Los Angeles Motor Vehicle Accidents Attorney Blog | Torrance Auto-Pedestrian Accidents Lawyer

Illegal U-turn leads to fatal accident

On behalf of Law Office of Daniel W. Dunbar posted in Car Accidents on Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

Officers responded to the scene of a multiple vehicle collision on Thursday, May 9 involving a fatality. Occurring in the early morning hours, the driver of a red Pontiac tried to make an illegal U-turn onto West Roscoe Boulevard in Northridge. The driver was not successful in completing the turn, however, causing an oncoming vehicle to strike another car that flipped, trapping the driver.

The driver of the overturned vehicle was taken to a local hospital where he later died. Numerous occupants were seriously injured in the car accident. Officials report that the driver of the Pontiac may have been under the influence of alcohol, as alcoholic beverages were discovered in the vehicle.

Accidents caused by distracted driving seriously underreported

On behalf of Law Office of Daniel W. Dunbar posted in Car Accidents on Monday, May 13, 2013.

A recent study by the National Safety Council revealed that motor vehicle accident fatalities caused by distracted driving due to cell phone use are often not recorded as such. This leads to the assumption that distracted driving is not a serious issue among drivers, including those in Los Angeles. The facts seem to support the opposite conclusion, however, and recent studies show that the current leading cause of death among teenagers appears to be car accidents caused by distracted driving.

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends that all states ban drivers from using cell phones while driving due to the high incidence of car accidents caused by distracted driving. Currently 39 states and D.C. ban drivers from sending or reading text messages while driving, while 36 states and D.C. will not allow new drivers to use a cell phone while driving. No states ban all drivers from cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle.

Police seek second driver in auto-pedestrian accident

On behalf of Law Office of Daniel W. Dunbar posted in Auto-Pedestrian Accidents on Friday, May 3, 2013.

A California driver faces charges of vehicular manslaughter after a wreck that killed one pedestrian and damaged more than one other vehicle. The auto-pedestrian accident may have occurred in the midst of a race involving at least one other vehicle, according to Los Angeles police. The scene of the accident was Compton Avenue near the 56th Street intersection at around nine p.m., and police have confirmed access to surveillance footage immediately following the accident.

The victim was a 57-year-old resident of the neighborhood who lived about a block from the accident. The driver described the accident as part of a confession. The driver admitted to speeding and stated that the pedestrian ran in front of his vehicle. The 18-year-old driver reportedly attempted to brake and avoid the pedestrian. A police investigation of the scene did reveal skid marks, yet police still believe the driver was racing another vehicle. Street racing is not an uncommon activity on Compton Avenue, according to Los Angeles residents.

Driver blames zombies for 5-car freeway accident

On behalf of Law Office of Daniel W. Dunbar posted in Commercial Vehicle Accidents on Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

A 19-year-old man was taken into custody after he caused a southern California freeway accident that injured four people with the semi-truck trailer he allegedly stole. When police questioned the teen about the cause of the commercial-vehicle accident, he told them he was trying elude zombies.

A commercial truck driver allowed the teen to hitch a ride after the young man was rendered homeless. When they stopped at an inspection site, the driver stepped out of the vehicle. However, the suspect took off in the 18-wheeler, which was full of strawberries, hitting several vehicles shortly thereafter.

California Woman faces charges of drunk driving

On behalf of Law Office of Daniel W. Dunbar posted in Motor Vehicle Accidents on Thursday, April 18, 2013.

A 20-year-old woman faces accusations of manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages after one teen died and four others were injured in a wreck in California on April 7. One person allegedly observed the driver toss beer cans out the window just before the car accident.

Authorities are investigating the possibility of racing as a contributing factor of the accident. They say that the woman was driving on North San Antonio Avenue but lost control of her 1995 sedan. Her vehicle hit several parked cars and then flipped over. A 19-year-old woman died at the scene. The driver and her three passengers were taken to medical facilities for the treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Revamped completion date for Figueroa Corridor targets 2014

On behalf of Law Office of Daniel W. Dunbar posted in Auto-Pedestrian Accidents on Thursday, April 11, 2013.

