Archive for December, 2009

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Widow of Man Killed in Huntington Beach Boating Accident Seeks $5 Million

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

The widow of a man who drove a boat into a bridge at Huntington Harbor is asking the city for more than $5 million as part of her contention that the Gilbert Drive Bridge caused the Huntington Beach boating accident last June 27. Law enforcement officials who investigated the accident said that the woman’s husband was driving at an excessive speed. His blood-alcohol level was nearly double the legal limit when the accident occurred.

The Huntington Beach boating accident also claimed the lives of two other men who were on the boat when it crashed into the bridge. Another man on the boat was knocked backward and unconscious by the impact, but survived. Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol deputies said that it is each boater’s responsibility to watch for bridges, obey posted speed limits and no-wake signs and not operate their watercraft while intoxicated.

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Costa Mesa Man Ordered to Stand Trial for Newport Beach Pedestrian Accident

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

A Costa Mesa driver will stand trial for allegedly striking and killing a pedestrian with his car after texting on his cell phone while driving. As recounted in this Los Angeles Times article, an Orange County judge rejected the driver’s defense request to reduce the charges after prosecutors suggested that the man’s use of his cell phone and other factors suggested he was operating his vehicle in a negligent manner.

The 42-year-old driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Prosecutors produced phone records that indicated that the driver had been sending and receiving text messages for 30 minutes before the Newport Beach pedestrian accident occurred around 8:30 a.m. on Westcliff Drive near Dover Drive in Newport Beach. The accident victim was reportedly struck and killed while crossing the street in a marked crosswalk.

One accident witness told police officials that just before the accident occurred, the driver behind the Costa Mesa driver had to honk his horn to get the driver to notice that the light had changed to green.

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Manslaughter Charges Filed in Laguna Woods Auto Accident

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

The Orange County Register published an article recently that reported a Ladera Ranch man is facing serious criminal charges for causing a Laguna Woods auto accident that claimed the life of a San Clemente man. The man is facing charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated for his involvement in a high-speed auto accident on the Route 73 toll road. According to police investigating the fatal Laguna Woods auto accident, the man was driving southbound on Route 73 in excess of 100 miles per hour when he struck a Nissan sport utility vehicle from behind just north of Laguna Canyon Road.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office issued a press release that said the impact caused the SUV to spin out of control and roll over, ejecting the driven by the 52-year-old San Clemente man from his vehicle. The man died from his injuries at the scene of the accident shortly after the accident occurred.

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Elderly Bicyclist Struck and Killed by Pickup Truck

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

An elderly woman riding a bicycle was struck and killed recently by a pickup truck at a Yorba Linda crosswalk. This Orange County Register article reported that the 80-year-Placentia victim was riding her bike on the sidewalk on East Imperial Highway when she attempted to cross Prospect Avenue about 5:40 p.m. When she attempted to cross Prospect, the white pickup truck was turning left from West Imperial Highway onto Prospect and struck her. The victim was taken to Placentia-Linda Community Hospital where she was pronounced dead of her injuries.

A local law enforcement official said that the female driver of the pickup truck was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol but was released by police. One police officer at the accident scene said that field sobriety tests had given them enough reason to arrest the woman, but more extensive sobriety tests indicated that she had not been driving her pickup truck under the influence of alcohol.

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Toyota Floor Mats Not the Only Potential Cause of Auto Accidents

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

An article published in Los Angeles indicated that the floor mats that led to some car accidents resulting in deaths and injuries might not be Toyota’s only problem with some of their cars. On August 28, a 2009 Lexus ES 350 raced out of control through Southern California and slammed into another vehicle, killing the driver and his three passengers. The driver was a veteran California Highway Patrol Officer, and the auto accident was the fifth fatal crash involving runaway Toyota and Lexus vehicles made by Toyota Motor Corp. in the last two years.

Hundreds of separate incidents where a Toyota vehicle suddenly accelerated have been reported to Toyota and/or the federal government recently. Except in cases where driver error was the cause, Toyota has blamed these incidents on floor mats that can jam open the accelerator pedal if not properly installed. This fall, Toyota issued the biggest recall in its history that affected 3.8 million vehicles made as far back as 2004. However, car safety officials think that floor mats are not the only problem.

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