Fatal Highway 101 Tour Bus Roll Over In Soledad

April 28, 2009

According to reports by Soledad tour bus accident attorneys, a Highway 101 tour bus crash fatal for as many as 10 people.

At approximately 3:24 p.m. Tuesday afternoon a tour bus out of Orange County rolled over on an overpass in Soledad. The bus operated by Orion Pacific was traveling from San Francisco when it crossed the southbound overpass where it rolled over.

The tour bus had approximately 40 French passengers at the time of the rollover, which many were ejected from the bus, some falling from the overpass on to the highway below.

According to reports there were approximately 10 passengers killed and it is reported dozens were injured during the accident.

Emergency personnel from several counties responded to the scene and Highway 101 was closed in both directions. The northbound lanes were reopened by approximately 6:00 p.m.

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Highway 210 Accident Involves L.A. County Sheriff

April 25, 2009 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by personal injury lawyers in Los Angeles County, an early evening accident involved a Los Angeles County Sheriff on the 210 Freeway.

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Jesus Gomez the accident occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. east of the Angeles Crest Highway when a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officer lost control of the vehicle.

The accident occurred when the Altadena station police vehicle spun out of control striking the center median according to Officer Gomez. There were believed to be vehicles that slowed to see the crashed police vehicle and within minutes two other vehicles collided.

The deputy driving the vehicle was transported from the scene of the accident to a local hospital with minor injuries.

One of the two vehicles that collided in the vicinity of the crashed police vehicle was a tractor trailer that had rear ended a pickup truck when it slowed in the westbound lanes. Officer Gomez stated the tractor-trailer spilled antifreeze during the collision and Los Angeles County Fire Department and hazmat crews were dispatched to the scene. The pickup truck was also carrying pool-cleaning equipment and spilled approximately a gallon of chlorine.

There were no injuries in the collision and according to Officer Gomez the 210 Freeway was shut down on all of the eastbound lanes and one lane of the westbound lanes was left open.

The California Highway Patrol is still investigating the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office deputy’s accident.

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Hit And Run Driver Kills Man In Santa Ana

April 13, 2009 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by Santa Ana car accident lawyers, a man was struck and killed in Santa Ana by a hit and run driver.

According to Cpl. John Krews of the Santa Ana Police Department a man identified to be in his 40’s was struck by a vehicle traveling westbound when he was crossing the street in the 3500 block of West First Street. The hit and run occurred at approximately 9:45 p.m. in the vicinity near Harbor Boulevard.

Police are asking for the public's help after witnesses stated the car was a small dark vehicle that fled the scene. Santa Ana injury attorneys hope the killer is located.

The man that was struck was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident and his identity has not been release pending notification of his next of kin.

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One Dead After Big Rig Crash On 210 Freeway

April 9, 2009 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports an accident between two big rigs left one dead, closing the 210 Freeway.

According to the California Highway Patrol a truck driver was killed in a collision that occurred at approximately 4:00 a.m. When he rear ended another tractor-trailer in the vicinity of La Crescenta, west of Ocean View Boulevard.

The truck driver that was struck in the rear told police the was driving in the number four lane at the time of the collision and he felt a bump. He also stated according to the California Highway Patrol that he was traveling at approximately 50 miles per hour. He was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

The truck driver that was killed has only been identified as a man in his 50’s and according to the California Highway Patrol the cause of the accident is still under investigation.

One eastbound lane of the 210 Freeway were closed for several hours at Ocean View Boulevard.

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Officials and Residents Angry Over Angeles Crest Truck Crash

April 3, 2009 (by Otto Smyth)

Officials, personal injury lawyers in La Canada, and residents are angry one day after the big rig lost control going through the intersection of La Canada Flintridge, crashing through two buildings, injuring 12 and killing 2.

The car hauler that was taking a well used short cut on the mountain Angeles Forest Highway to the Los Angeles Basin having peaks of almost 8,000 feet. The driver passed a sign according to officials that prohibits tractor-trailers the weight of the double-decker car hauler.

The out of state driver and co driver reaching the vicinity where the accident occurred had failing breaks from the twisting mountain highway. This caused the truck to pick up speed on the final straight away where the driver struck a vehicle dragging it over the 210 Freeway southbound into the crowded intersection. This is where the big rig struck five more vehicles, the Flintridge Bookstore and a nail salon. In the aftermath a father and daughter were killed and twelve other people were injured, with four being critically injured.

During the investigation while the events were being figured out by investigators, residents and officials are angry and feel the tragedy should never have occurred. It also brings to the forefront the lack of efforts by the government to enforce truck safety on the twisting mountain highway north of Los Angeles.

In the past the final decent to La Canada had a runaway for trucks in case of emergencies like the one that occurred. Caltrans made the decision approximately a decade ago that tractor-trailer safety had improved, closing the runaway and landscaping the area.

