San Diego Car Accident Lawyer Blog

An 87-year old man lost his life in a tragic San Diego auto wreck that occurred on March 2, 2010. The victim was driving his Toyota Camry when it crashed into a parked truck just south of Ocean View Boulevard. This car accident took place at around 11:35 am.

The deceased, David Epstein, was heading north on the Interstate 15 (I-15) in the Mountain View area of San Diego when his Toyota sedan veered to the right for unexplained reasons and collided with the parked big-rig truck. Epstein died on the spot.

Given the recent reports of braking system failure issues, unexpected acceleration, and other technical malfunctions in Toyota manufactured cars, this tragic accident might have been caused by one of these defects. We wish to express our condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr. Epstein. At the same time we urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to arrive at the precise reasons of the car crash.

Continue reading "San Diego Auto Accident Kills Toyota Driver" »

The recent tragic Santee car accident that killed a CHP officer along with his family due to floor mats that trapped the accelerator was the catalyst for Toyota make huge efforts recently to order all such floor mats to be scrutinized under mandatory inspections in all Lexus and Toyota vehicles. It appears that a wrong floor mat was installed into the Lexus loaner that CHP Officer Saylor had been driving when the fiery crash took place.

Though the investigation is not complete just yet, Toyota wanted to waste no time in getting the word out to consumer before a similar catastrophe took place. It was investigators with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that believes the all-weather floor mats found in the wreckage of the accident could have been a cause.

Released 911 tapes that the Jurewitz Law Group has previously reported on showed that backseat passenger Chris Lastrella, brother-in-law to Officer Saylor, made a call to report that their accelerator was stuck adn they had no brakes and they were driving at 120 mph, just before crashing into an SUV at the Mission Gorge intersection with state Route 125 in Santee on August 28 of this year.

By their orders, vehicles may also be taken to dealers for the inspection, and vehicles brought in for any service will have the mats checked as part of the service. The company recently released a statement noting that Toyota takes the safety of the public and their passengers very seriously and will fully cooperate with any investigation. It offers its deepest sympathies to the Saylor and Lastrella families.

Recently, the Jurewitz law Group reported on the fatal San Diego car accident that involved an off-duty CHP officer and his family, when the accelerator of their rental car stuck and they collided with an SUV before their car caught on fire and burned at the bottom of the San Diego river in a fiery Santee auto crash.

The 911 call made by the brother-in-law of the CHP officer was recently released by San Diego 10 News, in a devastating account of the last minutes of the California Highway Patrol Officer, his wife, daughter, and brother-in-law on August 28. The car they had been riding in was a 2009 Lexus. The call was made by the brother-in-law Christopher Lastrella, and released to San Diego 10 News as the following:

Lastrella: "We're on North 125 and our accelerator is stuck."

911 Dispatcher: "I'm sorry?"

Lastrella: "Our accelerator is stuck. We're on 125."

911 Dispatcher: "Northbound 125. What are you passing?"

Lastrella: "We're going 120. Mission Gorge. We're in trouble. We can't … there is no brakes. End freeway half mile."

911 dispatcher: "You can't do anything like turn off your engine?"

Lastrella: "We're approaching the intersection. We're approaching the intersection. We're approaching the intersection."

Others in the car are heard saying "hold on" and "pray."

As investigation showed, the Lexus they were driving had had "all-weather" floor mats which were made for Lexus between 2004 and 2009, but recalled by Toyota in November 2007 due to complaints that if they were not properly installed the mats would slide forward and trap the gas pedal. A full report of the crash is due to be completed in a few weeks.

If you or a loved one has ever been injured or killed in a Santee car crash, contact San Diego, CA auto accident Ross Jurewitz and the San Diego car crash lawyers of the Jurewitz Law Group at (619) 233-5020. You may also contact these San Diego, CA personal injury lawyers online here.

Luis Pena, an ex border patrol agent, does not remember what happened a year and a half ago when his truck rolled over one night while he was on duty. What Pena does know is that he is lucky to have survived what he sees in the photos that were taken of his truck following his San Diego County rollover accident. You can read more about this personal injury story in this 10news.com story.

The roof of his truck collapsed, dislocating his C6 and C7 vertebrae and dragging the spinal cord with it. This caused a tear and a pinch on the cord, which in turn created a quadriplegic, ending his life as a firefighter, police officer, and martial arts instructor. Pena is not able to move 80% of his body but has regained some arm and wrist movement since his San Diego car accident.

Pena likes to have a smile on his face even though he is in constant pain. He knows that being a quadriplegic has not stopped him from being a father, a husband, and a counselor for people in San Diego who want to talk about issues. This is all hard to do with his constant pain, but he fights on.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that about 10,000 deaths a year happen from rollover accidents. Although rollover accidents are only about 3% of the accidents, about 60% of rollover accidents involve SUVs. San Diego officials and throughout the country argue that if roofs were made stronger then this would happen much less.

Continue reading "Weak Car Roofs Lead To San Diego Car Accident Deaths" »

Craig Yerkes, a member of the The Grams, was killed in a car crash on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. when his speeding vehicle struck a tree on Camino del Rey in Bonsall, California. Yerkes was 40.

Witnesses told California Highway Patrol officers that they heard Yerkes' vehicle accelerate--up to 100 mph or more--before it veered sharply and struck a tree head-on. CHP is investigating the cause of the accident, which may include a defect in the vehicle.

The Grams had been together for about 5 years and had just released their second album. At the last two San Diego Music Awards, the Grams won the Best Americana honors.