San Francisco Area Car Crash Kills Man
Roy Claxton, 79, was killed in a San Francisco car accident after his vehicle was struck head-on by a motor home, Bay City News reports. Claxton was heading south on Highway 1 in a 2004 Lexus and near Fort Ross State Historic Park the morning of October 25, 2006 when a 1996 Pace Arrow motor home hit the car. California Highway Patrol officials said the Lexus then slid off the roadway down an embankment. Claxton died at the scene and his 74-year-old wife, Muriel Claxton, sustained minor injuries. The driver of the motor home, 63-year-old Ellis Patterson, apparently told officials that his vehicle's brakes failed. Patterson was uninjured. Investigators say alcohol was not a factor in this crash.
I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Roy Claxton. I particularly sympathize with Muriel Claxton, who was also injured in the accident and witnessed her husband's demise. Please keep Muriel Claxton and her family in your prayers.
According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were 34 fatalities and 865 injuries involving car accidents in the unincorporated areas of Sonoma County. In Sonoma County as a whole, 48 people died and 2,255 suffered injuries in 2007 as a result of car accidents.
Based on this news report, it seems a lot of investigation still remains to be done to determine who or what was responsible for causing this horrific crash. I trust officials are looking into whether the driver of the motor home, Patterson, was negligent in some way. Was he fatigued, reckless or speeding at the time? I also expect they will check out his claim that the motor home's brakes had failed leading to the collision. In any such case where there is a suspicion of a vehicle defect or a malfunction, it is very important for the vehicle to be preserved in its current crashed condition, unaltered, to it can be examined by an expert for product defects, malfunctions and other evidence.
If a brake defect had in fact, caused this fatal car accident, then the auto maker or manufacturer of the defective product may be held liable for the accident and resulting injuries. If Patterson is determined to have caused this tragic accident, he could be held liable for Claxton's fatal injuries. Claxton's family members would be well-advised to seek the counsel of a reputed San Francisco personal injury lawyer, who has experience and a successful track record handling auto product liability issues. The best San Francisco personal injury law firms will always offer a free and comprehensive consultation to injured victims and their families.
