Southern California Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Four people including an infant were seriously injured in a San Francisco car accident, which officials say was caused by a suspected drunk driver. According to an ABC News report, 24-year-old Faustino Vega-Xicohtencatl was traveling west in a 2004 Ford F-150 on Mark West Springs Road near Santa Rosa, when the crash occurred the evening of March 2, 2010. Vega-Xicohtencatl crossed into the eastbound lane and hit a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer driven by 21-year-old Carron M. Boyd, head-on. The driver of a Chevy Cobalt, Marty Lee Nelson, 52, who was behind Boyd, attempted to avoid the crash, but struck debris on the roadway.

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The prosecution is one of the two sides in court responsible for presenting a particular case against an individual or organization for breaking the law as part of a criminal trial. The prosecution can also be understood as the role of the government in the criminal justice system and the prosecutor is an individual, more specifically, a lawyer who works for the government and who develops the government’s case against the individual or party suspected of the crime. A prosecutor will normally investigate and arrest or charge an individual and bring the individual to trial. Since a prosecutor is responsible for targeting the defense side, you can assume that the prosecution in a DUI case will be experienced and knowledgeable about drunk driving laws and cases in your particular State.

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Charlotte Anderson, 64 and Stephen Anderson, 63, were seriously injured in a San Bernardino car accident after the car they were in was rear-ended by a speeding driver who is also suspected to have been driving under the influence. According to a news report in the Hi Desert Star, 28-year-old Jennifer Belle was driving a 2006 Nissan Armada at speeds of about 85 mph the evening of February 19, 2010 on a Joshua Tree roadway.

She was unable to control her SUV and collided into the back of a Chevy Lumina driven by Charlotte Anderson. Charlotte Anderson sustained critical injuries while her passenger, Stephen Anderson, was in serious condition. Belle was not seriously injured and was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

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A man who was killed in a car accident the night of February 16, 2010, has been identified as 58-year-old Robert G. Roe. The Record-Bee reports that the accident occurred on Highway 20, in Lake County, when 44-year-old Daren Norman, who was driving a Nissan Altima west, crossed over the double yellow lines and crashed head-on into Roe's Honda Civic. Norman was trying to pass a big rig when he crossed over to opposing lanes of traffic, California Highway Patrol officials said. Roe was pronounced dead at the scene. Norman was severely injured, but has been charged with felony DUI

I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved Robert Roe. This must be a devastating loss for his family and friends. This victim's family will certainly be in my prayers.

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Robert G. Roe, 58, was killed in a car accident the night of February 16, 2010 after a suspected drunk driver struck him. According to a news report in The Record-Bee, 44-year-old Daren K. Norman was driving a Nissan Altima west on Highway 20. Norman crossed over double yellow lines attempting to overtake a big rig and went head-on into Roe's Honda Civic hatchback. Roe died at the scene. Norman was taken to a local hospital with major injuries. California Highway Patrol officials say they have reason to believe Norman had been drinking. Norman was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Robert Roe for their tragic and devastating loss. I offer my deepest condolences to them. Please keep this grieving family in your prayers.

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54-year-old David Moore and 42-year-old Kirk Fletcher were injured in a Costa Mesa car accident, which police say was caused by a suspected drunk driver. The Orange County Register reports that the car crash occurred on the 55 Freeway near 19th Street, when 33-year-old Juan Delgado Jr. lost control of his car, and hit three cars that were stopped at a red light. Delgado was taken to a local hospital with broken bones. Moore sustained facial injuries while Fletcher suffered a cut to his arm. One other driver, 63-year-old Verity Hobbs, escaped uninjured. Police said speed and alcohol played a part in this injury crash.

My heart goes out to the injured victims here. I hope they recover quickly and completely from their injuries.

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Brian Ewalt, 33, sustained critical injuries in a Bakersfield car accident after a suspected drunk driver collided with his vehicle. According to a news report in The Bakersfield Californian, the accident occurred just past midnight on January 22, 2010. Robert Helfrich, 22 was going west on State Route 58 near Tehachapi Boulevard when he lost control of his 2002 Ford pickup truck, crossed over the center median into opposing lanes of traffic and crashed into an eastbound Mitsubishi SUV.