The Figueroa Corridor project plans to spend $20 million to transform roads in downtown L.A. into safe passageways for walkers, cyclist and public transportation. The changes will be similar to those made in other California city centers, such as Long Beach and San Francisco, in order to accommodate increased traffic and balance the needs of all who use the area. One of the goals is to decrease the number of auto-pedestrian accidents.

The project will feature new foliage, upscale crosswalks, artwork, seating areas, widened sidewalks and upgraded bus areas. A new bike path will ease the transition of riders across intersections and into South L.A. or to public transportation. The improved bike routes will feature "cycle tracks" right next to sidewalks with parking spaces that act as a buffer between the cyclists and traffic.

Hope fades for victim's family in hit-and-run case

On behalf of Law Office of Daniel W. Dunbar posted in Auto-Pedestrian Accidents on Friday, April 5, 2013.

On Oct. 22, 2012, a car veered and hit a 49-year-old man as he rode his bike to work and seriously injured the bicyclist. The motorist took off, leaving the injured man at the scene, who eventually died. His face was so badly damaged from the auto-pedestrian accident that the coroner's officer struggled to reconstruct his features.

The family has tried to pull together during this tragedy, but each grieves the loss of a loving family man in their own way. One of the challenges they all face is the hopelessness of the police ever catching the driver who caused the accident. With little information on the vehicle that hit the man, California police have few leads to follow.

Victoria Secret model seen in neck brace after wreck

On behalf of Law Office of Daniel W. Dunbar posted in Car accidents on Tuesday, March 26, 2013.

Miranda Kerr, the Victoria's Secret angel model, hurt her neck in a car accident in Los Angeles on March 11. She was seen in public wearing a medical neck brace on March 12 although she tried to cover the brace with a scarf. She was involved in the car accident when another motorist collided with her vehicle. She is thought to have been in the vehicle with her assistant, but her husband, actor Orlando Bloom, and their 2-year-old son were not with her at the time.

A spokesperson expressed gratitude that the accident wasn't worse although the supermodel was experiencing some pain. Her husband was helping her as she recovered from her injuries.

Correcting potential issues with Google's self-driving vehicle

On behalf of Law Office of Daniel W. Dunbar posted in Car accidents on Thursday, March 21, 2013.

Reports have shown that self-driving cars released by Google appear to be safer than vehicles driven by humans but that the self-driving cars still need improvements in driving in snow, adjusting to changes on maps and driving in construction areas. The inability of the cars to navigate road hazards properly could lead to car accidents. However, Google still hopes that their engineers can look into these issues and resolve them. Corrections will improve the chances the cars have of becoming available commercially.

The robot cars face complications when driving in snow because they cannot identify objects on top of the snow in the street. Although this issue might not affect drivers in temperate climates, drivers who decide to go on vacations to colder regions could have some problems.

Property damage, injuries and fatality follow L.A. crash

On behalf of Law Office of Daniel W. Dunbar posted in Car accidents on Saturday, March 16, 2013.

After a pickup truck veered onto the sidewalk on the afternoon of March 10 and plowed into a restaurant in Los Angeles, six people were injured and one fatality was reported. The car accident, which took place downtown at a busy Broadway intersection, claimed the life of a 52-year-old woman, and four of the injured individuals were transported to area hospitals in serious condition. The other two sustained reportedly minor injuries.

Authorities have not released the names of the victims but note that they span an age range of 30 to 70 years old. It is not yet known whether they were dining in the restaurant, which serves Indian cuisine, at the time of the incident or on the sidewalk itself when the pickup left the intersection and drove onto it. The truck contained a male driver and female passenger, according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Los Angeles Motor Vehicle Accidents Law Blog