A 90-year-old woman was killed in a Ventura car accident after the vehicle she was driving collided with another at a street intersection. According to a news report in the Ventura County Star, the fatal car crash occurred at the intersection of Darling Road and Jazmin Avenue in east Ventura, the afternoon of March 28, 2010. The elderly driver was headed south on Jazmin and the other driver, Roseanna Beronio, 29, was westbound on Darling. Beronio was not injured in the car accident.
I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of this deceased car accident victim. Please keep them in your prayers. It is indeed fortunate that Beronio was not seriously injured in this crash.
Ventura Car Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were eight fatalities and 448 injuries due to car accidents in Ventura. Countywide, car accidents claimed 63 lives and caused 3,785 injuries during the same year.
Who Caused the Accident?
Based on this news report, it is not evident which one of the drivers caused this fatal car crash. However, we do know that this accident occurred at a street intersection. Often, these types of crashes occur because one of the drivers may not have yielded right-of-way or may have run a stop sign or a red light. I trust investigators are looking into those and other factors in order to determine how or why this accident occurred.
Fault and Liability
This incident also, involved an elderly driver, which raises the question of whether she had a valid license and whether she had the skill or ability to drive. California now has almost 3 million drivers who are 65 years or older, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, finds fatality rates for drivers begin to climb after age 65. In 2005, about 11 percent of all fatal car accidents in the United States had involved drivers 65 or older. If the other driver, Beronio, was at fault here, she could be held liable for the accident and wrongful death.
In such cases, families of injured or deceased victims would be well-advised to contact an experienced California personal injury lawyer, who will analyze all aspects of the car accident and make sure that the negligent parties are held responsible. If a dangerous roadway condition caused this accident, the city or governmental entity responsible for maintaining the roadway could also be held liable. Please remember that any claim against a California governmental agency must be filed within 180 days of the accident or injury.
The Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.