Tuesday, July 31, 2012

California Freeway Construction Accident Deaths Continue

In only a matter of days, two accidents have happened in two different construction sites of the California Freeway.

The first accident occurred last July 22 at the 405 Freeway in Torrance. According to reports, two construction workers were killed while one sustained minor injuries after two suspected drunken drivers plowed into the area of the freeway where men were doing a repaving project. The two construction workers who died from the incident were identified as Ramon Lopez, 56, and Ricardo Zamora, 58.

On Tuesday, another accident happened, this time in the 10 Freeway in San Bernardino. At least two construction workers were injured after a minivan driven by David Sanders, 32, with his dog on the passenger seat plowed into the construction zone and slammed into the back of a Caltrans truck while the construction workers were picking up cones. The driver of the minivan and his dog were pronounced dead while the two construction workers were transported to Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center for their minor injuries sustained.

Caltrans claimed that the two construction workers that were killed from the accident cannot be added to any Caltrans memorial since those men were unfortunately not state employees.

Although it was only the second freeway construction accident for the month, if counting back on the accidents that occurred in the previous months and even years, it shows that freeway construction accidents are becoming a serious problem in the Golden State.

Incidentally, there are lots of causes of construction accidents that may occur in Freeway, and whether the victims are Caltrans workers or not, such people still deserve protection from such perilous situations. Construction workers are the most vulnerable in such freeway accidents since they were in a zone wherein they were surrounded by speeding vehicle, reminded a Los Angeles construction accident lawyer.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Usher’s Stepson Dies Due to Brain Injury

After two weeks in life support, Usher’s stepson Kile Glover died early Saturday morning after the boy’s mother and Usher’s ex-wife, Tameka Foster, decided to make a tough decision to remove his life support.

Usher’s 11-year-old stepson was declared brain dead by doctors in an Atlanta hospital after a tragic jet ski accident at Lake Lanier last July 7.

According to reports, Kile and his 15-year-old friend were playing in an inner tube while being pulled by a speed boat when a 38-year-old man in jet ski struck them. As a result of which, Kile sustained severe brain injury and was in fact unconscious as he was being taken off the water while his friend likewise sustained brain injury and a broken arm but her condition was not as severe as Kile.

Since the incident, no brain activity had been observed from Kile. Therefore, doctors were prompted to declare him as brain dead. Actually, as early as Kile’s first week in the hospital, his family was suggested to decide whether or not to take off his life support system.

Probably, it is the toughest decision that a parent, particularly a mother like Tameka, could ever do. Meanwhile, Usher and the young boy during the latter’s lifetime maintained a close relationship with each other. In fact, Usher loved the boy too much and raised him like his own during his relationship with Tameka.

Now, Usher was said to be surrounding himself with loved-ones to help him ease the emotional pain brought by Kile’s death. Although they weren’t able to save Kile’s life, at least Usher and Kile’s real family wouldn’t have regrets since they did everything they thought that could save the young boy, especially Usher who even rented a private plane for Tameka when the news broke out just to bring her on her son’s side during those difficult times.

Such circumstances are the reason why brain injury law is very significant nowadays. People are becoming aggressive and a brain injury may be unavoidable not only in car accidents but also in jet ski accidents like this one.

A Los Angeles injury attorney reminds people that even a simple accident such as a simple head bump can make a major impact on one’s life, and worst, it can lead to a tragic accident like what happened with Usher’s stepson.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Twilight Fan Dies from Pedestrian Accident during Comic-Con Event

While having a busy day promoting the vampire franchise’s final film, “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” The Twilight cast members, together with their fans, are likewise mourning after the tragic pedestrian accident that happened to one of its diehard fans during a Comic-Con event.

The 53-year-old fan was identified as Gisele Gagliardi, of Kingston, New York, who was known to be a diehard fan of Twilight for years and who was always present in every Twilight event.

Unfortunately, while Gagliardi was apparently on her way to preserve a place for the popular convention last Tuesday, fate had moved its way against her. Gagliardi was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street against the fast approaching traffic, according to police report.

Initial investigation revealed that Gagliardi, although crossing in a legal crosswalk, had ran a red light when she tried to run alone across Harbor Drive towards the San Diego Convention Center, where the Comic-Con event is being held. Harbor Drive is a very busy street with two lanes on both sides. Obviously, it is quite risky to cross the street while the red light is on.

According to police, Gagliardi tried to stop as she saw the Subaru Outback SUV approaching towards her, but she accidentally tripped and hit the side of the vehicle. As a result of which, Gagliardi was knocked unconscious and sustained head injury. She was then transported to a hospital but was later pronounced dead. The Simpson-Gaus Funeral Home in Kingston confirmed Gagliardi’s death.

