Franchesca Bredwick, 40, of Yucca Valley, was injured in a San Bernardino car accident involving a hit-and-run driver. According to a news report in The Desert Trail, the hit-and-run accident occurred on Indian Trail east of Morongo Road in Twentynine Palms the afternoon of January 17, 2012. Officials say Valentin Gonzalez, 18, was driving a black 2005 Nissan Altima when a red mid-1990s Honda or Toyota type four-door sedan veered into his lane of traffic. Gonzalez swerved to the right and his vehicle overturned on the dirt shoulder. Bredwick suffered a broken wrist in the crash. The driver and his 2-year-old sister were not injured. Officials are asking for help to find the hit-and-run driver. Anyone with information is asked to contact CHP at 760-366-3707.

My thoughts and prayers are with Franchesca Bredwick following this hit-and-run car accident. I wish her the very best for a quick and complete recovery and I’m relieved to hear Gonzalez and his young sister were not injured.

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Victor Arenas, 20, was killed in a Ventura car accident, which officials say involved a suspected drunk driver. According to a news report in The Ventura County Star, the fatal car crash occurred along the 101 Highway near the Faria Beach campground in Ventura, the morning of January 15, 2012. Officials say 20-year-old Abram Pineda of Santa Paula may have been under the influence of alcohol when he lost control of the vehicle, in which Arenas was a passenger, and crashed into an RV.

Arenas died at the scene of the crash. Pineda and Anthony Daniel Saenz, 20, suffered minor injuries. Passengers in the motor home, 72-year old Peggy Booth, 66-year old James Booth, and Clara Glanville, 56, also sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Pineda was arrested after attempting to flee the scene on foot.

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Ray Rogers, 67, was killed in a Modesto car accident, which police say, involved a hit-and-run driver. According to a News 10 report, the fatal hit-and-run accident occurred at the intersection of Sutter Avenue and Rouse Avenue in Modesto, the morning of January 6, 2012. Officials say Rogers was crossing the road on his bicycle when a white pickup truck struck him. He succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital. Officials are asking for the public's help to find this hit-and-run driver. An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 209-652-2260 or send a text message anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 274637 and type "TIP704" with the message.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Ray Rogers following this tragic hit-and-run car accident. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Bicycle Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), Modesto bicycle accidents claimed the life of one person and injured 73. Throughout Stanislaus County, there was one fatality and 134 injuries reported due to bicycle accidents during the same year.

Hit-and-Run Accidents

Based on this news report, the driver of the white pickup hit the bicyclist and then drove away without calling the authorities or stopping to offer help. Appalling! Leaving the scene of an accident when someone has been hurt is not only inhumane and irresponsible, but it is also illegal.

California Vehicle Code Section 20001 (a) states: "The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident."

Holding Hit-and-Run Drivers Accountable

Officials are searching for the driver and the white pickup involved in this crash. If you have any information about this accident, please visit our web site, www.hitandrunreward.com. Our site allows witnesses to provide an anonymous tip and also become eligible to receive a $1,000 reward.

The family of a deceased hit-and-run victim would be well advised to seek the counsel of an experienced Modesto personal injury lawyer, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected. A skilled car accident attorney will be able to better inform families in such cases about how their own auto insurance policy applies to an incident where the suspect is not found, or, in a crash where the at-fault motorist is uninsured or underinsured.

Michelle Simmons is offering a $1,500 cash reward to anyone that can help her locate the hit-and-run driver responsible for causing the San Francisco area car accident that resulted in serious injuries for her and a passenger. The hit-and-run car accident occurred the evening of November 29, 2011 on Watsonville Road in the unincorporated Gilroy area of Santa Clara.

According to The Morgan Hill Times, Simmons was driving a Honda convertible and rounding a blind curve when her vehicle approached a car in her lane of traffic. The vehicle clipped the front of her Honda sending it spinning into a telephone pole and down a roadside ravine. Simmons suffered a leg injury and burns to her face. Her passenger sustained a broken back and both of them still suffer from whiplash-related back problems. Simmons is offering the reward to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the hit-and-run driver in this case.

