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Rebecca Moon, 29, of Irvine, died in a December 27, 2008 Anaheim auto accident on Interstate 5, The Orange County Register reports. Moon was killed when a 1997 Chevy driving the wrong way on the southbound I-5 near Euclid Street crashed into the front left of her black 2001 Toyota. Two other passengers in the Toyota suffered minor to moderate injuries.

The wrong-way driver, identified as a 28-year-old Los Angeles man, escaped with minor injuries. California Highway Patrol officials are still investigating the crash. There is no word yet on whether the wrong-way driver has been arrested or charged.

My heart goes out to the family of Rebecca Moon for their tragic loss. I offer my deepest condolences to them. Please keep them in your prayers.
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A 7-year-old girl is fighting for her life after she was critically injured in a Garden Grove auto accident on December 22, 2008, The Orange County Register reports. The crash occurred at the intersection of Garden Grove Boulevard and Nelson Street. Garden Grove police officials say the accident took place when a black Honda was driving east on Garden Grove Boulevard approaching a green light on Nelson. The Honda was apparently making a left on Nelson, but the female driver did not notice that the green arrow signal light was no longer lit and continued to turn, causing her to collide with a westbound Toyota.

The front end of the Toyota struck the center right side of the Honda at a high speed and the two vehicles were pushed on to the north side of the road. The Toyota then crashed into a third vehicle. Police have not said which vehicle was occupied by the critically injured girl. She is said to be in a coma and doctors do not expect her to survive. A woman and a few other children were also injured and taken to the hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening.
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An 18-year-old man killed during a December 19, 2008 fatal Orange County street racing accident has been identified as Jose Merino Pacheco of Mission Viejo. Pacheco had three other passengers in his car and was racing another car driven by a 17-year-old. The fatal accident occurred at Olympiad Road near Jeronimo Road when Pacheco lost control of the Volkswagen Jetta that he was driving. The car flipped several times and then slammed into a light pole. Our source for this blog was this news report in The Orange County Register.

It is extremely fortunate that Pacheco’s three passengers did not suffer life threatening injuries. One person suffered moderate injuries while two others escaped uninjured. The other driver was in a 2008 Scion TC. That teenager’s name was not released because he is a minor.
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Two-year-old Sofia Sales died after her father’s sport utility vehicle was involved in a multi-vehicle auto accident on the northbound 55 Freeway in Orange on December 11, 2008. According to this news report in The Orange County Register, Sofia’s father, John Sales, and her 4-month-old brother, Connor Sales, suffered minor injuries in the crash.

The chain reaction crash began when a Toyota Corolla with a flat right-front tire, driven by 27-year-old Shaheen Patel of Irvine, was traveling at a very slow speed on the No. 2 lane of the freeway near Walnut Avenue. Orange resident John Sales was right behind Patel in his Mercury Mountaineer and began to stop his vehicle when he saw Patel’s vehicle was disabled. However a 2006 Chevy Silverado driven by 38-year-old Armstrong Kitchen was unable to stop and rear-ended Sales’ SUV. That in turn caused Sales’ Mountaineer to move forward and collide with the Toyota. Patel was uninjured and Kitchen was taken to the hospital with moderate injuries. Sofia died a few hours after the accident.

My heart goes out to this Orange County family that is grieving the loss of this little girl, Sofia Sales. I offer my deepest condolences to them. I also wish John Sales and his infant son, Connor, the very best for a speedy recovery. Although they suffered only minor injuries, I can only imagine the emotional aftermath of such a tragedy.
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Thomas Jackson, a 59-year-old Grass Valley motorcyclist, was injured after his Harley Davidson struck a deer on Highway 49 near Auburn Road on November 7, 2008, the Sierra Sun reports. The deer was killed in the crash and Jackson was thrown off of his Harley, leaving him with injuries.

California Highway Patrol officials are reporting more and more deer versus auto collisions on California’s highways. October through November is peak deer mating season resulting in an increased number of highway collisions involving deer occur most frequently because the animals tend to be more active and mobile.

Apparently CHP officers themselves are not immune to these deer versus auto collisions. On 11/07/08, CHP patrol cars struck two different deer. In both accidents, the deer darted in front of the patrol vehicles causing the officers to swerve. Neither officer sustained any injuries, but one officer’s sport utility vehicle did become inoperable after the incident. In both cases, the deer were killed.
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Armando Hernandez, a 31-year-old Antioch man, died in a multi-vehicle accident on Interstate Highway 680 in Concord on November 8, 2008. According to an article in the San Jose Mercury News, two mattresses that apparently came off someone’s vehicle caused the fatal three-car pileup. Hernandez was driving his Mitsubishi Diamante just south of Concord Avenue when he swerved to avoid the mattresses, lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the center divider.