Brian Ewalt was the driver of the SUV. His wife, 29-year-old Kimberly Ewalt and son, Orson, 1, were passengers in the SUV. Brian Ewalt sustained major injuries in the accident and was transported to an area hospital. Helfrich suffered minor injuries and was arrested at the scene on suspicion of felony drunk driving.

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A woman who was killed in a car accident caused by a suspected drunk driver has been identified as 38-year-old Sylvia Ziranda. According to a news report in the Visalia Times Delta, Ziranda was the passenger of a Nissan pickup truck, which was traveling south on Road 204 near List Avenue, in Exeter. The Nissan, driven by 42-year-old Andres Rubio Soltero, was struck head-on by the driver of a 1991 Honda who lost control and went into opposing lanes of traffic. The driver of the Honda, 23-year-old Tomas Hernandez, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving. Ziranda was taken to an area hospital where she died. Soltero sustained minor injuries and Hernandez was taken to a hospital with critical injuries.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sylvia Ziranda for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this woman. They will be in my prayers. I also hope that Soltero recovers quickly and completely from his injuries.

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Three people have died in a Bakersfield car accident, which was caused by a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in the Bakersfield Californian, Herculano Hernandez, 23, was speeding east toward Delano on Highway 46 in a 2000 Ford the morning of January 1, 2010 when he rear-ended a Honda driven by 21-year-old Richard Jung. The Honda then crossed lanes into the path of a 2008 Chevy pickup driven by Carl Logan, 71, and the two vehicles crashed head-on. Jung and his mother, Hyun Kim, 49, who was a passenger in the Honda, both died at the scene. Logan and his wife Vivian Logan, 69, were taken to a hospital in critical condition. Carl Logan died later. Vivian Logan remains in serious condition with major injuries. Hernandez has been arrested on suspicion of DUI and vehicular manslaughter. He was uninjured.

I offer my deepest condolences to the families here that have lost their loved ones apparently due to the negligence and recklessness of one person. My heart goes out to the families and friends of Carl Logan, Hyun Kim and Richard Jung for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Please keep these victims and their grieving families in your prayers.

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A 41-year-old woman was killed in a Los Angeles car accident caused by a suspected drunk driver the morning of December 20, 2009, the Pasadena Star News reports. California Highway Patrol officials say 43-year-old Thomas E. Vanauken was driving a 2009 Acura MDX SUV on the 10 Freeway near Santa Anita Avenue, in El Monte. He was in the number one lane and traveling at a high rate of speed, possibly over 120 mph, according to eyewitnesses. The woman was also in the number one lane and in front of the Acura, driving a 1995 Mitsubishi with two passengers, when she slowed down for traffic ahead.

Vanauken's vehicle then rear-ended the Mitsubishi. She died shortly afterward at a local hospital. One of the passengers in the Mitsubishi, a 32-year-old woman sustained moderate injuries, while the other, a 35-year-old woman was uninjured. Vanauken sustained minor injuries and was booked on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, drunk driving causing death and felony drunk driving.

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A police officer has been injured in a Los Angeles car accident after he was struck by an 85-year-old driver in Van Nuys the afternoon of November 29, 2009. According to a news report in the Los Angeles Daily News, the officer had stopped to issue a citation to a motorist he had pulled over, when the elderly woman struck both the officer and the car that got pulled over. The collision threw the officer onto the driver's windshield, LAPD officials said. The officer sustained head injuries and was transported to an area hospital. He is listed in stable condition. The other person who was pulled over suffered a knee injury and was also taken to a hospital. The senior driver, who apparently caused the accident, was uninjured.

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Kasey Deckard, 36 was critically injured in a Portland car accident, which officials say, was caused by a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in The Oregonian, the serious injury collision occurred the evening of November 4, 2009 when Deckard's car collided with a 2005 Toyota Camry driven by 24-year-old Diana Bunch. The accident occurred in the 4800 block of Highway 101 in the South Beach area of Newport. Bunch was apparently driving her car north on the southbound lane without headlights on. Deckard was trapped in his 1995 Geo Metro. He sustained internal injuries, fractured legs, arms and pelvis. He remains in critical condition. Bunch was uninjured and has been charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, reckless endangering and second-degree assault.

