Los Angeles Accident & Injury Law Firm » Commercial Vehicle Accidents

Taxi Driver Crashes into Los Angeles Home, Charged With Assault

RichmondJ — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:36:53 +0000

A taxi driver whose clients did not pay the full fare is suspected to have intentionally caused a crash with a Los Angeles home, causing an injury and leading to an assault charge. Police believe the man retaliated against passengers after they refused to pay him.

The taxi driver took a couple from Beverly Hills to a Los Angeles home, a drive which would regularly be brief but ended up taking an hour. For the taxi ride, the driver charged approximately $35 but the couple refused and only paid $26. As the couple walked away from the vehicle, the taxi driver accelerated forward and crashed into the Los Angeles home.

Police believe the crash was intentional, an act of retaliation, but the taxi driver maintains that he accidentally hit the gas. One man who was behind the door of the Los Angeles home was injured, but his injuries were only minor.

The law prohibits intentional accidents, even if they are done in retaliation. If you have been injured in a car accident, taxi accident, or other accident make sure you talk to a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer to evaluate the legal options available to you. Contact our Los Angeles personal injury lawyers to get the help you need – call 310.882.6810.

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Pilot Dead In Los Angeles County Emergency Plane Crash Landing Could Be Called Hero

RichmondJ — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:21:59 +0000

Initial reports showed only that a pilot died in an emergency landing in a parking lot – but later reports have revealed that the pilot who died in a plane crash this past weekend may have, in fact, saved several lives in his unfortunate emergency landing plane crash.Saturday the 14th, the still unidentified pilot flew a 1977 Beechcraft Bonanza registered to a David E Flotho.

For reasons unknown, the pilot made an emergency landing into a parking lot into San Gabriel, touching down on the ground successfully but then crashing into a factory wall. The plane, after hitting the factory wall, became engulfed in flames, the pilot still inside.

A very strategic maneuver by the pilot may have actually saved many lives, says reports from LA County Fire Department. The pilot was forced to land in an area that could have made his landing quite hazardous to others, yet landed in a way that was entirely safe to all bystanders – avoiding cars, a railroad sign, and area buildings.

Investigation and autopsy of the pilot’s death is ongoing as of Monday. If you also have been the victim of a plane crash, car accident, or other such injury-causing event, your best course of action is to seek advice from a lawyer. From aspects of medical insurance to filing litigation, lawyers can offer professional information and advice that is otherwise unaccessible. For accidents in Los Angeles, we specifically ask that you schedule a free consultation with our personal injury legal offices – call 888.222.8286 or submit your case online.

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Governor Bans Semi’s after Fatal Crash Angeles Crest Highway

ANorman — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:42:58 +0000

Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law today that banned big rigs and semi trucks from a portion of Angeles Crest Highway. The move came five months after a runaway truck lost its brakes on a steep incline, hurtled down the road an crashed into several cars as well as a bookstore in La Canada Flintridge. A father and daughter were killed and 12 others were injured. A temporary ban on the semis was imposed but after data was collected that indicated a large number of these types of accidents occur on a regular basis on Angeles Crest, lawmakers moved to make the ban permanent.

Doubling the tragedies of the lives lost on Angeles Crest Highway is the fact that defective auto parts are to blame for many. Truck maker have to do build vehicles with the commercial trucks demanding needs in mind. This means making sure the truck has brakes that will work as promised. Far too often, automakers forgo safety in an effort to cut costs.

This is why family members who have lost loved ones can take the matter to court via product liability laws. Such a lawsuit holds automakers’ accountable when someone dies or is injured because their products cease to function properly. If a loved one has died because of a manufacturer’s negligence, contact us at 888.222.8286 to speak with a reputable wrongful death lawyer. They will help answer peritnent legal questions and hopefully put you on the road of obtaining justice for your injured or lost loved one.

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Yet Another Train Accident Takes Place In San Francisco

RichmondJ — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:00:34 +0000

In San Francisco this past Saturday, two light rail cars crashed into one another between t the West Portal and Castro transportation stations. The train accident took place when an moving L train truck a stationary K train at West Portal Station in San Francisco. Witnesses report that a loud boom sound was heard when the two trains collided, after which the passengers of the train sat along the boarding platform, some requiring immediate medical attention. The L train’s driver along with three others are reported to be in critical condition. The train accident caused an overwhelmingly high number of injuries, with four people still in critical condition. Of the total 48 people suffering injuries in the train accident, every one was transported to a local hospital for treatment, many remaining injured as of July 19. The likely cause of accident is being investigated between either mechanical or human error.