News report said that according to police, the driver who hit Gagliardi has been cooperative with the investigation. However, the driver will not be charged over the incident since Gagliardi was at fault when she crossed the street on a red light.

Several Twilight stars and other staff members are sending their condolences to the family and friends of Gagliardi. Also, fans are offering their moment of silence for Gagliardi. In addition, the Twilight film’s producers, on behalf of Lionsgate and Summit, also released a statement about the die-hard fan’s death, saying the entire Twilight community was saddened by the death of a fan caused by a traffic accident during the moments leading up to this year’s convention in San Diego.

We all know that drivers of motor vehicles are given the responsibility of abiding by traffic laws and should drive in a safe and attentive manner at all times. However, although motorists are required to yield right of way to pedestrians on a crosswalk, in cases like Gagliardi’s, it is not lawful for pedestrians to use the crosswalk at any time they desire since there are traffic lights placed in crosswalks for pedestrians to follow, explained a Los Angeles pedestrian accident lawyer.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Coca-Cola Delivery Truck Involved in Anaheim Intersection Accident that Leaves 2 Injured

At least two people were left injured after a vehicle accident occurred last Monday in an Anaheim intersection.

According to police, it was about 2:50 in the afternoon when they arrived at the Lincoln Avenue and Rio Vista Street intersection to respond to a call from a witness who reported a collision that involved a white Ford Aerostar and a Coca-Cola delivery truck.

Reports said that the male driver and a female passenger of the minivan were transported to the UCI Medical Center in Orange County with severe injuries. Meanwhile, the driver of the delivery truck was unscathed, according to police.

Initial investigation revealed that the minivan was traveling south-bound on Rio Vista, while the delivery truck was heading west-bound on Lincoln when the accident occurred. Based on police report, the minivan ran a red light and broadsided the delivery truck.

Portions of Lincoln and Rio Vista have been temporarily closed while the investigation was on-going.

Similar to this case, trucks are not always at fault during vehicle accidents. In some instances, other vehicles are at fault. This is due to a simple reason—trucks being a huge vehicle, have the disadvantage of not seeing everything that is happening below, particularly the smaller cars traveling along its sides. Therefore, truck accidents are often unavoidable.

Trucks are huge; therefore, they tend to accumulate momentum much more than any other vehicle as they pick up speed according to the laws of physics, said by a Los Angeles injury lawyer. This makes trucks particularly prone to accidents.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Safe Driving Tips to Avoid Automobile Accidents during Summer

In the U.S., summer season usually begins the day after Memorial Day and ends the day before the autumn equinox, or September 21 to be exact.

During the summer season, children are usually out of school. Oftentimes, summer is the best time to spend vacation with the family or friends.

However, as you go on a long road trip for a vacation during summer, there are lots of distractions that may come along. Long road distractions include traffic snarls, road construction, detours and hand held devices, road impediments, loud noise, and the like.

Despite the different road mishaps that accompany summer road trips, there are a lot of safe driving tips to help you avoid automobile accidents, such as:

•    Avoid stress. Surprisingly, one of the best ways to stay alert while driving is to avoid fatigue. For one, you should avoid skipping meals, particularly breakfast, during a long-road trip. Also, try to have some warm-up and stretching before and during travel.

•    Have a co-driver. It is also best if you will have someone to share the driving task to avoid being over-fatigued.

•    Set some safety rules with your co-driver before switching on the ignition key. Such rules should keep you off from different kinds of driving distractions like using hand-held devices, talking with the passengers, eating, drinking, and using other electronic gadgets or devices.

•    Always wear your seat belt. In an automobile accident, victims that were thrown out of the vehicle were those who did not wear seat belts.  Wearing seat belt is the best defense against any traffic collision.

•    Do not drink and drive. Each day, in every 45 minutes, at least one person dies in a drunk-driving related accident. Therefore, you should establish self-discipline, avoid drinking liquor before you drive, or if you can’t avoid drinking, have someone to replace you from driving.

On the other hand, distracted driving is the most common cause of automobile accidents. In fact, about 80 percent of traffic collisions and 65 percent of near-crashes involve some form of distraction while driving.

Consequently, a Los Angeles automobile accident attorney reminded motorists that negligence is the most causative factor of personal injury and automobile accidents. Oftentimes, unexpected incidents and collisions occur for no obvious reason. Therefore, drivers are encouraged to obey proper precautionary measures to avoid traffic misfortune for an enjoyable summer trip.