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Taylor Marie Moss, 19, sustained critical injuries and is not expected to survive after a Los Angeles car accident involving a drunk driver who was going the wrong way on Highway 101 in Encino, the Ventura County Star reports. Hector J. Ortiz, 27, was apparently driving his car the wrong way on the northbound 101 near White Oak Avenue early morning on November 1, 2009 when he collided with Moss' car. Moss' two passengers were also injured and are said to be recovering at home. Ortiz has been charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and for driving under the influence causing death and injury.

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Alyssa Hendricks, a 6-year-old girl, was killed in a San Bernardino car accident, after a suspected drunk driver struck the car she was riding in, according to a news report in The Desert Sun. California Highway Patrol officials say on October 16, 2009, 52-year-old Ronald Simon was drifting in and out of the westbound lanes on Highway 62 in Morongo Valley when he veered into oncoming traffic. Simon, who was driving a 1997 Ford Explorer, collided with a 2003 Kia Spectra, which was driven by 26-year-old Cameron Hendricks. Alyssa, who was in the left rear seat of the Kia, was transported to a local hospital following the crash, where she died of her injuries. Cameron Hendricks was also taken to a hospital with major injuries. Simon was not injured and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

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Lance Corporal Robert T. Austin, 20, was killed in a San Diego car accident the morning of October 10, 2009 after he was struck by a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Austin, a U.S. Marine stationed in Twentynine Palms, was with a group of other Marines riding in a Jeep Cherokee that was involved in a minor crash. The Jeep was headed north on the 15 Freeway in Escondido when it was rear-ended by a driver of a Volvo, causing the Jeep to spin out of control. Austin and several others got out of the Jeep. Moments later, a Chevy Cavalier crashed into the Jeep. Austin was knocked off the freeway by the Cavalier and pushed down an embankment to the canyon below.

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Wayne Francis, 42, was killed in a San Diego car accident after a suspected drunk driver rear-ended his motorcycle at a Carlsbad intersection, 10news reports. Carlsbad police say Francis was stopped at a red light at Island Way when 41-year-old Keith Roles crashed his car into Francis' motorcycle. Roles suffered minor injuries and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter. Francis died shortly after the accident early morning October 10, 2009, of multiple blunt force injuries.

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A Rialto police officer suffered serious injuries in a San Bernardino car accident when a suspected drunk driver struck the officer's motorcycle. According to a news report in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the motorcycle accident occurred the afternoon of September 28, 2009 at the intersection of Riverside Avenue and Merrill Street in Rialto, California. Police said Joel Hill, 63, the driver of a Ford Tempo and the officer were both headed south on Riverside Avenue before their vehicles collided. A preliminary investigation showed that Hill was not speeding and did not run a red light, but he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Hill was not injured in the crash.

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Two people suffered critical injuries in a San Bernardino car accident the evening of September 24, 2009, after two cars collided head-on in Ontario, California. According to a news report in the San Bernardino Sun, a driver was speeding south on Vine Avenue and collided head-on into another vehicle. The impact caused the speeding vehicle to roll over. Three of its occupants were ejected onto the roadway. Ontario police say alcohol may have played a part in this car accident. The speeding motorist may have also turned off the car's headlights right before the car collision, police said. At least one person in the other vehicle was injured.

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Gerardo Perez, 32, suffered severe leg injuries in a San Diego car accident after he was struck by a suspected drunk driver near State Route 163 the morning of September 15, 2009. According to a 10news report, Perez was driving south on the highway when his 2000 Toyota Corolla came to a stop in the right-most lane. California Highway Patrol officials said Perez was pushing his vehicle onto the shoulder when he and his car were hit by a 1988 Honda Accord driven by 39-year-old Charlene June Festa. She was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving.

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Tyler Carmanati, 20, and Zachary Wilson, 21, sustained injuries in a California car accident the morning of September 6, 2007, which San Luis Obispo police say was caused by a drunk driver. According to a news article in the San Luis Obispo Tribune, 26-year-old Ian James Michaelson is accused of crashing his car into another car occupied by Carmanati and Wilson. Michaelson was headed north on California Boulevard and apparently, speeding, when the crash occurred.

Michaelson's tires left skid marks that measured more than 90 feet to the point he crashed into the rear of the other car. Michaelson also left the scene of the accident, but police caught up with him and arrested him. He has been charged with drunk driving and felony hit-and-run.

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