Manhattan Beach Police Officer Tony Presgraves was seriously injured in a Los Angeles County car accident when a Honda SUV collided with his patrol car. According to a news report in The Daily Breeze, the injury crash occurred at the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Ninth Street the night of July 11, 2012. Presgraves was driving north on Sepulveda when his cruiser collided with an SUV driven by a 24-year-old woman. Witnesses have stated that Officer Presgraves appeared to be speeding and broadsided the Honda SUV as it was making a left turn. Presgraves and the SUV’s driver were transported to an area hospital for treatment. Presgraves was in serious but stable condition.
My thoughts and prayers are with Officer Tony Presgraves, a 20-year police veteran, and the other driver who was injured in this Los Angeles car crash. I them him the very best for a complete and speedy recovery.
Los Angeles Car Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were no fatalities but 97 injuries occurred as a result of car accidents in the city of Manhattan Beach. Throughout Los Angeles County, 554 people were killed and 50,817 were injured in car crashes, during that same year.
What Caused This Serious Injury Accident?
This news report provides very few answers regarding how or why this accident happened. The police officer was responding to a priority call, but we do not know if his lights or siren were on. Did the other car fail to yield the right of way to the emergency vehicle? Was either driver speeding or driving distractedly? I trust officials are looking into these and other issues in order to determine precisely what occurred here and why.
Liability Issues
Victims of injury accidents have it in their best interest to discuss their legal rights and options with experienced Los Angeles personal injury attorneys, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected. If the victim was on the job, he or she can obtain workers’ compensation benefits. If the police officer in this case is determined to have been at fault, the SUV’s driver can file a personal injury claim against the officer and his employer, the police department. Under California Government Code Section 911.2, any personal injury claim against a governmental entity must be filed within 180 days of the incident.