Early Sunday morning, two construction workers were hit and killed by drunk drivers on the northbound 405 Freeway in Torrance. According to KTLA news, citing official sources, the two cars entered a closed portion of the 405 freeway and collided with each other. The vehicles then spun into the construction zone and struck the two construction workers, killing the two innocent victims. The two workers, Ramon Lopez, 56, of Chino Hills, and Ricardo Zamora, 58, of Winchester, had been retained for the job through CalTrans.
See the KTLA news story and video HERE.
Also on Sunday, a 42-year-old was reportedly killed by a DUI driver while pushing his bicycle in Lytle Creek. The victim, Dondi Allen Quimby, was walking with a woman shortly before 1 a.m. The alleged DUI driver, twenty-year-old Matthew Harry Eldridge of Rancho Cucamonga, was arrested at 2:05 a.m. and booked for investigation of felony drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter. According to the Press Enterprise, citing a CHP source, the area of Lytle Creek Road has a narrow shoulder and is very dark.
See the Press Enterprise story HERE.
In the first accident, it is almost incomprehensible that two drunk drivers would manage to crash into one another and then cause a multi-fatality accident involving two pedestrians. If that were not enough, a third driver, also reportedly intoxicated, struck a pedestrian pushing a bicycle and killed him. All three of these drivers will likely be facing wrongful death lawsuits by the families of Lopez, Zamora and Quimby. Under California law, the surviving family members have the right to be compensated for the loss of the society, care, comfort, love, affection and support of their deceased relatives, if the deaths occurred because of negligence or during the commission of an unlawful act. Assuming that Gomez, Casenta and/or Eldridge are convicted of felonies in relation to the happening of these collisions, any suit for wrongful death would necessarily receive priority trial setting preference by the court.
Compensation for the victims of fatal automobile accidents caused by an intoxicated driver should be an important concern for all Californians. When an intoxicated driver causes a tragic accident like the ones above, the responsible parties should be held accountable. An Orange County wrongful death lawyer with experience at handling traffic collision cases can make a fair assessment of these claims. Mr. Ralph has more than 21 years of experience handling Orange County personal injury cases, including those involving DUI drivers. He can be reached at 714-919-4415 for a FREE CONSULTATION.
Have you lost a family member because of an intoxicated driver?
Nothing in this post is intended to suggest the Law Offices of Paul W. Ralph currently represents anyone involved in the news story above. This posting should not be construed as legal advice or an opinion on the merit of any particular matter. A consultation is the best way to obtain an assessment of your potential case.
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