Isaac Cory Buchanan, 20, suffered major head injuries in a Rancho Cucamonga car accident after he was struck by an SUV at a street intersection while riding his skateboard. According to a news report in The Press-Enterprise, the major injury collision occurred at Palm Drive and 19th Street in Rancho Cucamonga on October 30, 2012. Police say Buchanan was riding south on Palm Drive when a Toyota SUV driven by a woman that was westbound on 19th Street, hit him. He suffered severe head trauma and was airlifted to an area hospital. The driver was transported to a hospital as well for treatment of chest pain. The investigation is ongoing.

My thoughts and prayers are with Isaac Cory Buchanan who sustained severe injuries in this crash. I wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.

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September 25, 2012--Riverside, CA—A 7-year-old suffered serious head injury in an accident between a Razor-type scooter and a pickup truck on Friday, the Press Enterprise reports.  The pedestrian accident took place around 5:00 p.m. on September 21.

The young girl allegedly hit the side of a pickup while riding her scooter on Climbing Rose Drive near Scarlet Sage Way, according to Riverside County sheriff’s officials.  She was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, and was taken to a local hospital with critical injuries.  No one in the pickup truck was injured.

Authorities have called in the Moreno Valley Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team to study the evidence from the crash.  Anyone with information is asked to contact the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s office.

My prayers and thoughts go out to this young victim and I hope she will have a speedy and full recovery.

Scooter and Skateboard Accidents Affect Youth

The United States Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that about 15,000 people each year suffer head injuries on kick scooters and about 18,500 suffer head injuries from skateboards.  The majority of these accidents involve people who are not wearing helmets.  In fact, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that 95 percent of fatalities for bicycles and other “pedi-cycle” devices occur with people who are not wearing helmets.

Clearly these figures have implications for youth, who are most likely to use Razor-type scooters, skateboards, and other wheeled conveyances, and who are least likely to wear helmets without parental supervision or intervention.  There seems to be a false sense of security attached to scooters and skateboards because children can keep one foot on the ground while operating them, but as this story shows, losing control of a scooter or skateboard can have effects as serious as those of losing control of a bicycle.

Will This Driver Be Charged?

The wording of the news story indicates that the authorities are not considering the driver to be at fault in this accident.  Therefore, it is unlikely, unless the accident investigation reveals new information, that the driver will be charged with criminal activity in this accident.

What About Liability?

Liability, however, is a different issue.  It is the responsibility of drivers under California law to avoid collisions with pedestrians.  A professional pedestrian accident attorney in Riverside should examine the facts of this case and determine if the girl’s family can collect damages to pay for her injuries.

July 25, 2012—Los Angeles, CA—According to ABC News sources, police are still searching for the hit-and-run driver that caused a fatal pedestrian accident in Koreatown on Saturday.

Dough Harden, 42, was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital after being run down by an SUV on Olympic Boulevard near Norton Avenue.  Harden's girlfriend said that he ran across the street outside the crosswalk where several vehicles stopped for him to cross; however, an SUV came around the cars on the right, struck him, and fled the scene.  Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage to see if they can identify the driver of the car.

My sincere condolences go out to Mr. Harden's girlfriend and family on their loss.

Accident Statistics

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, most pedestrian accidents occur outside of crosswalks and in urban areas.  Of the 4,000 or so pedestrian fatalities that occur each year in the United States, 72 percent are killed in urban areas and 76 percent are killed in non-intersection locations.  While around 70 percent of pedestrian accidents happen at night, when visibility is low, about one out of every three pedestrian accidents occurs in the daytime.

What Happened In This Accident

While most pedestrian accidents take place outside of crosswalks, this in no way relieves drivers of their responsibility to yield to pedestrians.  Pedestrians are safest in crosswalks, without doubt, but they still have the right of way when crossing roads against traffic.  It is the responsibility of drivers to watch out for pedestrians, not the other way around. Read More

June 23, 2012—Los Angeles, CA—In a bizarre but increasingly common scenario, a pedestrian was killed when not one but two separate vehicles hit him then left the scene of the accident, according to ABC News.

Los Angeles police stated that a 66-year-old male was crossing Central Avenue in Exposition Park on June 17 when he was struck by a silver Pontiac Grand Am.  As witnesses rushed to render aid, a green Chevy Suburban struck the man, dragging him for some distance before fleeing the scene.  The victim was pronounced dead by rescue workers.  Witnesses stated that the victim was crossing in a marked crosswalk when the accident occurred.  Police are asking anyone with information on either vehicle to contact the LAPD.

My sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to the family of this unfortunate man.

Accident Statistics

The American Automobile Association conducted a study in 2003 that determined that one in ten accidents involves a hit-and-run driver.  About 60 percent of people killed in hit-and-run accidents are pedestrians, according to this report, and about one out of five pedestrian fatalities involves a hit-and-run driver.  Hit-and-runs tend to be more common with pedestrian accidents than with other types of collisions.

