Articles Posted in Uncategorized

Henry Wei, 49, was killed in a San Diego truck accident the morning of May 5, 2009 after he crashed his box truck into a big rig on the 5 Freeway, according to a news report in the North County Times. Wei was driving a Ryder box truck that failed to brake and crashed into a tractor trailer, which had slowed down to about 5 mph. California Highway Patrol officials say they are not sure why Wei did not brake. One tractor-trailer was stopped; about to exit the freeway and a second tractor trailer behind it was going at 5 mph when the box truck Wei crashed into it at full speed. CHP officials are inspecting all three trucks for possible car defects such as mechanical problems.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Henry Wei for their tragic loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Wei. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to statistics provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there were 4,808 fatalities and 83,908 injuries involving big-rig and large truck accidents in the United States in 2007. During the same year in California, the federal agency reports 363 deaths and 5,959 injuries involving big rig accidents..
Continue reading →

A man sustained serious personal injuries in a Palm Springs pedestrian accident, The Desert News reports. The car versus pedestrian accident apparently occurred at about 8:20 p.m. on May 5, 2009 in the 2300 block of North Palm Canyon Drive. The injured victim was taken to an area hospital with injuries. The extent of his personal injuries is not known. The driver fled the scene of the accident. A description of the suspect vehicle is not available, but officials say the car should have major front-end damage. If you saw this pedestrian accident or have information about it, please call Palm Springs Police at 760-323-8115.

My heart goes out to this injured pedestrian and his family. I hope and pray that his personal injuries were not major and wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. I trust the driver who struck this pedestrian and left him injured on the roadway will soon be apprehended and brought to justice. Leaving the scene of a car-pedestrian accident where a victim has been injured and rendered helpless is an inhumane and despicable act!

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 traffic accident statistics, there were three pedestrian accident deaths and 20 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Palm Springs. In Riverside County, 43 deaths and 393 injuries involving pedestrian accidents were reported in 2007.
Continue reading →

Richard A. Gomez, 32, of Escondido died the night of May 2, 2009, shortly after he suffered critical personal injuries in a San Diego pedestrian accident, the North County Times reports. Gomez was apparently crossing the street and in the westbound lane of East Valley Parkway near Rose Street, when he was struck by a Dodge Ram 350 van. The van’s driver stopped and waited for police to arrive. Gomez was taken to a local hospital where he died. No charges have been filed against the driver pending an investigation.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family of Richard Gomez. My heart goes out to everybody who knew and loved this man. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to the California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were nine pedestrian accident fatalities and 63 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Escondido. In San Diego County as a whole, there were 51 deaths and 1,068 personal injuries involving pedestrian accidents in 2007.
Continue reading →

Catherine Quigley, 94, of Irvine died after the Premier Medical Transport ambulance she was in, crashed into a tree the afternoon of April 25, 2009, according to a CBS News report. The fatal Orange County car accident was reported on the Van Buren Boulevard onramp to the westbound Highway 60. Quigley was taken to Riverside Community Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Traffic investigators are still looking into why the Premier Medical Transport driver lost control of the ambulance.

I offer my deepest condolences to Catherine Quigley’s family for their tragic loss. Here was an elderly woman who was being transported to the hospital and her ambulance crashes on the way to the hospital! This is tragic! Please keep Quigley’s family and friends in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 traffic accident statistics, there were 279 fatalities and 9,925 personal injuries relating to traffic accidents in Riverside County.

The news report does not provide much information about what went wrong here. It is best in such situations to rely on skilled California personal injury attorneys, who will be able to analyze this fatal ambulance accident from every angle. The driver of the ambulance could have lost control of the emergency vehicle because he was driving under the influence. If that is the case he could be criminally charged and his employer, Premier Medical Transport, could be held liable.
Continue reading →

Anaheim car accident attorneys are evaluating a man who was hospitalized with injuries in an Anaheim car accident after a woman who allegedly ran a red light struck two cars at an intersection, The Orange County Register reports. The car collision occurred the afternoon of April 21, 2009 when a woman driving a gold Mercury Sable west on Katella Avenue ran a red light and struck an Orange couple –Ken and Luz Kleinberg — who were in a black Chevy Tahoe and another man who was driving a white Toyota Sequoia. The driver of the Sequoia was taken to the hospital with back injuries.

I’m glad that no one was critically injured in this street intersection multiple car crash. I wish the injured victim the very best for a quick and complete recovery.

According to the California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were 30 deaths and 2,006 personal injuries reported in Anaheim as a result of traffic accidents. In all of Orange County, in 2007, 178 deaths and 14,185 injuries were reported as a result of traffic and car accidents.
Continue reading →

The driver who ran a red light and caused the Fullerton car accident that killed 22-year-old Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, 25-year-old Henry Pearson and 20-year-old Courtney Stewart, will face murder charges, The Orange County Register reports. A fourth victim, Jon Wilhite, remains in critical condition. Anthony Thomas Gallo, 22, is being held for murder, vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run and drunk driving involving fatalities and great bodily injury. At the time of the April 9, 2009 fatal car crash, Gallo was also driving with a suspended license. His license was apparently suspended after a prior DUI conviction.