The impact of the 11/8/08 crash caused the Mitsubishi’s electrical system to fail, leaving Hernandez to navigate without headlights. Hernandez also possibly crashed into a Ford Mustang whose driver was also swerving to avoid the mattresses on the highway. Moments after the collision, a Cadillac crashed into the almost invisible Mitsubishi, according to California Highway Patrol officials. Apparently, Hernandez took off his seatbelt to get out of his car when he was ejected and killed, CHP officials said. The four occupants of the Cadillac suffered minor injuries while the two people in the Mustang were uninjured.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Armando Hernandez who died in this tragic and unfortunate accident. Obviously he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was a victim of someone else’s negligence.
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Renowned Southern California horse trainer, 72-year-old Arthur Lerille, suffered severe head injuries in a Covina auto accident on November 8, 2008 after his car was hit by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s patrol vehicle. According to this article in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, California Highway Patrol officials and sheriff’s investigators say they are not sure if Deputy Brian Harper had his lights and sirens on at the time of the collision.

Investigators say Harper was driving west on Arrow Highway at 40 to 50 mph and Lerille was northbound on Sunflower Avenue in his 1989 Cadillac Seville driving at 40 mph. According to eyewitness accounts, Harper’s patrol car drove past a red light and into the path of Lerille’s Cadillac. Both men were seriously injured in this 11/8/08 intersection crash. Lerille suffered a serious injury to his arm that required surgery and also suffered head injuries. His wife, Cindy Lerille, says her husband has significant memory loss since the accident and has trouble recognizing her. Harper suffered broken bones around his spinal column and is said to be recovering.

I wish both Arthur Lerille and Deputy Brian Harper the best for a speedy and complete recovery. According to Cindy Lerille, her husband was taking his usual work route to Santa Anita Park.
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The 48-year-old man who died October 31, 2008 as a result of injuries he suffered in a Fontana hit-and-run collision has been identified as Herman Torres. According to this news report, Torres was a passenger in a green Saturn that was traveling north on Hemlock Avenue just before the 10/26/08 crash. California Highway Patrol officials said the driver of the Saturn did not stop for westbound traffic on Arrow Route and was hit by a Toyota Forerunner.

Emergency personnel transported Torres to an area hospital where he passed away. CHP investigators are looking for the driver of the Saturn who apparently fled after the collision.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Herman Torres, who died tragically because of another driver’s negligence and callous disregard for his passenger’s safety.
Torres’ family will certainly remain in my prayers.
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A carjacking suspect chased by police in Richmond, California, crashed into a car causing a fatal auto accident on October 27, 2008. 76-year-old Mary Shepard of Benton, Arkansas was killed, while others were seriously injured. According to a news report in the Contra Costa Times, the 10/27/08 crash involved four vehicles on San Pablo Dam Road in El Sobrante.

The chase involving Jordan Taitano, a 34-year-old parolee, was initially “low-speed,” but gradually increased in speed as the suspect failed to yield, said California Highway Patrol officials, who are investigating the incident. Officials said skid marks on the road showed where Taitano’s white Chevy pickup slammed into a tan Mercedes, pushing it about 100 feet into two cars parked at the curb. While one car flipped over on the sidewalk, another crashed into a brick-and-wrought iron fence. Mary Shepard, who was visiting her family in California, was a passenger in the back seat of the Mercedes. Shepard’s daughter and son-in-law, who were in the front seat, suffered major injuries.

My heart goes out to the family of Mary Shepard, who are not only dealing with a senseless tragedy and death in the family, but also caring for two seriously injured members. Please keep this family in your prayers. I wish the two injured victims a speedy and complete recovery.

Based on news reports, Jordan Taitano does seem to have been a dangerous criminal. But anyone can see how tragic it is when innocent bystanders or motorists are catastrophically injured or killed during such pursuits. California Vehicle Code Section 17004.7 provides immunity to police departments that have adopted a “vehicle pursuit policy.”
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David B. Hatton, a 29-year-old man from West Jordan, Utah, was killed in a motorcycle versus auto accident on October 19, 2008 after he was struck by a car pulling out of a church parking lot. According to an article in the Salt Lake Tribune, the crash occurred when a car, driven by a 25-year-old West Jordan man, collided with Hatton’s motorcycle.

Hatton was thrown off his motorcycle and suffered critical injuries in this 10/19/08 crash.
He was transported to an area hospital and placed on life support, but died after he was taken off life support two days later. Charges are pending against the West Jordan man.

Motorcycle accident fatalities are at an all-time high in Utah, according to this Associated Press news report. It’s only October and 32 riders have already died in Utah motorcycle accidents. That is nine more than the average of 23 deaths a year, over the last 10 years, in Utah.
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