Being that this San Francisco train accident is the third so far this year, the legal nature of this case is clearly a growing nationwide concern. If you have been involved in any type of commercial vehicle accident, there may be a need for legal proceedings to be properly compensated. For individuals that have been injured or otherwise damaged, our Los Angeles lawyers can offer you important advice about your case.

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Woman Dead After Crash With Garbage Truck

RichmondJ — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:32:55 +0000

One woman is dead after her car crashed into a garbage truck in Wilmington. The crash, which occurred at 6 am Wednesday morning, was located on Figueroa Street, near Harbor Freeway and Pacific Coast Highway. According to reports from Los Angeles Police, it is unknown whether or not the truck driver was injured. The Los Angeles Police also reports that the accidents’ investigation is ongoing.

If you have been injured in a crash, you should consider the professional, valuable help that only a lawyer can provide. Regardless of whether or not you decide to pursue a lawsuit, a lawyer can help to guide you through the process professionally. Before advancing any further, call 310.882.6810 or click for a Los Angeles car accident lawyer for a free consultation.

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Tractor Trailer Collision Results in Spilled Diesel Fuel

ANorman — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:56:32 +0000

A big rig carrying diesel fuel crashed into a center divider wall in eastbound toll lanes on the 91 at the 241. The auto accident involved six other vehicles and spilled fuel all over the highway. The incident occurred just after 8:30 a.m. when a Ralphs tractor trailer was hit by a Chevrolet pick up truck. The cab of the big rig came to rest in the in the No. 1 lane of the east bound toll road where it promptly spilled 50-100 gallons of diesel onto the ground.

As many as five people were taken to area hospitals and a heavy duty toll crane was sent to remove the large semi. Concrete debris and hazmat crews were also dispatched to clean up concrete and fuel.

Thorough investigation will provide answers, but one can assume that the accident occurred due to negligence or driver error. In such cases, injured parties can sue for monetary damages. Doing so promptly is imperative to maintain the victim’s physical health and financial stability. Don’t let someone else’s carelessness land you in the poor house. Contact us ASAP for a free consultation and get the money you need for medical related cost and lost wages.

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Bus and Truck Collisions Kills 1, Injures 6

ANorman — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:44:54 +0000

Six passengers from a charter bus were taken to an area hospital after the commercial vehicle collided with a pick up truck at 11:35 p.m. this past Monday night in San Bernardino. The auto accident incident occurred at Victoria Avenue and Mirada Road just south of the casino leaving 6 injured and the owner of the pick up truck, a 32 year old Fontana motorist, dead. The bus was carrying 28 passengers and the six who were harmed only received minor injuries.

When a bus accident like this occurs it can difficult to shift through the wreckage to determine fault. Once fault is established, those who have been injured can pursue litigation to exercise compensation. If an individual has been killed, surviving family members can also sue to obtain reparations for their loss.

If you or someone you know has been hurt during a commercial vehicle collision, you have the right to seek legal remedy for your injuries. Contact our law offices to learn more and take the steps towards obtaining financial compensation for your pain and suffering.

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Plane Crash and Your Legal Rights – Domestic Aircraft Accidents

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:06:58 +0000

Commercial flying is considered one of the safest—if not indeed the safest—means of transportation going. You have a much greater chance of being injured in an automobile accident on your way to the airport than you do of being involved in a commercial aircraft accident. Unfortunately, when there is a commercial aircraft accident, it tends to be a major disaster resulting in hundreds of deaths and significant property damage.

When a commercial aircraft is involved in an accident that results in loss of life or serious personal injuries, there may be a number of possible defendants who may be legally responsible (“liable”) for the damages. First there is the airline company itself. Because commercial airliners offer to the general public to carry goods or persons and are bound to accept anyone who offers to pay the “price of carriage” depending on seat availability, they are considered by law to be “common carriers.”

As a common carrier, an airliner is required to use the “utmost due care and diligence” for the safe passage of and to prevent injuries to its passengers and can be held financially responsible for injuries resulting from even its slightest carelessness (“negligence”). Commercial airlines are bound to do all that human care, vigilance, and foresight that they can reasonably do under the circumstances to protect their passengers from harm. However, as to other planes and persons who are not passengers, the airliner owes them only the ordinary standard of care.

