Traffic Accident News

George Loudon, 32, was killed in a Los Angeles car accident involving a hit-and-run driver. According to a news report in the Daily Breeze, the fatal bicycle accident occurred on Vista del Mar south of Hyperion Way in El Segundo, the early morning of July 4, 2011. Loudon was heading north on his bicycle when a car struck him from behind. Loudon was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Officials say limited visibility on the street may have been a factor because the bicyclist was wearing dark clothing and the accident occurred before sunrise. Authorities are searching for the driver responsible for the crash.

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Was there a serious bicycle verses auto collision on Pacific Coast Highway, in Newport Beach this morning, June 12, 2011 at about 10:45 am? Did a bicyclist out for a Sunday morning ride on north PCH have some type of accident or medical emergency?

Continue reading "Bicyclist Taken By Ambulance From PCH, Newport Beach Bicycle Accident Scene?" »

Mark Paul Thompson, 27, was killed in a San Diego motorcycle accident after he lost control of his 2008 Honda motorcycle and crashed. According to a news report in The Press-Enterprise, the fatal injury accident occurred the afternoon of February 21, 2011 in the 16000 block of Highland Valley Road in Ramona. Thompson was riding his Honda motorcycle when he lost control and was thrown off his bike. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials are investigating the cause of this fatal motorcycle accident.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family members and friends of Mark Paul Thompson for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

San Diego Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol's 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were 51 fatalities and 1,081 injuries involving motorcycle accidents in San Diego County. Also, during the same year, 246 people died and 13,527 were injured as a result of San Diego County car accidents.

Continue reading "U.S. Marine Killed in San Diego Motorcycle Accident" »

Five people were injured in a major Riverside car accident that may have been caused by one of the drivers failing to yield right-of-way. According to a news report in The Desert Sun, the injury car accident occurred at the intersection of Pierson Boulevard and Highway 62 in Desert Hot Springs the night of December 12, 2010. Police report Rigoberko Landeros, 73, who was driving a 2002 Dodge Ram, failed to yield right-of- way to 20-year-old Joseph Michael Schabow Jr., who was driving a Toyota Tacoma. The two vehicles collided and five people suffered injuries. One person was critically injured, three sustained moderate injuries and one person suffered relatively minor injuries.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone injured in this Riverside car accident. I wish them all a complete and speedy recovery from their injuries.

Riverside Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), three people were killed and seven were injured in Desert Hot Springs car accidents. In Riverside County as a whole, 220 deaths and 8,561 injuries were reported as a result of car accidents during the same year.

Right-of-Way Issues

At this intersection, which is apparently monitored by stop signs, drivers on Pierson must stop and yield the right-of-way to motorists on Highway 62. California law requires drivers to come to a complete stop at a stop sign and proceed with caution.

Continue reading "Riverside Car Accident Involves Right-of-Way Issues" »

Brandi Lynn Sutton, a 24-year-old woman, who suffered serious injuries in a Newport Beach car accident, has filed a claim against the city for a dangerous roadway condition. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, Sutton was in a crosswalk at the intersection of West Balboa Boulevard and 26th Street when she was hit by a taxi. Sutton says that the crosswalk was poorly lit, causing the accident. She broke both bones in her lower leg and suffered a concussion, knee, back and elbow injuries.

Continue reading "Newport Beach Car Accident Victim Alleges Dangerous Roadway Condition" »

Laura Hanson, 49, was killed in a Ventura car accident the morning of October 19, 2009 on Highway 33, the Ventura County Star reports. Her 8-year-old son, who was a passenger, sustained injuries that appeared to be minor, California Highway Patrol officials said. Hanson was driving south on the highway when her SUV began to fishtail and crashed off the freeway south of Nye Road. The SUV then rolled down a wooded embankment and hit a tree. Hanson was pronounced dead at the scene and her son, whose name was not released, was transported to an area hospital. Both Hanson and her son were wearing seatbelts. Investigators say Hanson was driving out of the Edison Drive curve at 35 to 40 mph when she crashed. The highway was also wet at the time, officials said.

