Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Driver Cited After Hitting Broadway Teen Bicyclist

Drivers need to be cautious when driving near residential or public areas as they should anticipate teens and children on their bicycles playing or going to school.
Unfortunately, a man, whose identity was not released, recently became one of those drivers who failed to recognize these dangers as he hit a 16-year-old riding his bike in Irvine Avenue.

According to reports, the boy was biking at Broadway when he was hit and injured by a Jeep Wrangler near the Eastside neighborhood. He was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian with bumps and abrasions but he did not appear to have any serious injuries.

The driver was cited and released after cooperating with authorities and answered questions about the bicycle accident.

It wasn’t clear whether the Wrangler’s driver was speeding but residents of the neighborhood had been complaining about speeding motorists along Broadway as they endanger kids who are either walking or biking to school.

In fact, the federal government has given $1 million to the city’s transportation department so that traffic-calming measures will be added to Broadway. The city is currently designing the project that will narrow down Broadway so that drivers would have to slow down. The road project is expected to be finished in 2012.

Fortunately, the teen only sustained the injuries he had as it could have been a lot worse if the driver was going at a high speed and run the boy over.

Nonetheless, he should compensate the losses incurred by the teen by paying for the hospitalization and medication as well as other expenses that resulted from this accident.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Suspected Drunken Driver Crashes into Ambulance, Injures Four Paramedics

Ambulances are used to transport people who need immediate medical attention to the hospital. People who drive this vehicle needed to use lights and sirens in order for other road users to be aware of their presence.

A suspected drunken driver who failed to see an ambulance or hear its siren crashed into it, causing at least four paramedics to sustain injuries.

According to reports, the accident occurred in Huntington Beach on Friday afternoon. The ambulance was turning onto Bolsa Chica Street as it was on its way out of a neighborhood along Tasman Drive when it was suddenly hit by a Toyota pickup.

Authorities said two Orange County Fire Authority paramedics and two Huntington Beach Fire Department ambulance drivers sustained minor injuries and were rushed to the hospital to be treated.

Meanwhile, the patient was fortunately spared from injuries and was brought to a hospital using a different ambulance.

However, the pickup driver Tristan Johnson, 36, from Bellflower was uninjured in the crash. He was arrested on suspicion of DUI, said reports.

It is fortunate that no one was seriously or fatally injured in the accident. In order to avoid accidents caused by drunk driving, drivers are advised to follow these tips:

• Avoid drinking at parties or other social gatherings, especially if you are going to drive afterwards
• Know your limit
• If you need to drink at an event, ask your friend or relative to drive your vehicle
• If you are already drunk and no one is there to drive your vehicle, you can take a cab in order to get home