The major causes of a commercial aircraft accident are:

Pilot error
Mechanical failure due to faulty equipment
Bad weather
Air traffic controller error
Improper maintenance or repair of the aircraft or its component parts
Violating FAA regulations
Structural or design problems with the aircraft
Sabotage (bombs, hijacking, shoot-downs)
Other causes (such as improper loading of the aircraft or fuel contamination)

The airline company may be held responsible for the errors of its pilots in operating the aircraft, its maintenance crew for failing to maintain the aircraft properly or failing to detect a crack or other structural problem with the aircraft, or improperly loading the aircraft. The manufacturer of the aircraft or supplier of a component part may be held liable under the doctrine of “strict products liability” for any and all defects in the manufacture or design of the plane or its defective parts that caused or contributed to the accident. The United States government may be liable where the accident is due to the negligence of one or more of its employees, usually the air traffic controllers. In a collision with another aircraft, the other aircraft may be sued if its pilots were negligent in failing to avoid the crash.

An all-too-frequent yet completely preventable cause of injuries and deaths in aircraft accidents involve “runway incursions.” The FAA defines a runway incursion as “any occurrence at an airport involving an aircraft, vehicle, person, or object on the ground that creates a collision hazard or results in loss of separation with an aircraft taking off, intending to take off, landing, or intending to land.” Runway incursions are frequently the result of the carelessness (“negligence”) of air traffic controllers in managing the flow of air traffic on the ground.

Research has shown that the first three minutes of a flight and the last eight are when about 80 percent of airplane accidents take place. This is often referred to as the rule of “plus three/minus eight.”

A professor in England analyzed the seating charts of more than 100 plane crashes and interviewed 1,900 survivors and 155 cabin-crew members. He found that the people most likely to survive a plane crash are those sitting right next to the exit row or one row away. He discovered that survivors usually move an average of five rows before they can get off a burning aircraft. The professor’s study concluded that beyond a five-row cutoff from the exit, your chances of surviving an aircraft fire are greatly reduced.

The National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) is the governmental agency vested by Congress with the power to investigate all civilian aircraft accidents, whether it be a major airline disaster involving hundreds of death or a small, single-engine plane that goes down. Since its creation in 1967, the NTSB has investigated over 115,000 civilian aircraft accidents. After it has made a thorough investigation of the accident, the NTSB releases its report identifying the cause(s) of the crash—if a cause can be found—and issues safety recommendations designed to prevent future accidents from the same cause.

In conducting its investigation, the NTSB gathers data from the plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder if the aircraft was equipped with them. In major air disasters, the NTSB attempts to piece together the remaining parts of the plane in a hangar or other facility to try to reconstruct the plane and find the cause of the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) usually takes part in the investigation to determine what accident prevention steps it should implement to prevent another occurrence of the same cause. The FAA also provides the NTSB with technical advice about the aircraft and flight conditions.

Commuter planes and regional jets are generally mid-sized planes that connect smaller cities with large ones having major airports. On February 12, 2009, Continental Connection Flight 3407, a flight operated by Colgan Air under contract to Continental, a commuter turboprop crashed into a home outside Buffalo, New York, killing 50 people, 45 passengers, four crew members, and one person on the ground in the house. The plane involved was a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, a 74-seat twin-engine, medium-range turboprop airliner. The plane was less than one-year old and had flown for only about 1,500 hours.

Early speculation was that a buildup of ice on the wings was the most probable cause of the tragedy. However, approximately a month and a half after the disaster, the National Transportation Safety Board investigators stated that ice was not the likely cause of the crash and that it was looking at the actions of the pilot immediately before the crash. It was reported that the Flight Data Recorder indicated that the pilot’s control column—basically the device used to steer the plane—moved sharply backward, pitching the nose of the turboprop upward, causing the aircraft to stall. It is hard to recover from a stall like this, and the crew had only 1,600 to 1,800 feet to do so before the plane hit the ground. This was the deadliest American disaster in more than five years.

Another recent crash involving a commuter aircraft happened in the early morning hours of August 27, 2006. Comair Flight 191, marketed as Delta Connection Flight 5191, a 50-seat Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-100ER bound for Atlanta crashed while trying to take off from Blue Grass Airport in Fayette County, Kentucky, four miles west of Lexington. 49 of the 50 occupants of the plane perished in the crash, with only the first officer (the copilot) surviving the crash. In the Comair disaster, Flight 5191 was cleared for take-off on Runway 22. However, for some reason the aircraft attempted to take off on Runway 26, a much shorter runway. The aircraft ran off the end of the runway, crashed through the airport perimeter fence, and came to rest in trees on an adjacent horse farm. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire.

