Long Beach Personal Injury Lawyer - Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrian Hit by Muni Bus

Shannon Weidemann — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:02:16 GMT

A person was hit by a Muni bus this morning in San Francisco. The pedestrian accident happened on Market Street. The victim was crossing the street at the time of the accident. Four people were hit by Muni vehicles in August.

Today's accident occured at 5:50 a.m. on Market near Sixth Street, said San Francisco Police Lt. Mike Cleary. The pedestrian was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, he added.

There have been five fatalities in 2007 due to Muni vehicles. Three of those accidents were in August. This morning's accident is being investigated and it is not yet known what caused it. Witnesses will be interviewed to determine what happened.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Pedestrian Killed in Alhambra

Shannon Weidemann — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:14:10 GMT

A car accident on the San Bernadino Freeway killed a woman who may have been a pedestrian in the area. An SUV going westbound ended up overturned on the eastbound freeway. The pedestrian accident happened on Monday evening.

The details surrounding the crash were unclear, but reports called in to the CHP indicated that a GMC Yukon hit another vehicle and ended up overturned on the other side of the freeway.
The victim, a woman in her early 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene, Gonzalez said.

The accident closed several lanes of the freeway. The accident happened in Alhambra near the Long Beach Freeway.

If you would like to read more about pedestrian accidents, please visit InjuryBoard's Pedestrian Accident information page.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Houston Boy Injured in Pedestrian Accident

Shannon Weidemann — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:41:36 GMT

An 11-year-old boy from Houston was injured in a pedestrian accident on Long Point on Friday evening. The boy had run out into the street where he was hit by a pickup truck. His injuries were severe and he was flown by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Guevara was driving a Chevrolet pickup in the left lane of the road way when the accident occurred.
Investigators do not believe Guevara is responsible for the accident, but he was arrested and charged for driving with a suspended license.

No one else was injured in the accident. A Metro bus had stopped in the area to pickup and unload passengers just before the accident.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to our section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Reckless Drivers in Long Beach Kill Pedestrian

Shannon Weidemann — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 12:25:33 GMT

A woman crossing the road at Paramount Boulevard between Candlewood Street and 55th Street. Two cars were speeding down the street, one in pursuit of the other. One of the vehicles hit the pedestrian in Long Beach.

Both drivers were driving about 60 mph in a 35 mph zone, Pratt said.
There was a dispute between the drivers, and Wiswell, who was driving in front of Anderson, slammed on his brakes, causing Anderson to swerve left in an attempt to avoid a collision, according to police.

The victim was taken to Long Beach Medical Memorial Center but her injuries were too severe and she died. Both drivers were charged with reckless driving and vehicular homicide.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Do I Have A Case? - Dangerous Condition

IB Contributor — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 18:09:07 GMT

Question emailed to me:

"Do I have a strong case?"

I parked in the guest registration parking spot to check out of a motel. I dropped my keys on the way in and bent down to pick them up. When I straightened up, I rammed my head into the corner of a square edged "guest registration parking" sign. The pain was intense, I fell and was gushing blood. A motel employee got me a towel for the bleeding. An urgent care facility cleaned the wound and stitched it up.

Now 3 days later, my head is still hurting, a dull ache that goes from the middle of my head to the back of my eyes.

My back is in terrible shape. I had back surgery some years ago, it is weak and sometimes gives me pain Since this incident, my back pain has been so intense my doctor put me off work for thirty days.

My answer

No you do not have a strong case, in my opinion.

However, since personal injury cases are really an economic question and not a law school exam, I'll break it down further. The question really is, "Do I have an economically viable claim for compensation?

If your injury was a nasty gash on your head, a dozen stitches and a terrible headache for a week your claim may or may not make economic sense to pursue depending upon the value of your time. If you are a high wage earner, it isn't worth your time. If it is worth your time, energy and emotion to spend it in pursuit of something worth less than $10,000 net, hire an attorney skilled in handling small cases or take the matter to small claims court. If you are hot to do something about this and "bring some justice" to the situation, regardless of economics, small claims court is a viable option.

If this incident seriously re-injured or aggravated your back, wait. Give your back time to do what it is going to do. A serious back injury may not really manifest itself for years. Give it time so that you can gauge how much damage your back suffered. You could just have a bad sprain that will go away with some physical therapy in a month or you could need another surgery in a year. Until you reasonably know the extent of your injury and can prove it, you are not in a position to determine the economic viability of your claim.

You can wait until near the end of statute of limitations to decide how to proceed. In California the statute is two years for an adult in your situation. There are some exceptions.