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Many are saying that a poorly designed freeway transition at the 605 and 10 freeways in Baldwin Park has caused many dangerous big-rig accidents. According to this news report in the Pasadena Star News, since July 27, 2008, at least five trucks have tipped within a few hundred feet of a transition road between the two interstates. A look further back in time shows a similar record, with truck after truck overturning at that same interchange.

The 605 and 10 interchange is also apparently the 19th busiest freeway interchange in California. About 438,000 vehicles use it daily. California Highway Patrol officials are saying that truck drivers simply need to slow down to avoid chaos at that interchange. Big-rig drivers say these California truck accidents occur because of other “rude drivers.” But the obvious question that jumps out here is: Why do big rigs specifically topple at this interchange?

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The family of Anthony Nicholas Narigi is suing Monterey County for alleged design flaws on South Boundary Road. Narigi, a 21-year-old Salinas man, was killed in a rollover accident on July 22, 2007 outside Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The suit also alleges that the 2002 GMC Yukon Denali in which Narigi was a passenger, had design flaws and that it was modified before it was purchased. Our source for this blog is a news report in the Salinas Herald.

Narigi was killed in the 7/22/07 rollover crash when he and his 18-year-old brother Dominick John Paul Narigi were driving from the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix races at Laguna Seca. The younger brother suffered serious injuries in the accident. Although California Highway Patrol officials initially said alcohol played a role, prosecutors later said there was no evidence to show that Dominick Narigi was drinking or intoxicated. The lawsuit alleges Dominick suffered permanent physical and emotional injuries as a result of road design and vehicle suspension defects.

The road where Narigi was driving was a recently paved roadway with inadequate signs, according to court documents. The lawsuit also states that the SUV’s lifted suspension was held in place by leather straps, which broke and threw the vehicle on its side. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors denied a claim for $6 million from Dominick Narigi and his parents, Roxane and John Narigi.

Continue reading "Family Files Suit Against Monterey County for Hazardous Roadway" »

Marc Anthony Daneo, 48, died in a Trabuco Canyon motorcycle accident on Sept. 21 after he lost control of his Harley Davidson and struck a tree on Live Oak Canyon Road.
According to an article in The Orange County Register, Daneo, a Lake Forest resident, is not the first motorcycle rider to suffer fatal injuries on this roadway. Apparently, the narrow road is filled with memorials for people who have lost their lives in various auto accidents along the scenic, yet dangerous Orange County roadway.

Daneo was reportedly riding a Harley Davidson south on Live Oak Canyon when, for some unknown reason, he lost control of his motorcycle. Daneo went down with his Harley, slid along the roadway and hit a tree on the right shoulder of the road. The spot where Daneo lost control of his Harley on Live Oak Canyon, just south of Shelter Canyon Road was known to be particularly treacherous.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Marc Anthony Daneo and the families of other motorists who have suffered tragic losses as a result of this dangerous roadway.

Continue reading "Trabuco Canyon Motorcycle Accident Caused by Dangerous Roadway" »

Residents in one La Verne neighborhood say that the city made a big mistake by not putting a permanent traffic signal at a dangerous intersection, which continues to claim the lives of innocent victims. Most recently, 86-year-old Hugh McCrabbe of San Dimas who was killed Sept. 8 in a three-car collision at the intersection of Fruit Street and Baseline Road. Resident Mike Manson says the city has simply not taken crash statistics on this dangerous roadway seriously. Our source for this blog is an article in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

McCrabbe reportedly failed to yield to oncoming traffic. He was then side swiped by another vehicle and pushed into a third vehicle. McCrabbe was pronounced dead at an area hospital. Neighbors call this intersection a “deathtrap.” Some neighbors say the intersection needs a traffic light. Others say the city should lower the speed limit there from 40 mph to 25 mph.

But the bottom line in this case is that the city had the information about this dangerous La Verne intersection and did not take steps to prevent accidents. City officials say they now have funding to get a traffic light there within the next six months, but residents like Manson are skeptical.

Continue reading "Dangerous Intersection in La Verne Continues To Claim Lives" »