Runway 22 is 7,003 feet long and is lighted for nighttime use. Runway 26, on the other hand, is only 3,500 feet long, is not lighted, and is restricted for daytime use only by small airplanes. After giving the flight clearance to take off from runway 22, the sole air traffic controller on duty turned away from the window to perform an administrative task (traffic count), and did not witness the accident but heard the crash, turned around and saw fire, and immediately activated the emergency response. The aircraft was made in Canada in January 2001 and was delivered to Comair on January 30, 2001. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the disaster was the flight crew members’ failure to use available cues and aids to identify the aircraft’s location on the airport surface during taxi, as well as their failure to cross-check and verify that the aircraft was on the correct runway before takeoff. Contributing factors were the flight crew’s nonpertinent conversations during taxi, which resulted in a loss of positional awareness and the FAA’s failure to require that all runway crossings be authorized only by specific air traffic control clearances.

In 1993, a commercial jet at Blue Grass Airport was cleared for takeoff on Runway 22 but mistakenly went to the shorter Runway 26 instead. Fortunately, tower personnel noticed the mistake and cancelled the aircraft’s takeoff clearance just as the crew realized their error. The aircraft subsequently made a safe departure from Runway 22. On September 1, 2006, the FAA issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO), titled “Flight Crew Techniques and Procedures that Enhance Pre-takeoff and Takeoff Safety.” This alert highlights existing FAA aircraft ground operation guidance and reminds flight crews that maximum attention should be placed upon maintaining situational awareness during taxi operations.

When a passenger on a domestic commercial flight is killed in a crash, it may be possible for his or her next of kin to bring a “survival” action to recover monetary damages for the pain and suffering and mental anguish he or she experienced from the time he or she realized that something was seriously wrong with the flight until the time of his or her death.

If you have been injured or a loved one killed in an accident involving a commercial aircraft, a private airplane, or a helicopter, you should contact an experienced personal injury law firm as soon as possible. Although the NTSB usually conducts a thorough investigation of an aircraft accident, it may take many months—sometimes as much as a year or more—for the NTSB to release its findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The law firm may want to send its own investigator to the scene of the accident to inspect and take pictures of the accident site and any dangerous condition that caused or contributed to the accident, especially before the airliner changes the condition. The attorney or his or her investigator—usually an expert in reconstructing plane crashes—will also want to talk to any witnesses to the accident while the facts are still fresh in their minds.

When a commercial aircraft crashes causing a loss of life or serious injuries, the airliner and its insurance company will usually contact the next of kin immediately and provide immediate grief support. The airliner will often pay for the hotel costs of a deceased passenger’s next of kin and help make and pay for funeral arrangements. The airliner or its insurance company will frequently tell the survivors that there is no need for them to obtain a lawyer to represent them, as they will do right by them.

The insurance company may offer to pay what appears to the family to be a fair settlement. Do not accept any settlement offer from an insurance company without the advice of a skilled and experience aviation accident lawyer. The grieving family is susceptible to accepting a much lower offer than an experienced aviation lawyer can get for them. Although the airliner or its insurance company will try to dissuade you from getting a lawyer saying that a lawyer’s fee will come out of your share, the truth is that studies consistently show that victims of accidents end up with more money in their pockets even after paying the lawyer his or her fee.

An experienced personal injury law firm can also help with seeing to it that you obtain appropriate and thorough medical care for your physical, emotional, and psychological injuries suffered as a result of the accident. They can also do everything possible to ensure that you obtain full compensation for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental anguish, property damage, lost wages, psychological injuries, loss of society and comfort (“loss of consortium”), and all of your other injuries and damages.

We understand the physical, financial, emotional, and psychological toll a serious injury or death from a commercial aircraft accident can take on the injured victim and his or her family, or on the loved ones of a person who was killed in a commercial aircraft accident. Call now for a free legal consultation of your case – 888.222.8286

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Big-Rig Truck Accidents and Your Legal Rights – Talk to a Truck Accident Lawyer Now!

admin — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:03:31 +0000

It seems that hardly a week goes by that we don’t hear of a horrific traffic accident involving an out-of-control big-rig truck that takes the lives or seriously injures the occupants of several cars, shoppers inside a retail store, or pedestrians on the sidewalk. Tragedy often strikes when the big-rig’s brakes are worn and can’t keep the big-rig from running wild down a hill. The big-rig’s driver is unable to negotiate a turn at the bottom of the hill, or unable to stop at a stop sign or red light at the base of the hill, resulting in the runaway truck crashing into everything in its way, causing deaths, critical injuries, and tremendous property damage.