What Happened In This Accident

Although the details are slim at this point, it appears that the first hit-and-run accident was a “true” hit-and-run collision with all the elements of a typical pedestrian accident of this type.  The pedestrian was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk when a speeding car hit him, causing severe injury.  The second collision, however, is more unusual in that a crowd of bystanders attempted to help the victim after the first collision and the second driver still hit and dragged the victim.  This is more unusual in that it is unlikely the driver did not see the victim or the crowd that had gathered to render aid.

Liability Issues

While both drivers clearly have liability in this case, it is more complicated to determine which vehicle actually caused the death of the pedestrian.  This is an important question not only from a liability standpoint but also from the point of view of criminal responsibility.  The driver that caused the man’s death may be charged with vehicular manslaughter, and the other driver may only be charged with hit-and-run in one possible scenario.

Clearly a professional personal injury attorney will be needed to sort out the liability questions if the drivers who perpetrated this act are found.

May 29, 2012--Westminster, CA--A 74-year-old woman was the victim of a pedestrian accident late Wednesday morning, according to the Orange County Register.

Chuyen Nguyen was taken to a local hospital after being struck in the parking lot of the Saigon City Supermarket on Brookhurst Street in Westminster.  Although paramedics responded immediately, Nguyen was pronounced dead later that afternoon at the hospital from internal injuries.

Authorities believe that Nguyen and her husband were attempting to cross the parking lot when a car backing out of parking space struck her.  The 61-year-old man who was driving the car stayed at the scene to speak to police, who believe he honestly did not see the woman when he backed up.  No arrests have been made at this time.

My sincere condolences go out to the Nguyen family on this terrible loss.

Accident Statistics

While it is less common for adults to be killed in parking lots or driveways by backing cars, it is very common for children to suffer this type of fatality.  Fully 30 percent of all pedestrian accidents are children under the age of 15 years, and at least half of these involve backing vehicles.  It is likely that this statistical jump could also be applied to older people, especially those who are small in stature, as most of these accidents occur when someone does not see a child or adult behind the car as they are attempting to back up. Read More

The value of a Waco personal injury claim is ultimately based on the damages a victim may receive. Legally speaking, the term “damages” refers to money claimed by a victim, or conversely, the amount of money ordered to be paid to a person as injury compensation. Texas law recognizes two distinct classes of damages in a personal injury matter: General Damages and Special Damages.

General damages, or sometimes referred to as non-economic damages, are used to quantify a loss that does not have a tangible value associated with it. These damages are subjective in nature and vary depending on the situation and the person claiming them.
A few examples of General Damages are: Read More

March 7, 2012--San Francisco, CA--A little girl was struck by a Jeep this morning as she and her mother attempted to cross a street near San Francisco's Polk Gulch area. The pedestrian accident, which sent the 5-year-old to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, occurred around 8 a.m. near the corner of Frank Norris Street and Larkin Street, according to San Francisco police. The young girl and her mother were crossing an alley between two parked cars when the Jeep, driven by an unidentified woman in her 40s, struck the child. No citations were issued, according to police, although the incident remains under investigation.

I want to express my sincere wishes for the speedy recovery of this young girl and my sympathies to her family during this stressful time.

Pedestrian Accident Statistics

Children represent 16 percent of all non-fatal pedestrian accidents in the State of California, according to the California Department of Health Services. Among children over the age of two, injuries to boys outnumber injuries to girls by about two to one. Most of the injuries in the age group two to six years of age were traffic-related as opposed to non-traffic accidents in parking lots or driveways. Read More

A car accident in Fullerton involving an elderly driver resulted in major injuries for a woman and her two children, ages 9 and 6. The Orange County Register reports that the pedestrian accident occurred when the woman and her children were walking in a crosswalk at the intersection of Rolling Hills Drive and Puente Street the afternoon of February 14, 2012. They were struck by a vehicle driven by a 90-year-old woman. Police are looking into why the elderly driver struck the pedestrians in a crosswalk and if a medical condition caused her groggy condition at the time. The victims suffered serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

My thoughts and prayers are with the injured victims of this pedestrian accident. I pray that they recover swiftly and fully from whatever injuries they have sustained.

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A car accident in Ventura left a pedestrian in critical condition. The Ventura County Star reports that the injury collision happened near the intersection of Spring Road and Los Angeles Avenue in Moorpark the afternoon of February 1, 2012. Police say a female driver was pulling out of a parking lot when she hit the male pedestrian. The man was critically injured and transported to a local hospital for treatment. Officials are still looking into what caused this accident.

My thoughts and prayers are with the seriously injured pedestrian. I hope he recovers swiftly and fully from whatever injuries he has sustained.

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A car accident in Riverside County proved fatal for 44-year-old Brigitte Jasso. The Press-Enterprise reports that the fatal collision happened near the intersection of Indio Boulevard and Biskra Street the night of January 26, 2012. Jasso was initially struck by a motorcycle and then a black Ford Taurus. She died at the scene. The motorcyclist also sustained injuries. There have been no arrests or citations pending an official investigation.

My heartfelt sympathies go out to everyone who knew and loved Brigitte Jasso for their devastating loss. They will be in my prayers.

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