Teenage Girl Critically Injured in San Bernardino Motorcycle Accident

KTLA news has reported a hit-and-run accident that occurred in San Bernardino on Tuesday night.  A 17-year-old girl crossing the street on her skateboard was was struck by a speeding motorcycle.  Citing official sources, KTLA has reported the motorcyclist was traveling approximately 75 miles per hour, more than twice the speed limit at the intersection of 31st and E streets, where the girl was struck.  The victim was taken by ambulance to Loma Linda University Medical Center where she was listed in critical condition.  The police are still searching for the rider of the Japanese sports bike involved in the accident.

See the KTLA news story and photographs HERE.

This tragic accident would appear to be one that could easily have been prevented.  The motorcyclist, assuming the speed above is accurate, was traveling much too fast for the conditions.  At 7:30 p.m., it was dark outside, and the area of the accident is essentially residential.  At a speed of 75 miles per hour, the motorcycle was traveling over 110 feet per second, leaving no margin for error and almost no time to take evasive action in the event there was a pedestrian or skateboarder who suddenly appeared in the roadway.  The motorcyclist flight from the accident scene is strong evidence of consciousness of guilt, and the rider (when and if caught) could easily face felony hit-and-run charges.  Beyond that, this young girl is entitled to be compensated for the injuries and damages she sustained in the accident.

Compensation for the victims of automobile accidents caused by a reckless driver or motorcycle rider should  be an important concern for all Californians.   When a driver or rider operates their vehicle at an excessive speed and causes a serious or fatal accident, they should be held accountable.   An Orange injury lawyer with experience at handling such cases can make a fair assessment of these claims.  Mr. Ralph has more than 20 years years of experience handling auto and motorcycle accident cases.   He can be reached at 714-919-4415 for a FREE CONSULTATION.

Have you or a loved one been injured or killed in an accident caused by excessive speed?

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.

Orange County Bicyclist Fatally Injured in Huntington Beach

An elderly bicyclist from Westminster was reportedly killed in a traffic accident this morning at about 11:00 a.m.  According to the Orange County Register, the victim was a 79-year-old bicyclist, and the accident occurred on Bolsa Avenue west of Able Lane in Huntington Beach.  The bicyclist was apparently riding eastbound on Bolsa when he was struck by the driver of a BMW, a 23-year-old man from Long Beach.  Following the collision, the elderly cyclist was taken to UCI Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.  No arrests of citations were issued and any witnesses are urged to call the Huntington Beach Police Department at 714-536-5670.

See the Orange County Register article HERE.

According to published statistics, bicycle and other "pedalcycles" are involved in approximately 2% of all fatal traffic accidents.  Most of the fatal accidents occur in urban areas, away from intersections, and the pedalcyclists are, on average, 41 years of age.  Interestingly, the average age of those fatally injured in such accidents has steadily increased since the year 2000.  Some people tend to forget that bicyclists are considered vehicle operators, and they are required to obey the same rules of the road as other vehicle operators, including obeying traffic signs, signals, and lane markings.  (See the National Highway Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts 2009)  In the case above, it remains to be seen how and why this tragic accident occurred.  Eastbound Bolsa Avenue includes three regular travel and one bike lane.  A further investigation, including the taking of witness statements, will likely aid in determining whether the accident actually occurred within the bike lane or whether the bicyclist was within one of the regular travel lanes.  Given the configuration of the roadway and the fact this was a daytime accident, it is hard to imagine how this fatal collision occurred without some neglect by either the driver or the elderly bicyclist.

Compensation for the victims of bicycle versus motor vehicle accidents caused by negligent drivers should be an important concern for all Californians.  When a driver operates their vehicle so as to cause an accident with a cyclist, they should be held accountable for the injuries and damages they cause.  An Orange County bicycle accident attorney with the necessary experience can make a fair assessment of these claims.  Mr. Ralph has more than 20 years of experience handling Orange County vehicle accident cases, including those involving bicyclists.  He can be reached at 714-919-4415 for a FREE CONSULTATION.

Have you or a loved one been injured or killed in a motor vehicle versus bicycle accident?

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.

710 Freeway Accident Badly Injures Five

At about 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, a three-vehicle crash occurred on the 710 Freeway in Paramount, badly injuring five people including a small child.  According to KTLA news, the accident happened in the northbound lanes near Rosecrans Avenue in Paramount.  The accident involved a Buick Cutlass Supreme which apparently spun out of control after colliding with a semi truck without its trailer, apparently after a lane change.  The Buick then collided into a female Caltrans worker, who was out of her truck picking up trash near the freeway's right shoulder.   The injured child, reportedly a 3-year-old boy, was one of four passengers in the Cutlass, and all five injured people were rushed to local hospitals.


See the KTLA news story and photographs HERE. 


So far, it is unknown what caused this horrible accident or who was at fault.  Assuming initial reports are correct and the accident resulted from a lane change, then eyewitness accounts will be important to determine which of the drivers made an unsafe lane change.  Under California law, "a vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane and shall not be moved from the lane until such movement can be made with reasonable safety." (California Vehicle Code Section 21658)  Additionally, the law prohibits a driver from turning "a vehicle from a direct course or move right or left upon a roadway until such movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after the giving of an appropriate signal in the manner provided in this chapter in the event any other vehicle may be affected by the movement."  (California Vehicle Code Section 22107)  A violation of either one of these code sections would amount to "negligence per se", for which a driver can be found liable if an accident results.  


