San Diego Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A 17-year old boy was finally arrested for causing a fatal Riverside car crash on January 16, 2010 that had resulted in the death of the female driver of a Ford Explorer. The auto accident took place on Cottonwood Avenue at Festival Way in Moreno Valley when the victim, Cynthia Rene Whitaker, 54, of Moreno Valley, had swerved into oncoming traffic to avoid a Honda Civic. By doing so, she hit a Nissan Quest.

The Civic in question was being driven by the 17-year old boy who had stolen it in Desert Hot Springs. He also admitted to being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the car crash. The Moreno Valley Police has charged him with vehicular manslaughter, two counts of hit-and-run, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Our office wishes to highlight the severity of this case! Not only did the teenager steal the car, but was also drunk which might have played a huge part in the death of Ms. Whitaker. Such behavior from anyone, especially from a juvenile, is very disheartening and despicable. We hope that the Riverside County District Attorney prosecutes this teenager as an adult and to the fullest extent of the law. We also hope that Ms. Whitaker’s family receives whatever care, assistance, and compensation they need and deserve.

Continue reading "Juvenile Admits To Causing Fatal Riverside County Car Accident" »

On Friday, we wrote about a tragic San Diego hit and run auto accident in San Diego in which Alejandra Vazquez, a 35-year old woman, lost her life when a SUV crashed into her as she was crossing the street, leaving her dead on the scene. The guilty driver was said to be driving a metallic blue, older model foreign station wagon with a missing piece of the right front bumper, which had come apart after the accident.

The San Diego Police arrested a man the very next day, on February 20, 2010, as the one suspected to be responsible for Ms. Vazquez’s death. The man, Bruce Hanson, 51, was arrested at his Encanto home on Republic Street, about 2.5 miles from the hit-and-run accident scene, and has been booked on suspicion of felony vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run. Hanson had left his blue Subaru Forester, with no license plate, at a wrecking yard on Otay Mesa with the keys on the dashboard and blood at the impact point which was seen and reported by a worker of the yard. A forensic evidence technician later determined the Forester as the suspect vehicle.

We are very happy that, through publicity of this horrible and tragic accident and good work by the San Diego Police Department, that this suspect has been caught. However, the fact that the suspect has been caught will not bring any solace or comfort to Ms. Vazquez's family and friends, especially her mother who saw her daughter be killed. Hit and run accidents are absolutely despicable and we hope that the suspect is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Ross Jurewitz is a San Diego car accident lawyer and the managing attorney of the Jurewitz Law Group, a California law firm dedicated to representing people seriously injured and the families of people killed by the negligence of others. If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed in a San Diego auto wreck, please order your free copy of Mr. Jurewitz's book, The Ten Biggest Mistakes that can Destroy Your California Accident Case. It is full of helpful information that will help you protect your legal rights and it is free to all California residents.

A 35-year old San Diego woman lost her life in a San Diego hit and run car accident that occurred in the early morning hours on February 19, 2010, in the Chollas View neighborhood of the City. This fatal accident took place around 2:15 a.m. near the Interstate 805 (I-805) ramps at Market Street where the victim, Alejandra Vazquez, had parked her car to get to Moody's Lunch Service on Euclid Avenue, where she worked.

Vazquez had just gotten out her car when a blue colored SUV, heading eastbound on Market Street, smashed into her. The impact threw her across some parked vehicles before she fell beneath the back end of a pickup. Vazquez suffered severe abdominal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect fled the scene but eyewitnesses reported that the driver was a man in his 50s with white or grey curly hair driving a metallic blue older model foreign station wagon with a missing piece of the right front bumper.

Our office wishes to convey our sincere prayers and condolences to the family and friends of Alejandra Vazquez. Though we know that no amount of good wishes will ease the pain for her family and loved ones, we only hope that the guilty hit and run driver is put behind bars. There are few crimes that enrage our office more than hit and run car accidents. If you are careless enough to hit another vehicle or strike a pedestrian with your car, for God’s sakes, STOP!!! We all have a responsibility to others on the road and if we have potentially injured a person in an accident, we need to stop and help them get any assistance they need. We hope that the driver who killed Ms. Vazquez is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Ross Jurewitz is a San Diego car accident lawyer and the managing attorney of the Jurewitz Law Group, a California law firm dedicated to representing people seriously injured and the families of people killed by the negligence of others. If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed in a San Diego auto accident, please order your free copy of Mr. Jurewitz's book, The Ten Biggest Mistakes that can Destroy Your California Accident Case. It is full of helpful information that will help you protect your legal rights and it is free to all California residents.

