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At about 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, a three-vehicle crash occurred on the 710 Freeway in Paramount, badly injuring five people including a small child.  According to KTLA news, the accident happened in the northbound lanes near Rosecrans Avenue in Paramount.  The accident involved a Buick Cutlass Supreme which apparently spun out of control after colliding with a semi truck without its trailer, apparently after a lane change.  The Buick then collided into a female Caltrans worker, who was out of her truck picking up trash near the freeway's right shoulder.   The injured child, reportedly a 3-year-old boy, was one of four passengers in the Cutlass, and all five injured people were rushed to local hospitals.

See the KTLA news story and photographs HERE. 

So far, it is unknown what caused this horrible accident or who was at fault.  Assuming initial reports are correct and the accident resulted from a lane change, then eyewitness accounts will be important to determine which of the drivers made an unsafe lane change.  Under California law, "a vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane and shall not be moved from the lane until such movement can be made with reasonable safety." (California Vehicle Code Section 21658)  Additionally, the law prohibits a driver from turning "a vehicle from a direct course or move right or left upon a roadway until such movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after the giving of an appropriate signal in the manner provided in this chapter in the event any other vehicle may be affected by the movement."  (California Vehicle Code Section 22107)  A violation of either one of these code sections would amount to "negligence per se", for which a driver can be found liable if an accident results.  

Compensation for the victims of automobile accidents caused by a negligent driver should be an important concern for all Californians. When a victim of careless driving is injured, the at-fault driver should be held accountable for all of  the injuries and damages they cause.  An Orange County injury lawyer with experience at handling such cases can make a fair assessment of these claims.  Mr. Ralph has more than 20 years of experience handling automobile accident case, including just this type.  He can be reached at 714-919-4415 for a FREE CONSULTATION.

Have you or a loved one been injured in an accident caused by a driver making an unsafe lane change?

Nothing in this post is intended to suggest the Law Offices of Paul W. Ralph currently represents anyone involved in the news story above. This posting should not be construed as legal advice or an opinion on the merit of any particular matter. A consultation is the best way to obtain an assessment of your potential case.

Over the weekend, Disneyland's California Adventure theme park was the site of a violent incident involving an apparently intoxicated patron and a member of Disney security.  The incident, captured on tape and available on You Tube, shows an apparently intoxicated guest (identified by KTLA news as 53-year-old Glenn Horlacher) swinging at a Disney security host and then refusing commands to get on the ground.  After being wrestled to the ground and pepper sprayed a number of times, Horlacher still refuses to comply and is eventually taken to the ground by security and other patrons at the park.  According to the news report, at least one Disney employee was transported to the hospital and treated for minor injuries.  Horlacher was reportedly cited and released.

See the KTLA news story and photograph HERE. 

The videotape on You Tube shows only part of the incident, but there is no doubt Horlacher should have been arrested for assault and battery when he took his first swing at the Disney security host.  After charging the Disney employee a second time and then swinging wildly while on the ground, additional crimes of assault and battery were committed.  All of this misconduct justified an arrest that should have been effectuated by Disney security.  What is perhaps more shocking than Horlacher's actions is the miserable job Disney security did handling the situation.  While some might argue the security staff was patient and did not overreact, their inaction and failure to effectively control Horlacher prolonged the incident, heightened the risk of injury to guests and park employees and ultimately led to the negative attention now being paid to the incident.  The security staff at Disney should have immediately arrested Horlacher for assault and battery and placed him in handcuffs, before quickly removing him from the public's view.  It was nothing short of negligent to handle the situation in the manner shown in the video, and fortuitous that other patrons were not injured.  At one point in the video, near the end, Horlacher is on the ground being restrained by patrons at the park and not one Disney employee.  In this context, with security and other employees already on the scene, that should never have happened.

Compensation for the victims of security misconduct should be an important concern for all Californians.  When security employees are negligent or commit intentional acts of misconduct, their employer should be held accountable and compensation paid to the victim.  An Orange County security misconduct attorney with experience at handling such cases can make a fair assessment of these claims.  Mr. Ralph has more than 20 years of experience handling personal injury cases, including just this type.  He can be reached at 714-919-4415 for a FREE CONSULTATION.

Have you been a victim of  negligent or intentional misconduct by private security?

