Several Lives Claimed from Inland Empire Accidents

In two days, April 29 and April 30, 2012, I read about four traffic accidents causing four deaths in the process.  I found this tragic loss of life terribly disturbing. Looking at each of the accidents, the mechanics of these accidents were so different from each other.  Look to see what I mean.

1. April 29, 2012:   Fontana, California.  A 25 year old pedestrian walking west on Citrus Avenue, near the intersection with Jackson Street, lost his life after being struck by 2006 Ford van traveling north on Citrus.

2. April 30, 2012: San Gabriel, California.  A man was killed while walking along San Gabriel Boulevard north of Sheffield in an area that was extremely dark.  The driver of the vehicle, Michael Munoz, that struck the pedestrian, Zhong Yi Cheng, apparently did not see the pedestrian due to the area being so dark.  There was also some concern that the intersection was not properly marked or did not have proper stop signs.

3. April 30, 2012: Barstow, California.  A 24 year old woman from Fort Irwin was killed in a head on collision along Fort Irwin Road, south of Kolath Road.  The car within which she was traveling apparently crossed into on coming traffic and collided with a 1996 Honda.  The driver of the Honda, Diore Trammell of Apple Valley suffered major injuries in the accident.

4. April 29, 2012: Angeles Crest Highway.  Two motorcycles were in an accident which resulted in the death of Junior Estuardo Quic-Ortiz, 30 years old.  Mr. Ortiz apparently lost control of his motorcycle, was thrown off the motorcycle and then he struck a second motorcycle which was traveling eastbound.  The other motorcycle rider, Patrick Ramirez of San Dimas, was also injured in the accident when he was thrown from his motorcycle.

While not all this terrible accidents result in wrongful death claims, the tragedy remains with the loss of these young lives.  For those who were injured in the accident may have claims of their own against the insurance companies that may have provided insurance coverage for this type of accident.

If any person has been involved in an accident, they should always consult an attorney to verify their rights for recovery to pay for the medical expenses, loss of earnings, property damage and pain and suffering damages.  The Inland Empire Law Group is centrally located to handle cases in Fontana, Barstow, San Gabriel or anywhere along the Inland Empire highways and roadways.

Call for a free consultation.  (909) 481-0100.

210 Freeway Accident Kills Two, Wrecks 11 vehicles

November 18, 2010. California State Highway 210. Upland, California Fatal Traffic Accident. Around 6:00 p.m., the CHP reported eleven vehicles, including a semi-truck and cars, were involved in a fatal collision on the eastbound 210 Freeway. The truck was on fire and several of the vehicles were fully engulfed in flames. The entire freeway was shut down, the eastbound onramps at Upland and Claremont were closed and traffic was rerouted. Several vehicles were towed from the scene, investigation and clean-up of the freeway and debris continued into the night.

The information currently available regarding the cause of the accident is that the semi-truck did not see stopped traffic and struck the rear of a pick-up truck causing an explosion.

The Inland Empire Law Group expresses its deepest condolences to the families and individuals involved in this horrible accident. Accidents such as this one change peoples’ lives. After the initial shock, many key decisions will need to be made to help the families and individuals recover physically and financially from the losses suffered from this accident.

Some of those key decisions will be how to address medical or funeral expenses, lost earnings and how to prevent serious financial hardship. Dealing with the emotional trauma from the acciden or from the losses. Unfortunately, there will be issues of fault finding and trying to get culpable parties, their insurance companies or employers to pay for the losses. Then there will be the issue of selecting an attorney to help the families through these difficult times. Beware of the attorneys that approach you first. They are violating the code of ethincs and may be violating the law. These attorneys are not the ones that should be hired.

David H. Ricks of the Inland Empire Law Group, a personal injury and wrongful death lawyer, understands how to help injured victims or the surviving families of accident victims to recover financially and can help direct them to care if none is available. We wish a speedy recovery for those injured and the blessings of God upon the families involved.

Inland Empire automobile accidents cause injury victims

I recently viewed a Google Alert and a local paper blog that showed a number of automobile accidents in the Inland Empire. Specifically, there were accidents in Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Upland and other cities. In most of these cases there were injuries to the occupants of those vehicles. I thought of the impact those traffic accidents will have on the injured driver and passengers. I thought of the fact that while the accident was only a moment in time, the affects of that impact would be felt for weeks, months or even years. I also thought about how the insurance companies are going to deal with these accident victims. They will engage their trained adjusters to ask questions and explore how they can reduce the amount they have to pay for this injury claim. So often, accident victims are victimized twice. Once in the accident and then again in the claims settlement procedure.

To avoid being victimized twice, an injury victim, whether from a car accident, slip and fall, dog bite or some other cause, that person should consult an experience personal injury attorney. Having a trained, experienced and competent lawyer working for you helps in so many ways. These might include:

Peace of mind to know you have someone fighting for you and your rights.
Guidance in finding proper medical care when you do not have insurance or know where to go.
Preventing the insurance adjuster from putting pressure on you to settle when you are not ready.
Knowing you have someone that knows how to evaluate your case and secure a good recovery.
Having someone there to comfort you and assure you that things will be all right.

The reason I started this blog is to help injury victims know that there are many good lawyers and people out there ready to help when that time comes that when you need a lawyer to protect your rights.

If you have a story to tell regarding your accident, or your experience with an insurance company, share it with me and others. While we can not always prevent accidents, we can prevent being a victim twice.

David H. Ricks set up the Inland Empire Law Group to exclusively help accident victims. The idea was to provide something better than being a number on a board. Personalized attention is the hallmark of the Inland Empire Law Group. Check out David Ricks and the Inland Empire Law Group at http://www.davidrickslaw.com and www.inlandempirelawgroup.com. Or call for an initial consulation at (909) 481-0100. When you contact our office, ask for your free Glove Box Accident Information Guide. This Guide will help you gather all the information you need after an accident to give you the upper hand in your accident claim.