Two people were injured, one severely, as a hit and run driver crashed his vehicle into several parked cars in the Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego on February 5, 2010. This car accident took place around 11 p.m. near 12230 Rancho Bernardo Road.

The victims had been drinking when the driver crashed his car into several cars parked there. The driver then ran away from the scene leaving behind the two injured people said Police Officer David Stafford. One passenger suffered a serious head injury, while the other, suffered only minor injuries. The car crash is being investigated as a felony hit-and-run auto accident.

Such hit-and-run car accidents are on a rapid increase in San Diego area. Both the driver as well as the passengers should be alert while on the road. Attentiveness spares motorists from such injuries which can turn fatal at times. Also, as is well-known, the intake of alcohol while on the road increases the reaction time.

Ross Jurewitz is a San Diego injury accident lawyer and the managing attorney of the Jurewitz Law Group, a San Diego, CA law firm dedicated to representing people seriously injured and the families of people killed by the negligence of others. If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed in a San Diego injury accident, please call Mr. Jurewitz at 888-233-5020 for a free consultation.

In addition, if you would like more information to help you or your family following a personal injury accident, please order your free copy of Mr. Jurewitz's book, The Ten Biggest Mistakes that can Destroy Your California Accident Case. It is free to all California residents.

A Fresno commercial truck driver was arrested on August 3, 2009, when his big-rig carrying tomatoes was involved in an early morning crash that ended up leaving four people dead from this Fresno interstate trucking accident.

The California Highway Patrol reported that the car wreck happened just after 5 a.m. on August 3 just 40 miles southwest of Fresno when the truck driver allegedly ran a stop sign and hit a small car nearby. Witnesses to the collision noted that the truck driver fled the scene but was located about three hours later and arrested on suspicion of both a hit-and run-accident with injuries and vehicular manslaughter. The commercial truck was towed for evidence. The collision was strong enough that it ripped the roof off of the car.

The only survivors of the multiple car pileup was one young woman, who had to be taken to the hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

If you or anyone you know has ever been involved in a Fresno hit-and-run car accident, contact Fresno auto accident attorney Ross Jurewitz of the Jurewitz Law Group. He and his trained team of personal injury lawyers in Fresno can provide you with a free evaluation of your case and provide helpful and useful information. These Fresno accident attorneys can be contacted by calling (888) 233-5020 or online by clicking on the link above.

A fatal Riverside car crash left a 3-month-old boy from the town dead, due to injuries he had sustained in the auto accident. The car in which he was riding had apparently slammed into a power pole, San Bernardino County coroner's officials reported.

Ziad Abdel-Hadi was one of the five people riding in the white Nissan sedan when it crashed into the pole around 6:30 p.m. on July 18, 2009, near Mission Boulevard and Pyrite Street in the Pedley area of Riverside. The utility pole was down and ultimately knocked out power to about 250 Southern California customers. It also consequently sparked a blaze in a field nearby.

Continue reading "Infant Dies in Riverside Area Car Accident" »

A man was sentenced to life in prison by a Florida jury when he stood trial after admitting to smoking crack cocaine before a hit and run auto accident that killed a San Diego boy. The fate was decided within 24 minutes.

Zachary Foster was 3 when he was killed last year in Florida. Zachary's mother Amy, talked to reporters outside the courthouse , saying "Our hearts are broken forever. He'll never know what he took from us. I'm glad justice was served."

Continue reading "DUI Driver Sentenced for Fatal Hit and Run Accident That Killed Young San Diego Boy" »

Travis Chris Weber, 44, is an unemployed drifter with a longstanding history of drunk driving convictions who pleaded guilty on May 26 to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and admitted an allegation of hit-and-run causing death in San Diego County. On Thursday, June 25th, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for an alcohol-related hit-and-run car crash in Alpine that killed a bicyclist.

The collision occurred around 5p.m. in the bicycle lane on eastbound Alpine Boulevard last December 2, killing Edward Costa, a 30-year-old self-employed construction worker and father of two. Two days after the fatal hit-and-run accident, Weber was taken into custody.