Compensation for the victims of automobile accidents caused by a negligent driver should be an important concern for all Californians. When a victim of careless driving is injured, the at-fault driver should be held accountable for all of  the injuries and damages they cause.  An Orange County injury lawyer with experience at handling such cases can make a fair assessment of these claims.  Mr. Ralph has more than 20 years of experience handling automobile accident case, including just this type.  He can be reached at 714-919-4415 for a FREE CONSULTATION.


Have you or a loved one been injured in an accident caused by a driver making an unsafe lane change?


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.

Elderly Woman Drives Through Orange Business Injuring Four

A woman in her 90s crashed her vehicle into the patio of a doughnut shop in Orange earlier today, injuring herself and three others.  According to the article in the Orange County Register, the elderly driver was trying to back out of a parking space when the accident occurred.  Reportedly, the initial investigation revealed that the woman accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake, causing her Cadillac Northstar to accelerate.  The accident happened at DK's Donuts located on Chapman Avenue.  The three men and the driver were taken to local hospitals, but their conditions were not immediately known.

See the Orange County Register and photographs article HERE. 

Elderly drivers can sometimes pose a serious risk when behind the wheel, although it is not the age of the driver alone that is problematic.  With age comes certain physical impairments that may increase the risk of an accident.  For example, drivers of any age are required to possess certain visual acuity before being issued a license to drive.  A driver's poor vision may subject them to a corrective lense restriction on their license.  Other age-related restrictions may include the following:

-  No freeway driving

-  Driving a vehicle with an additional right side mirror

-  Driving from sunrise to sunset (no nighttime driving)

-  Time of day restriction (for example, not during rush hour traffic)

-  Using adequate support to ensure proper driving position

-  Area restriction

-  Wearing bioptic telescopic lens when driving/restricted to driving from sunrise to sunset

See the California DMV website regarding Senior Driver restrictions HERE.

When the age of a driver contributes to physical limitations that may increase the danger while behind the wheel, the elderly driver's license should be restricted.  Unfortunately, the restrictions above do not take into account the diminution in perception-reaction time and hand-eye coordination that generally follow with aging.  Simply stated, if a driver (because of their age) has lost the ability to safely operate a motor vehicle, the driver's privilege to operate a vehicle should be terminated, for everyone's benefit.

Compensation for the victims of automobile accidents caused by a driver's physical impairment should be an important concern for all Californians. When an elderly driver operates their vehicle at in an unsafe manner, they should be held accountable for the injuries and damages they cause.  An Orange County injury trial lawyer with experience at handling such cases can make a fair assessment of these claims.   Mr. Ralph has more than 20 years of experience handling automobile accident cases, including just this type.  He can be reached at 714-919-4415 for a FREE CONSULTATION.

Have you or a loved one been seriously injured in an accident with an elderly, impaired 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.

Orange County Physician Loses License Following Patient Overdose

On December 30th, an Orange County doctor, Dariush Javanshir, M.D., finally lost his license to practice medicine in California after the Medical Board found the doctor had overprescribed pain and anxiety medication to a depressed patient who died of an overdose.  Javanshir, who has a long history of Board discipline and malpractice lawsuits, was last practicing medicine in Irvine.   According to an article in the Orange County Register, the doctor did not contest the Medical Board's revocation of his license, and his office number is disconnected.  Javanshir's history of discipline by the Board goes all the way back to 1995, when he had been in practice here in California for 10 years.   In that first case, Javanshir was accused of prescribing controlled substances and dangerous drugs in such a manner so as to cause the patient to become addicted.  That alleged misconduct actually began just one year after the doctor received his license to practice in this State.  After roughly 25 years of practice from the date of his first breach of community standards, Javanshir has just now lost his license to treat patients.


See the Orange County Register article HERE.  Also, see the Orange County Superior Court index of civil lawsuits HERE.


What this case demonstrates is that even with multiple actions filed by the Attorney General's Office and discipline by the Medical Board, as well as a number of civil lawsuits having been filed, a doctor's license and his ability to harm patients is not significantly compromised.  From his track record, it looks as though Javanshir was either not competent to practice medicine within community standards or consciously disregarded those standards for his own personal reasons or gain.  In spite of this, he apparently continued to operate a lucrative medical practice in Orange County, and it appears he has only been stopped now because of his connection to a patient's death.  With the information now available online to potential patients, it is always a good idea to review the background of any doctor with whom you are considering treatment.  A search of the court records and Medical Board website will often, but certainly not always, provide information useful in determining whether a particular doctor possesses the level of skill, knowledge, and care that other reasonably careful doctors in the same area of practice possess.


Compensation for the victims of medical malpractice committed by unqualified, careless or even reckless doctors should be an important concern for all Californians.   When a physician without the necessary training and experience harms a patient, they should be held accountable.  An Orange County medical malpractice lawyer with experience at handling such cases can make a fair assessment of these claims.   Mr. Ralph has over 20 years of experience handling personal injury and medical malpractice cases, including just this type.  He can be reached at 714-919-4415 for a FREE CONSULTATION.


Have you or a loved one been the victim of a negligent physician?


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.