Santiago Canyon Accident Leaves One Dead and Six Injured

Early Monday morning a two-car crash on Santiago Canyon in Orange County left a 16-year-old girl dead and six others injured. According to KTLA News, the crash occurred on East Santiago Canyon Road when the two vehicles were headed toward Silverado Canyon Road at about 1:45 a.m.   The girl killed in the accident, Marie Elizabeth Johnson, was reportedly not seat-belted and was ejected from one of the two Honda Civics traveling together before the crash.  The driver of the lead car hit his brakes hard after seeing a deer, and the driver of the second vehicle, identified as 19-year-old Antonio Escamilla, did likewise, leading to the accident. Escamilla has been arrested on felony DUI and manslaughter charges.  The condition of the six other people injured and hospitalized is currently unknown.

 Seat Belt Use Among Teens

Unfortunately, seat belt use among teens is much lower than the use among adults, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  In 2009, more than half of the people ages 16 to 20 years old who were killed in traffic collisions were unbelted at the time.  What some people may think is that air bags provide sufficient protection, but the accident above is a tragic illustration why this is not the case.  While air bags may reduce body motion and impact with the interior during a collision, they do not prevent vehicle occupants from being ejected in a major collision.  The combination of using a seat belt and being protected by an airbag is what  most often saves lives.

Driving While Impaired

In the accident above, the driver of the car in which Johnson was riding has been arrested for driving while impaired.  In spite of all of the media attention given to drunk driving and national campaigns intended to curb the problem, more than 10,000 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes  in 2010, according to NHTSA.   As demonstrated by the tragic collision above, teens are at a far greater risk of death in an alcohol-related crash than the overall population.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident involving an impaired driver, seeking a consultation with an experienced injury attorney is perhaps the best way to find out about your right to compensation for the injuries and damages sustained. 

SOURCE:  Family, Classmates Mourn Teen Killed in Silverado Crash, KTLA News, September 10, 2013, by KTLA 5 Web Staff

Rollover Crash in Inland Empire on Lytle CReek Road Leaves Six Injured

Monday evening at about 6:30 p.m. a white Lincoln Navigator overturned on a stretch of Lytle Creek Road, injuring all six occupants and demolishing the SUV.  According to the Press Enterprise, the accident happened in the Inland Empire on the road leading into Lytle Creek on a fairly curving section of the road.  Two of the injured suffered serious injuries and had to be airlifted to local hospitals.   According to officials, the Navigator was traveling south at an undetermined speed when it ran off the road, and the driver overcorrected, causing the vehicle to roll over several times.  After being interviewed by the police, the driver of the SUV was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.  According to a local resident, this area of Lytle Creek Road has a history of accidents.  

Cause of the Accident

The area of the accident is in a very rural part of San Bernardino County.  Lytle Creek Road in that area is curved and certainly anyone driving the road at a high rate of speed or while impaired would have a difficult time keeping their vehicle on the road.  Additionally, because the Navigator was headed south, most likely downhill, a driver not paying close attention to the increase in speed because of the decline might attempt to take a curve in the road too fast.  According to the resident interviewed by the Press Enterprise, there have been at least four accidents at that location since 2005.

Roll Over Accidents

The accident above involved a vehicle that rolled over several times, a particularly dangerous scenario.  This type of accident is second only to frontal or head-on crashes in terms of the fatality rate, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.  The dangers of rollover accidents are particular high when it comes to SUVs and other light trucks.  The accident above is what is generally referred to as an "untripped" rollover or one in which no stationary object was involved that contributed to the vehicle turning over.  Severe turning maneuvers are thought to be the primary cause of these types of accidents, and it seems likely this may have been the cause of the accident above.    That excessive turning maneuver, assuming there was one, might be explained by the driver's impairment and overreaction to a momentary loss of control.  A complete accident reconstruction will likely determine whether driver error alone caused the crash or whether there was also a vehicle safety issue.

If you have been injured or a loved one killed in a roll over accident, determining the precise cause may better enable you to obtain compensation for the injuries and other losses sustained.  An injury attorney with experience at handling such accidents can most likely be of assistance in evaluating the potential for recovery.

SOURCE:  CAJON PASS: 6 hurt after SUV overturns on curvy road, the Press Enterprise, July 1, 2013, by Richard Brooks