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A San Diego car accident, which fatally injured 48-year-old Marciano Mendoza Cruz, may have been caused by a hit-and-run driver. According to a news report in The San Diego Union-Tribune, the fatal car accident occurred on the 15 Freeway at Route 78 in Escondido, the morning of December 12, 2011. Officials say Cruz was a passenger in a 1999 BMW being driven by his daughter, Anallely Mendoza, 20. Officials say Anallely Mendoza was driving too fast and lost control of the vehicle sending it spinning into the path of a Ford Econoline van. The van hit the BMW on the passenger side and the father sustained fatal injuries. Officials were getting ready to charge the daughter for reckless driving.

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Police are searching for a driver who fled the scene of a San Diego car accident that proved fatal for 40-year-old Shawn Kinzer. According to a 10News report, the motorcycle accident occurred the night of November 10, 2011 on the Interstate 8 in El Cajon. California Highway Patrol officials say Kinzer was riding his Honda CBR 600 in the eastbound lanes of the freeway, near Mollison Avenue, when he collided with a car.

The motorist involved in the accident did not remain at the scene. Kinzer was transported to an area hospital where he died. Officials have described the hit-and-run vehicle as a light-colored 1997 to 2001 model Buick Park Avenue. The vehicle will likely have minor to moderate damage on the left side including to its left side mirror, doors, and possibly the left front. Anyone with information is asked to contact CHP investigators at 619-401-2000.

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Three people were injured in a Sacramento County car accident after they were struck by a hit-and-run driver on November 28, 2011. According to a News 10 report, the injury accident occurred in the eastbound lanes of the Greenback Lane and Mariposa Avenue intersection in Citrus Heights. The three victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. There is no description available yet of the vehicle that fled the scene of the collision. An investigation is ongoing.

My heart goes out to the victims of this hit-and-run crash. I'm relieved to hear that they were not critically injured. I wish them the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

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Sondra Gentile, 61, was killed in a San Francisco area car accident, which officials report, involved a suspected drunk driver who left the scene of the crash. According to a news article in The San Bruno Patch, the fatal DUI collision occurred during the early morning hours of November 17, 2011. A Cadillac STS, which was traveling south on El Camino Real hit the driver's side door of Gentile's Honda Civic as she was exiting Highway 380.

Gentile sustained fatal injuries. The driver of the Cadillac, later identified as 21-year-old Mitnesh Reddy, fled the scene of the crash and was arrested at his home later that morning. He has been charged with several felonies including DUI, hit-and-run, and vehicular manslaughter.

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A pedestrian was critically injured in a car accident involving a hit-and-run driver, the morning of October 31, 2011. According to a News 10 report, the hit-and-run crash occurred on Lander Avenue near B Street in Turlock. Officials say the victim was pushing a shopping cart across the street at the time of the collision. The pedestrian sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident. Officials are searching for the driver as well as the vehicle, which is reportedly a dark-colored 2002 or 2003 Ford Escape SUV with possible damage to the passenger side.

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A 42-year-old man was critically injured in a San Francisco area car accident after he was struck by a car while walking in a marked crosswalk. According to a news report in The Santa Cruz Sentinel, the major injury pedestrian accident occurred the night of October 18, 2011 at the intersection of Dakota and Soquel avenues in Santa Cruz. The man was walking in a crosswalk when he was hit by a 1998 Honda Civic traveling at a high rate of speed. The victim struck the vehicle's windshield. The motorist then stopped abruptly throwing the victim off the car and causing him to hit the ground several feet ahead. The driver fled in the Honda but abandoned it a few blocks away. The victim suffered severe head and other life-threatening injuries. Police are still looking for the hit-and-run driver.

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