The California Highway Patrol Office Michael Edwards testified during a January 21 preliminary hearing that having searched the silver Ford F-150 belonging to the defendant at the scene, he found three empty half-pint bottles of vodka in the cab, along with seven empty beer cans in the bed in the vehicle. Edwards also reported that he questioned Weber on the night of his arrest, when Weber told him he had been on a drinking binge for five days and woke up in Campo, hours after the collision, and had no idea how he had gotten there, according to the officer. Just after his arrest, Weber was documented as having a blood-alcohol level of .19 percent, more than twice the .08 legal limit. You can read more about this fatal San Diego hit-and-run car accident in this San Diego News Network story.

Continue reading "Man Sentenced to 11 Years for San Diego Hit-and-Run Car Accident" »

The well-publicized death of Alexandria Drake (we've written about her story in San Diego Car Accident on SR-67, Mother Killed in Ramona Street Racing Accident, and Alexandria Drake's SR67 Car Crash) has taken a new step now that one of the drivers will be charged with manslaughter. Alexandria Drake was a 25 year old mother who died when, according to witnesses, one car of two that were street racing on the State Route 67 in San Diego slammed into her car, killing her with her infant child in the back seat. The second car, identified as a white BMW, sped off and has not been found.

After a few months of suspense and legalities as the case was being sifted through, the driver of the car that hit Drake's, Melvin Pearless, will be charged with manslaughter and should appear in court on Thursday. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison. Authorities are still seeking to find the driver of the white BMW that had been racing with Pearless. You can read more about this San Diego County car accident in this 10news.com story.http://www.jurewitz.com

Continue reading "Street Racing Driver Who Caused Fatal SR-67 Accident to be Charged with Manslaughter" »

A multi-vehicle rollover crash that occurred last week on State Route 78 is being blamed on a San Diego hit-and-run driver. The accident ended up involved a big rig truck, a transit bus, and many other vehicles in Oceanside, leaving several people injured.

However, the damage did not stop there. Some power lines were damaged in the crash, their sparking led to a small brush fire off the road, and power was disabled to about 1,800 homes as a result. The site of the initial collision was State Route 78 eastbound just before Jefferson Street. You can read more about this Oceanside hit-and-run car accident in this SanDiego6.com story.

Continue reading "Oceanside Hit-and-Run Rollover Car Wreck" »

Monday saw several hit-and-run auto accidents throughout San Diego committed by the same driver on various streets and freeways in the Jamacha area, according to authorities. The car driver is suspected of driving while under the influence, finally slamming head-first into a vehicle which injured himself and two women.

The auto collision happened on the 8600 block of San Vicente Street around 8:20 p.m. on Sunday, as told by San Diego police Sgt David Jennings. After his spree of hit-and-run car crashes in San Diego County, the driver, whose name was not initially released, failed to take a curve correctly while driving eastbound and veered onto the westbound path, where he collided with a 58 year-old woman driver. The woman was hospitalized with a fractured foot and her 41 year-old passenger suffered neck injuries, while the DUI driver at fault was hospitalized with possible internal injuries. You can read more about this San Diego hit and run auto accident in this 10news.com story.

Continue reading "San Diego Car Crash Ends Suspected DUI Hit-and-Run Spree" »

Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart was one of three people killed in an early morning hit and run car accident earlier today. Investigating police officers suspect alcohol to be involved.

The car crash occurred after the Angels' game yesterday in nearby Fullerton, California. Adenhart was a passenger in a silver Mitsubishi Eclipse that was broadsided, or "T-Boned", at an intersection by a minivan that allegedly ran a red light. Both vehicles spun in the intersection and one struck another vehicle. You can read more in this ABCnews.com story.

The minivan driver fled the scene of the auto accident on foot but was captured thirty minutes later. He has been identified as Andrew Gallo, 22, of Riverside. Gallo was driving on a suspended license for a prior drunk driving conviction. Tests of Gallo's blood-alcohol content indicate that it was above the legal limit at the time of the accident. It is likely that he will face vehicular manslaughter or murder charges for his role in the accident.

Two others involved in the accident, a 27-year-old man in the Mitsubishi Eclipse and 20-year-old Courtney Frances Stewart of Diamond Bar, were pronounced dead at the scene. Adenhart died during a last surgical attempt at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center.

