Shane Marquez Vargas, 32, was critically injured in a Ventura car accident after he was struck by a vehicle the afternoon of August 11, 2010. According to a news report in the Ventura County Star, the major injury pedestrian collision occurred near the intersection of Gonzales Road and Oxnard Boulevard in Oxnard. Police say 83-year-old Luningning Diaz Angeles was driving east on Gonzales Road when she struck Vargas. Some witnesses told police that Vargas had run into traffic between several vehicles. Vargas sustained severe head injuries in the crash. Angeles was uninjured. An investigation is ongoing. More

Gregg Haskell, 57, was killed in a motorcycle accident in the Modesto area after he lost control of his 2004 Harley-Davidson and crashed, the Modesto Bee reports. The fatal motorcycle crash occurred the evening of May 12, 2010 when Haskell was riding his motorcycle east on Orange Blossom Road near Horseshoe Road. California Highway Patrol officials said Haskell drifted off the road and into the dirt shoulder as he rode through a moderate curve. The motorcycle hit the curb and Haskell was ejected from his bike. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he died. More

A jury has awarded $30 million in a wrongful death lawsuit against Northern California based Horizon West Healthcare Inc. According to an Associated Press news report, the verdict in the civil case comes soon after a Sacramento County Superior Court jury found Colonial Healthcare of Auburn and its parent company, Horizon West, guilty of elder abuse in connection with the 2005 death of Frances Tanner. In addition to awarding $1.1 million in compensatory damages, jurors decided in the civil case that the nursing home companies should pay $28 million in punitive damages to Tanner's estate and her daughter, Elizabeth Pao. More

Police in the San Francisco Bay Area are looking for a driver who they say was involved in a hit-and-run collision that killed 35-year-old Victor Diaz and 56-year-old Phillip Coston on April 16, 2010. The Contra Costa Times reports that the collision occurred when a Ford going east on Buchanan Road attempted to make a left turn onto Brookside Drive and struck a Dodge. The driver of the Dodge, Diaz, and Coston, a passenger in the Ford, were killed. The driver of the Ford ran away from the scene of the crash. Police are looking for this individual and say that he will likely face felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter charges. More

A man was injured in a bicycle accident when he was hit by a vehicle on a San Diego street. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the injury crash happened on April 14, 2010, in the 2700 block of Kurtz Street. The injured man was taken to an area hospital. The extent or seriousness of his injuries is not known. Police say that this bicycle versus minivan collision occurred in the Midway District area. An investigation is ongoing. More

One person sustained injuries in an Anaheim car accident, after a driver fell asleep at the wheel and rear-ended another vehicle. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the injury collision occurred the morning of April 2, 2010 in the westbound lanes of the 91 Freeway, near Lemon Street, in Anaheim. California Highway Patrol officials said the driver of a Toyota Corolla fell asleep at the wheel while driving in the number three lane. When traffic slowed, he rear-ended a GMC truck. More

As California car accident attorneys, the issue of distracted driving has always been on our radar. It is a mounting concern with the availability of wireless hand held devices and their widespread use. More and more states are banning the use of hand held cell phones and texting while driving. But today, federal officials have issued a new rule banning truck drivers, bus drivers and other commercial drivers from texting while driving. According to a news report in the San Jose Mercury News, truckers and other commercial operators who text while driving, may be subject to criminal or civil penalties of up to $2,750. More

A motorcycle accident has critically injured a man identified as 24-year-old Tommy Cockerham. The major injury car accident occurred on the eastbound Highway 62 in Twentynine Palms where Cockerham was riding his 2009 Harley Davidson the evening of November 11, 2009. Cockerham's motorcycle then ran into a large duffel bag on the highway. He lost control of his motorcycle and crashed. Cockerham was taken to an area hospital where he is listed in critical condition.
More

Officials said a 23-year-old man died in a Los Angeles car accident after he lost control of his Ford SUV. The Signal newspaper reported that the SUV rolled over when its driver was going north on Highway 14 in the Antelope Valley north of Red Rover Mine on October 30, 2009. The Ford SUV apparently drifted off the roadway and slammed into a guardrail and a sign. The driver died at the scene, California Highway Patrol officials said. An investigation is ongoing.
More