Los Angeles big rig truck accident attorneys have been warning about these types of accidents for a long time as well. In fact, the the director of Caltrans District 7, Doug Failing has stated since the accident they are considering reopening the truck runaway lane and employing other safety measures. They also plan to install warning signs, but stated that the road is safe for the dangerous large trucks if they are driven properly.

The elected officials in the city want a complete ban on tractor-trailers using the mountain pass as a short cut on their way to Los Angeles Basin. According to Mayor Laura Olhasso in a news conference there is no need for a study or bureaucratic nonsense, instead the people in the city of La Canada Flintridge need to be protected. The mayor went on to state that Caltrans should immediately close the highway to these large trucks.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich a representative of the area stated big rigs do not belong on the Angeles Crest Highway. He went on to say that the tractor-trailer had become a lethal weapon.

City officials had requested several weeks ago that the state forbid big rigs from using the highway route as a shortcut after an accident seven months ago involving one of these large trucks. The tractor-trailer that was hauling 78,000 pounds of onions lost its brakes and struck cars in a parking lot near the intersection.

The tractor-trailer driver has been identified as Marco Barbosa Costa age 43 of Massachusetts. Barbosa was arrested on suspicion of gross negligent vehicular manslaughter.

Investigators are still looking into why Costa was on the mountain highway instead of taking the 5 or 14 Freeways and are not sure if he was using a GPS system or maps. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Slater stated that the mountain incline will cause the breaks to be used more regularly and the breaks in the tractor-trailer are still under investigation as to the reason they failed.

The former mayor of La Canada Flintridge and now Assemblyman has called on the California Highway Patrol to increase patrols and checkpoints on the Angeles Crest Highway that Costa took.

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Big Rig Driver Arrested After Truck Loses Control In La Canada Flintridge—Kills 2

April 2, 2009 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by La Canada Caltrans accident attorneys, the driver of a big rig has been arrested after losing control of his truck while descending on Angeles Crest Highway, killing 2 and injuring 12.

The accident occurred at the intersection of La Canada Flintridge when the tractor-trailer went out of control colliding with several vehicles and driving into a shopping complex. In the busy retail section of boutiques and restaurants, where witness Melissa Watkins who was working at the coffee bar inside the Flintridge Bookstore stated the hood was up on the truck and it was jackknifing while bouncing off of things.

The two people were killed were father and daughter, they have been identified as Angelina Posca age 12 and Angel Jorge Posca age 58 residents of Palmdale according to the coroners office.

Twelve people were also injured in the collision, three that were transported to the hospital in critical condition. According to Los Angeles County Fire Captain Mike Brown, one of the critically injured victims was airlifted to a hospital and four others of the injured were transported to local hospitals.

Capt. Brown also stated that emergency workers pulled motorists from vehicles and dug through debris in the bookstore and nail salon searching for injured victims. The Los Angeles Fire Captain also stated firefighters assessed the bookstore and have deemed the structure unsafe due to the extensive damage.

According to reports the big rig car carrier after loosing control in the vicinity of Foothill Boulevard and Angeles Crest then struck a bookstore and then into a nail salon pinning the owner.

Mayor Laura Olhasso released a statement on Wednesday evening after the big rig lost control and demanded immediate action by Caltrans. After they have ignored repeated requests to ban tractor-trailers from using the highway as a short cut to the L.A. Basin.

Officials from La Canada Flintridge have been in dispute with the California Department of Transportation the past year as they stated the intersection is well-known to be an area for runaway trucks.

Officials sent a letter approximately one month ago urging that trucks be ban from using the mountain route and they also suggested that signs be put up warning truck drivers of the steep grade to Caltrans. Contact a Caltrans Accident attorney for more info.

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Federal Judge Denies Army Contractors Motion To Dismiss Lawsuit of Soldiers Mother

April 1, 2009 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyers, a federal judge denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit by an Army contractor in a case filed by the mother of a soldier that was electrocuted.

The lawsuit filed was against the Army contractor KBR a Houston based military provider after Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth was electrocuted in the shower while serving a deployment in Iraq.

The lawsuit claims that KBR did not maintain the electrical infrastructure at the former estate of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. This is where the son of Cheryl A. Harris an Army Ranger and Green Beret was electrocuted on January 12, 2008 while he showered.

Attorneys for the military provider argued that as contractors for the Army they were protected from prosecution. They also argued that the case could be an embarrassment for the United States government and the U.S. Army.

United States Federal District Judge Nora Barry Fischer denied their motion to dismiss. The judge stated that the case does not involve a active duty combat related operation in a 56 page ruling.

Judge Fischer stated that the lawsuit asks the court to determine if the work provided by KBR contractors was substandard or negligent leading to Staff Sgt. Meseth’s death. The judge also stated that the Army has not intervened in the case or contacted the court about the matter.

Cheryl A. Harris stated this was good news when the dismissal was denied, it has been the best news she has heard since the death of her son 15 months ago. Harris stated this feels like the right decision was made and there will be justice and there need to be changes made involving military contractors errors or negligence.

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