In addition to big-rig accidents caused by brake failure due to improper maintenance, the tires may be worn and not have sufficient tread to stop the big-rig. In fact, the worn tires may even blow-out when the driver is braking hard. The driver may fall asleep or be driving under the influence or alcohol or drugs. Or the driver may be driving aggressively, speeding, tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, and otherwise driving recklessly to get to his or her destination as soon as possible, so he or she can reload the truck for another trip and larger payday and be eligible for pay bonuses and compensation incentives.

Unrealistic schedules and expectations of trucking companies often encourage drivers to hurry, despite safety risks involved. Driver fatigue may result in up to 30% of truck accidents. Laws regulate how many consecutive hours a truck driver can drive, but those laws are frequently ignored and the driver falsifies his or her logbook or keeps two sets of books. Sometimes the truck is overloaded; other times it is incorrectly loaded, for example, making it top heavy and more likely to tip over when hit by a strong gust of wind.

Every 16 minutes a person is killed or injured in an accident involving an 18-wheel truck, tractor-trailer, or semi-truck. Approximately 5,000 persons are killed each year in big-rig—also known as “large-truck”) accidents. A “large truck” is defined as one having a gross weight in excess of 10,000 pounds. Roughy 115,000 persons are injured in large truck-related accidents. One out of eight traffic fatalities result from an accident involving a large truck. Tractors pulling one semi-trailer are the most common configuration, accounting for about 60 percent of all large trucks involved in a fatal collision. When a big-rig gets into an accident, it is rarely the typical fender bender. Big-rigs are usually involved in multiple vehicle crashes.

Suppose the big-rig driver’s insurance company has been good about paying your medical expenses and car repairs, and tells you that you do not need to hire a lawyer, as the lawyer will just take a large chunk of my settlement and you’d do better without one. What should you do? An insurance adjuster is employed by the insurance company, and his or her only concern is settling a case as quickly and cheaply as possible. Studies consistently show that car or truck accident victims who are represented by a competent and experienced personal injury law firm end up with significantly more money in their pockets even after the lawyer’s fees are paid than accident victims who are not represented by a lawyer and try to handle their own claims.

One question you’re probably asking youself is, how soon after you’ve been injured or a loved one killed by a big-rig should you hire a law firm to represent you? If you have been seriously injured—or a loved one has been killed—in a truck accident, you should retain a lawyer as soon as possible. The insurance company will assign an adjuster to the case as soon as it is reported to the insurance company and usually the adjuster will want to take your statement as soon as possible. Do not give the adjuster a statement until you have talked with—and preferably retained—an experienced personal injury lawyer. The adjuster is trained to ask questions that are biased in favor of the insurance company and designed to trip you up. You should never give a statement to an insurance company adjuster or other representative without the consent and presence of your attorney.

If you have been injured in an accident and suffered a broken jaw, you should contact an experienced personal injury law firm as soon as possible. The law firm may want to send its own investigators to the scene of the accident to inspect and take pictures of the vehicles, the accident site, and any dangerous condition that caused or contributed to the accident, especially before there is a change in the condition of the area or vehicle. The attorney or his or her investigator will also want to talk to any witnesses to the accident as soon as possible while the facts are still fresh in their minds.

An experienced personal injury law firm can also help with seeing to it that you obtain appropriate and thorough medical care for your physical, emotional, and psychological injuries suffered as a result of the accident. The attorneys in the firm can also do everything possible to ensure that you obtain full compensation for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental anguish, property damage, lost wages, and all of your other injuries and damages.

Call now for a free consultation by a lawyer: 310.882.6810 or toll-free 888.222.8286

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Charter Bus Crash Near Hoover Dam Kills 6; More than 20 Seriously Injured

admin — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:11:03 +0000

A tour bus crash near Hoover Dam, on highway 93, resulted in at least 6 fatalities with over 20 of the passengers injured. Victims of this charter bus crash were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment of various injuries.

The severity of the injuries vary and several patients were transported via helicopter to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

We will bring you updates as we receive them. For more information on bus accidents, visit our bus accident victims information center.

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