I suggest not talking to anyone on behalf of the motel other than to make a report of the incident, which you probably already have. There is NOTHING that you can say to them that will help. There is PLENTY that you could say that would seriously compromise any claim that you might make.

If I was the attorney for the Motel, I would take the position that the entire incident was your fault. "The sign was in plain sight and the sign is a standard type used by many businesses similarly situated. You made contact with the sign, the sign to not come to you. It was your negligence." This argument will most likely reduce your ultimate recovery, no matter what.

Evidence is crucially important. Take pictures of your wounds. Hopefully you took pictures of the sign and the area around it. Get all your medical complaints into your medical records. Keep track of your medical records, all associated expenses and losses (income). Evidence is crucial.

If your injury turns out to be very serious or catastrophic and you haven't hired an attorney, call me for a consultation.

Keep in mind that every attorney you consult with will have a different opinion, a different approach and a different criteria for the causes they pursue. I always suggest a second opinion.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by IB Contributor

Long Beach Pedestrian Killed in Accident

Shannon Weidemann — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:47:13 GMT

A man living in Long Beach, but originally from Mexico, was hit by a car and killed in Long Beach last month. The pedestrian accident happened on Del Amo Boulevard. The driver of the car fled the scene, but later turned himself into the police.

It was still unclear whether Wilcher should have seen and avoided the victim. According to Jason Evans, an LBPD spokesman, the pedestrian was crossing mid-block and was not in a cross-walk at the time. Either way, however, it is a crime to leave the scene of an accident, Evans said.

The driver has been charged with felony hit-and-run for the accident. He has other criminal charges on his record.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Little Girl Dies After Running Across Highway

Shannon Weidemann — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:44:04 GMT

Two sisters ran across Highway 1 in Davenport when one was hit by a truck and killed. The victim was a 3-year-old girl. She was trying to get to her father on the other side of the road. The pedestrian accident happened on Wednesday night.

The accident happened at 7:47 p.m. when the girl, her older sister and their mother were walking back to town from Davenport Beach. The two girls darted across the highway toward the restaurant, according to the California Highway Pa trol.
The older sister, who officers said was about 6, made it across the highway, which widens to three lanes as it passes through Davenport. But her younger sister was hit by a red truck traveling north. There is no crosswalk in the area.

The police do not believe that the driver of the truck was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident. They are still investigating the accident.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Hit and Run Driver Injures Two People

Shannon Weidemann — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 14:07:17 GMT

Two teenage girls trying to cross a road in Long Beach were hurt by a hit and run driver. The pedestrian accident happened on Saturday night. The victims were hit at the intersection of Second Street and Bay Shore Avenue.

Police are not sure if the car ran a red light, or if the girls crossed when the light was still green.
The vehicle fled, and the two teens were taken to a local hospital in stable condition, Evans said.
The car was described as a mid-90s black Jeep Grand Cherokee. No suspect description or license plate was available Saturday night.

The police are investigating the accident and trying to find the driver and vehicle responsible. If you have any information please call the Long Beach Police Department.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Camp Pendelton Pedestrian Killed

Shannon Weidemann — Tue, 08 May 2007 15:16:39 GMT

A man from Canada walking near Camp Pendelton was killed after being hit by a semi-truck. The 31-year-old pedestrian was walking on Interstate 5 when he was hit.

The accident was reported at 4:41 p.m. on the northbound I-5, just north of a rest area.
It is possible that the truck driver never saw the victim, and the driver appears to have done nothing wrong, a CHP officer told broadcast stations.

The man's name has not been released unitl his family has been contacted. The CHP is still investigating and they do not know why he was walking along the interstate.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann

Royal Oak Pedestrian Accident

Shannon Weidemann — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:46:12 GMT

A Clawson man was walking on Gardenia Avenue near Main Street when he was hit by a car. The 22-year-old victim was taken to the hospital. He was hit by a Dodge Stratus and the driver of the car did not stop after hitting the man.

Shortly after the accident was reported, a traffic crash was reported in the area of Dewey and Cody, northeast of the intersection of Main and Gardenia. A red Dodge Stratus had struck a fire hydrant. Police arrested the female driver for operating while intoxicated and in connection with the pedestrian accident. The driver was injured in the fire hydrant accident and was taken to William Beaumont Hospital under police custody.

She is believed to be the same driver that hit the pedestrian. The Royal Oak police are investigating the accident and ask anyone with information to please contact them. The accident happened on March 28th around 10 p.m.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Shannon Weidemann