Archives : 2009 : August

Toyota Accused by Former Lawyer of Hiding Crucial Rollover Accident Evidence

Automaker Toyota is facing serious charges by one of its former attorneys, who is accusing the companies of withholding important evidence in several rollover accident cases.

The company did this to ensure that proof of structural deficiencies in its vehicles remained hidden. Those allegations are part of a federal racketeering suit filed by Dimitrios Biller, who is former counsel for Toyota Motor Sales USA. Biller claims that his attempts to reveal the company’s misconduct has resulted in him being fired from his job. Toyota attorneys have brought a motion to seal Biller’s complaint, claiming that it is full of confidential company information that Biller has no right to reveal.

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Child Dies in Modesto Rollover Accident

An 8-year-old girl has been killed in Modesto in a rollover accident involving a Ford Explorer.

According to the Modesto Bee, the girl was riding in a 1999 Ford Explorer driven by Turlock-resident Amalia Perez on Sunday, when the SUV “began to shudder.” Soon, the left tire of the Explorer blew out, and when Perez tried to control the SUV by slamming on the brakes, the SUV veered to the right, and spun out of control. It left the highway and overturned, as it crashed down an embankment. Perez and a passenger suffered minor injuries, and were taken to the hospital. However, an 8-year-old girl who was in the SUV was ejected from the Explorer, and died at the scene.  The California Highway Patrol does not believe that alcohol was a factor in the accident, and no one has been arrested.

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Motorcyclist Killed in San Jose Accident

A Fremont woman has been killed in a motorcycle accident on a freeway in San Jose.

According to MercuryNews.com, 57-year-old Kathryn Marie Marotta was riding a motorcycle, and seems to have lost control or hit an object. According to witnesses, she was ejected from the motorcycle which was on Story Road ramp, to highway 101. Marotta was ejected several dozen feet away from the motorcycle, and sustained fatal injuries. According to the California Highway Patrol, no other vehicles were involved in the accident. CHP investigators say it’s not yet clear what caused the accident. There is no information if alcohol or drugs were a factor in this accident. Toxicology tests will likely be conducted, as is routine in fatal accidents, and it will be several weeks before we find out the results.

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New Elk Grove Bike Overpass to Enhance Pedestrian and Bicycle Access, Prevent Accidents

Residents of Elk Grove can look forward to a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge over highway 99, making access to the rest of the city easier, and preventing bicycle and pedestrian accidents.

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Nursing Home Abuse Suspect to Testify Against Two Co-Accused

One of three suspects in a shocking nursing home abuse scandal in Kern County has accepted a plea bargain, and will testify against the other two accused. Debbie Gayle Hayes, who is a former pharmacist, has accepted the plea bargain to testify against the two other staff members at the facility where the abuse occurred.

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New Cars Will find it Harder to Pass Safety Tests

The decline in fatality rates in accidents across the country can be traced in part to the safer automobiles that Americans are now driving around, compared to a couple of decades ago.  But now, automobile makers are going to find it harder to engineer their cars to do well on safety tests. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety has said that it is going to make it more difficult for automobiles to receive top grades on their safety tests.

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Pool Safety is Still an Issue

Many California swimming pool accident lawyers have firmly supported the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act which went into effect last year.  However, there are problems with the manner in which states have been able to enforce the federal law.

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Texting Accident PSA is Graphic, but Effective

A Public Service Announcement message video featuring a car accident caused by a text messaging teen, has gone viral on YouTube, and has already had more than 1 million views on the popular video sharing portal. There has been criticism that the video is too graphic, but  California car accident lawyers and advocates of stronger laws against cell phone use behind the wheel politely disagree.

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Woman Killed in Ventura Pedestrian Accident

A Casitas Springs resident was killed earlier this week in a pedestrian accident in Ventura on Monday.

60-year-old Susan Herman was walking to the beach near Surface Point with her dog, when she was struck by a car. Herman was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries. The driver of the car that struck Herman, a 16-year-old male, has told police that he didn’t see her before the accident. Ventura police are trying to determine who was at fault here. As of now, investigators don’t believe that the driver was driving under the influence at the time of the accident. But they have not yet determined if Herman was in a crosswalk at the time. No arrests have been made. Herman is being remembered by her family and friends as a free sprit.

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Could Lane Splitting be a Factor in Motorcycle Accidents?

California motorcycle accident lawyers have been very concerned at the high number of motorcycle accident fatalities in our state. A report in Tennews.com offers clues as to why motorcycle deaths may have been increasing the way they have.

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