A 55-year-old Corona woman died last week after the car she was riding in tried to cut into the FasTrak lanes on the eastbound 91 Freeway during the evening rush hour on March 27, according to a news report posted on The Orange County Register’s Web site on Tuesday.
Officials confirmed the woman’s identity on Monday because her husband, who was on a fishing trip in Mexico, had to be located and informed, the article said.
Maria Maldonado, 55, of Corona was in the front seat of her daughter’s car when the car flipped over and crashed into a wall after losing control near Weir Canyon Road just after 5 p.m., coroner officials said. Maldonaldo was the only one not wearing her seat belt and the only person who died in the crash.Her daughter and another passenger were taken to Kaiser Permanente in Anaheim.
Both toll lanes and the northbound Costa Mesa (55) Freeway connector to the 91 were shut down for several hours that evening.
This is a tragic death that may have been avoided had the woman’s daughter not cut into the FasTrak lanes and had the woman been wearing a seat belt.
According to the National Safety Council (http://www.nsc.org) buckling up can definitely make the difference between life and death during an auto accident.
Here’s why: During a crash, properly fastened safety belts distribute the forces of rapid deceleration over larger and stronger parts of the person’s body, such as the chest, hips and shoulders. The safety belt stretches slightly to slow your body down and to increase its stopping distance.
The difference between the belted person’s stopping distance and the unbelted person’s stopping distance is significant. It’s often the difference between life and death.
So, don’t be another statistic. Buckle up! A seat belt saved my life.
My path to becoming a personal injury attorney began with an auto accident. I was on my way to school one morning when a car made a left hand turn in front of me. It was a violent collision. I was severely injured. One of my vivid memories of the accident was still sitting in the driver’s seat with paramedics attending to me and I could hear one of the Highway Patrol Officer saying, “…if he hadn’t of been wearing his seat belt, he’d be splattered all over the road, he’s luck to be alive…”.
If you have been injured in an auto accident because of a negligent driver, defective products or a dangerous road condition, call me for a free consultation. 800-598-6998.