 was rear-ended by a Corvette the night of February 23, 2010. The Orange County Register reports that 52-year-old Melvin Brown, the driver of the Corvette, was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Brown was westbound on Pacific Coast Highway, near Warner Avenue, and speeding at about 150 mph were he rear-ended Garcia's car. Both cars spun out and went into the water in the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. State lifeguards eventually rescued both drivers. Both, Brown and Garcia sustained injuries, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Read the rest of this entry »

One person was hospitalized with injuries in an Orange County car accident after two cars -- a white Volkswagen R32 and a gold colored Toyota Prius -- collided on the 91 Freeway, in Anaheim, the afternoon of February 24, 2010. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the injury collision occurred on the westbound 91 Freeway near Euclid Street. California Highway Patrol officials said the driver of the Toyota Prius was driving recklessly just before the crash. The driver of the Volkswagen was transported to a local hospital with possible neck and back injuries. Read the rest of this entry »

Phyllis Kirk, 65, was killed in a San Diego car accident the morning of February 23, 2010 after her SUV was struck by a taxi on the 5 Freeway. According to a City News Service report, Kirk was traveling south on the freeway near East Village, when she lost control of her 2000 Chevy Blazer as soon as the taxi clipped the rear of the SUV. The Chevy Blazer rolled over several times and came to rest on its roof, California Highway Patrol officials said. Kirk was pronounced dead at the scene. The taxi driver, 47-year-old Andai Ogbagebri was not injured. Read the rest of this entry »

One person was killed and two others were injured in an Orange County car accident after two pickup trucks collided at a Fountain Valley intersection, the Orange County Local News Network reports. The fatal car accident occurred the morning of February 20, 2010 at the intersection of Bushard Street and Heil Avenue as a Ford Ranger and a red-colored Toyota Tacoma that was southbound on Bushard, struck each other. The Ford truck was traveling east on Heil. A 40-year-old male passenger in the Tacoma was taken a local hospital where he died. The drivers of both pickup trucks were also transported to hospitals, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Read the rest of this entry »

A 21-year-old woman sustained serious injuries in an Irvine car accident the morning of February 16, 2010 while crossing at an intersection. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the accident occurred at the intersection of Yale Avenue and Southwood. The woman was transported to an area hospital for treatment of her injuries. Officials are still looking into what caused the accident. Read the rest of this entry »

William Kaplan, 62, was killed in a Riverside car accident after his motorcycle was struck by a vehicle on the Highway 74 in Mountain Center. According to a news report in The Press-Enterprise, the fatal motorcycle crash occurred the afternoon of February 14, 2010 when Kaplan's 2008 Harley Davidson slammed into the right side of a 1998 Toyota Corolla, which had swerved across the centerline of the highway and into the motorcyclist's path. California Highway Patrol officials said a passenger in the Toyota – a 20-year-old woman -- died of injuries sustained in the crash as well. The 19-year-old driver of the Toyota has been hospitalized with major injuries. Kaplan's wife, who was riding with her husband, survived with major injuries. Read the rest of this entry »