Nothing in this post is intended to suggest the Law Offices of Paul W. Ralph currently represents anyone involved in the news story above.  This posting should not be construed as legal advice or an opinion on the merit of any particular matter.  A consultation is the best way to obtain an assessment of your potential case.  

A mother and her two young children were leaving Beechwood Elementary School in Fullerton when they were struck and seriously injured by a vehicle being driven by a 90-year-old driver.  According to a story in the Orange County Register, all three pedestrians, the mother and two children ages 6 and 9, were in a crosswalk when the Ford Focus ran them over at about 3:30 p.m. today.  The driver reportedly kept driving for several hundred feet before crashing her car into a tree.  Witnesses at the scene reportedly described the elderly woman as appearing groggy after the accident, and she was taken to a hospital in critical condition.  The mother and three children were also transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.  Fortunately, all are expected to survive.  

See the Orange County Register article and photographs HERE.

It is unknown whether any medical condition caused or contributed to the happening of this very tragic accident.  The witness descriptions of the elderly driver would seem to be consistent with some sort of medical problem that may have preceded the accident.  However, it is also possible the driver's groggy condition was caused by the accident itself and only a detailed investigation, that would include a driver profile, will reveal the precise cause of the accident.

If this tragedy were not enough for one day another Orange County accident took the lives of three marines early this morning in Dana Point.  That single vehicle accident, as reported by KTLA news, happened at about 2:00 a.m. when the driver lost control at the intersection of Golden Lantern and Terra Vista and slammed into a tree.  Tow of the Marines in the vehicle died at the scene and a third succumbed to his injuries while at Mission Hospital.  While a final determination has not been made, preliminary reports suggest the accident was caused by a combination of high speed and a wet roadway.

Compensation for the victims of automobile accidents caused by a negligent or reckless driver should be an important concern for all Californians. When a victim of bad driving is injured or killed, the at-fault driver should be held accountable for all of  the injuries and damages they cause. An Orange County personal injury attorney with experience at handling such cases can make a fair assessment of these claims. Mr. Ralph has more than 20 years of experience handling traffic accident cases, including just this type. He can be reached at 714-919-4415 for a FREE CONSULTATION.

Have you or a loved one been seriously injured or killed in an automobile accident caused by a negligent or reckless driver?

Nothing in this post is intended to suggest the Law Offices of Paul W. Ralph currently represents anyone involved in the news story above. This posting should not be construed as legal advice or an opinion on the merit of any particular matter. A consultation is the best way to obtain an assessment of your potential case.

Last night at about 6:30 p.m. a 50-year-old woman was fatally struck while crossing a street in the Inland Empire.  The fatal accident happened near the intersection of D Street and Sixth Street in Victorville.  According to CBS news, the victim was identified by authorities as Donna Clark.  The driver of the vehicle striking Clark, who was reportedly outside of the crosswalk, was a 28-year-old male who was not otherwise identified in the news report.  Following the accident, Clark was taken to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

See the CBS article HERE.

The accident above reportedly happened near the intersection of Sixth and D Streets in Victorville, which appears to be an intersection controlled only by stop signs on Sixth Street.  According to the Google Maps images, there are no traffic lights, and the crosswalk lines appear almost completely obliterated.  It is therefore possible Clark was actually walking within what used to be a clearly marked crosswalk or the driver striking Clark did not realize there was a pedestrian crossing at the intersection, contributing to the happening of the accident.  Since this accident happened after dark, it is important to know whether the driver had on his headlights, whether they were functioning and what speed the vehicle was traveling.  Since this area of roadway, in all directions, appears relatively flat and straight there may issues of driver attention that may play a role in the happening of the accident.

Compensation for the victims of intersection accidents caused by a careless or reckless driver should be an important concern for all Californians.  When a pedestrian is struck at or near an intersection and/or a crosswalk, the at-fault driver should be held accountable for the injuries and damages they cause.  An Orange County auto accident attorney with experience at handling such cases can make a fair assessment of these claims.  Mr. Ralph has more than 20 years of experience handling pedestrian accident cases, including just this type. He can be reached at 714-919-4415 for a FREE CONSULTATION.

Have you or a loved one been seriously injured in a pedestrian accident caused by a negligent or inattentive driver?

Nothing in this post is intended to suggest the Law Offices of Paul W. Ralph currently represents anyone involved in the news story above. This posting should not be construed as legal advice or an opinion on the merit of any particular matter. A consultation is the best way to obtain an assessment of your potential case.