The fatal car accident occurred when Gallo ran a red light and struck a Mitsubishi car at the intersection of Orangethorpe Avenue and Lemon Street. Gallo attempted to flee the scene of the crash, but was arrested shortly afterward. Fullerton police say Gallo’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Gallo was also driving at 50 to 60 mph – way over the posted speed limit of 45 mph.

My heart goes out to the families of Henry Pearson, Courtney Stewart and Nick Adenhart for their tremendous loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to their families and friends. My prayers are also with young Jon Wilhite who is a former Cal State Fullerton baseball player. I wish him the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
Continue reading →

Funeral Home Abuse of Deceased Veterans

A Virginia funeral home responsible for the caring and handling of deceased veterans before they are buried at the Arlington National Cemetery is being accused of funeral home abuse by leaving the corpses lying around, unattended and unrefrigerated on garages, hallways, makeshift gurneys and even cardboard boxes, the Associated Press reports. A former embalmer, Steven Napper, who worked for nine months at this Service Corporation Inc. (SCI) funeral home apparently blew the whistle.

Napper told authorities that National Funeral Home in Falls Church, Virginia, had as many as 200 corpses not properly cared for during the time he worked there. The Virginia Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers is reportedly investigating these allegations based on the documentations received from Napper, three other employees and a grieving son, who saw bodies overflowing out of a lukewarm cooler at this funeral home and extremely unsanitary conditions including feces and urine in the room the bodies were stored.

The funeral home has denied any wrongdoing saying that their company treats all human remains “with the utmost dignity and respect at all times.” However, one of Napper’s photos shows coffins stacked on a rack in an unrefrigerated garage. Another photo shows a body wrapped in a white sheet on top of a cardboard box. This is not the first allegation of funeral home negligence or cemetery abuse against SCI. In 2003, the company reached a $100 million settlement with hundreds of families over allegations involving two cemeteries in Florida. Families accused them of digging up graves and burying people in the wrong lots.
Continue reading →

San Diego County Minivan Accident Injures Two

Robert Johnson, 62, and his wife, Margaret, 57, were reported to have suffered critical injuries in a Southern California car accident after their Dodge Caravan minivan went off the road and into the San Diego Bay the night of April 6, 2009, 10news reports. The couple was not breathing when they were pulled from the minivan, San Diego Harbor Police officials said.

Emergency personnel performed CPR on the injured victims before they were taken to an area hospital. They are both still in critical condition. Officials say the van was traveling on a road that forms a T and went straight ahead in the water instead of turning left or right. Harbor police are trying to determine why the van did not turn.

Please keep Robert and Margaret Johnson in your prayers. I wish them the very best and hope they will make a quick and complete recovery. Given the amount of time both victims were in the water, I hope they have not sustained any catastrophic injuries.
Continue reading →

Chino Rear-End Auto Accident Injures Six

Several people were injured in a San Bernardino auto accident on March 30, 2009, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports. Injured in this traffic collision were: 23-year-old David Deseran; Justin Longe, 41, Ryan Harris, 22; and Mike Hernandez, 26. Two children – a 9-year-old and a 12-year-old – also suffered injuries.

The accident occurred when Deseran, Harris and Hernandez were in a 2004 Toyota Tacoma heading west on Edison Avenue. As the Tacoma approached Oaks, Deseran, the driver, attempted to merge into a left-turn lane and was rear-ended by a black 2003 Lincoln Navigator driven by 32-year-old Robert Saucedo. The impact from the collision caused the Toyota to spin out of control, become airborne and land in the center lane of Edison. A 2008 Chevy Silverado driven by Longe also collided with the Toyota.

Both Deseran and Harris suffered head injuries and were taken to an area hospital in critical condition. Hernandez suffered a broken left leg. Longe had cuts on his head and left leg. A 9-year-old child suffered from stomach pain and a 12-year-old had a fractured elbow. Saucedo and a 10-year-old child were reportedly uninjured. The children were all occupants of the Chevy truck.

I wish all the victims who were injured in this horrific Southern California car crash the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. They will certainly be in my prayers.
Continue reading →

Placer County Family Sues Cemetery over Lost Body

A California family has filed a lawsuit against a Placer County cemetery after their loved one’s body was missing from his burial plot and another woman was buried in the space reserved for his wife. According to an Associated Press news report, the family of Frank Farinha is suing Lincoln Cemetery questioning their record-keeping practices. Farinha reportedly died in 1947.

The family started to suspect something when Farinha’s wife, Mary, died at age 105 and the family wanted to bury her next to her husband beneath a double tombstone. But as it turned out, the cemetery had sold the plot to someone else and when cemetery workers tried to disinter Frank Farinha, his body could not be found. The family’s lawsuit also names Placer County Cemetery District No. 1, the agency that runs the public memorial park.

My heart goes out to the Farinha family that had to go through the nightmarish process of trying to exhume their loved one. It is indeed shocking to find out that the place you thought was your loved one’s final resting place was not in fact his final resting place! Unfortunately, these mix-ups in cemeteries are quite common all over the country including in California. These heartbreaking incidents that cause severe emotional distress and pain to families not only occurs at cemeteries, but also in funeral homes where all of us expect to be treated with sensitivity and dignity.
Continue reading →