Continue reading "Los Angeles Angels' Rookie Pitcher One of Three People Killed in Fullerton Hit and Run Car Accident, Drunk Driving Suspected " »

Yesterday, John Sudac of Carlsbad plead not guilty to leaving the scene of a Solana Beach car crash that left the pregnant driver of the other vehicle dead along the side of the freeway. He faces manslaughter and hit-and-run charges that could cost him up to 11 years in prison if convicted.

This accident is notorious in San Diego County. Not only was it reprehensible that the pregnant driver was left to die on the side of the I-5 freeway in Solana Beach just north of Via de la Valle, but that someone else took her purse from the scene. There was a separate investigation to find the pregnant woman's stolen purse, and a man was arrested as a result, but that charge was dismissed when the purse was later found.

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Continue reading "John Sudac of Carlsbad Pleads Not Guilty to Fatal Hit and Run Solana Beach Car Accident" »

A 30-year-old man is suspected of crashing a Honda Accord into a Mission Beach home on Ingraham St. near La Mancha Dr. at about 12:15 p.m. on Monday.

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Police searched for the man for 40 minutes before they captured him at approximately 1:15 p.m. near Jewell St. and La Playa Ave. in Mission Beach. The man was caught and arrested after he broke into an apartment by smashing a window, injuring his hand.

The hit-and-run driver attempted to fool San Diego police by stealing and changing into clothes from the apartment, leaving his bloody clothes inside. However, officers captured him while trying to leave.

A 16-month-old Vista toddler was killed on Wednesday in a hit-and-run car accident when the toddler wandered into the road near the intersection of Smilax Road and South Santa Fe Avenue in Vista, California.

The toddler was struck by a dark sedan, but very little else is known about the vehicle.

This is yet another tragic accident involving a small child. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the toddler's family. There is nothing worse than the death of a child. They have our sympathies.

UPDATE: The accident victim has been identified as Christopher Castellanos.

Luis Umberto Perez, 21, of San Marcos was arrested for suspicion of causing six hit-and-run car crashes in Vista and San Marcos this past Monday between the times of 6:45 and 7:45 PM, according to this North County Times news story.

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Perez was stopped after a half-mile car chase in Vista near the intersection of Hibiscus and Sycamore avenues. The California Highway Patrol reported that Perez was "extremely drunk" after being removed from hiswhite four-door Ford Explorer. His 1-year-old daughter was riding in the back seat.

During the chase, Perez reached speeds of over 100 mph. Itis believed that Perez hit the first car near the intersection of South Rancho Santa Fe Road and Linda Vista Drive continuing onto South Rancho Santa Fe Road and hitting a second car. Perez then headed westbound on Highway 78 where he hit three more vehicles.

When arrested he refused to identify himself and was booked into the Vista jail as "John Doe." After a search of DMV records, it was determined that Perez did not possess a valid driver’s license. His daughter was not injured and was released to her mother.

Bail is set to $130,800 with his initial appearance scheduled for today, Friday.

If you were in, or own, a car that received damage in Vista or San Marcos Monday night, do not hesitate to contact the Jurewitz Law Group at 888-233-5020 for assistance.

This past Friday, a Buffalo, NY judge revoked Buffalo Bill running back, and former California Bear star, Marshawn Lynch's driver's license for failing to stop after hitting a pedestrian. The accident happened at 3:30 a.m. when Mr. Lynch's 2008 Porsche Cayenne SUV struck a 27 year-old woman in Buffalo's bar district.

Administrative Law Judge Thomas Gagola found Mr. Lynch's behavior "constituted a reckless disregard of human life or property" and imposed a $100 fine and $50 surcharge after Mr. Lynch pled guilty. The evidence at the hearing showed that the victim, Kimberly Shpeley, had suffered a bruised hip and a cut on her thigh which required seven stitches to close.

Mr. Lynch repeatedly expressed his shock that he was involved in an accident that night. He did not recall his car striking anything.

This case is another illustration of a very simple rule: if you are involved in a car accident, stop. If anyone is possibly injured or property is possibly damaged, exchange contact and insurance information with the other parties involved. It is also a good idea to contact the police for any accident other than a trivial, minor accident so that a report can be created.

These rules only help to protect you and document what happened during the accident. It also prevents the situation where--like Marshawn Lynch--you are facing having your license revoked for failing to stop.