Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

A Sacramento car accident that occurred the evening of July 11, 2010 resulted in two fatalities and three injuries. However, according to a CBS News report, Milton Pastran, the driver of a pickup truck on the Highway 99 that was in the path of a falling Honda Civic, is happy that he and his two young daughters have not sustained major or fatal injuries.

A Honda Civic was traveling at a high rate of speed on Elk Grove Boulevard, lost control and went airborne on the highway. Pastran said he accelerated the pickup. Had he not done that, the car would have fallen on the cab of the pickup crushing him and his daughter. Two people in the Honda Civic, a 44-year-old driver and an 80-year-old passenger died at the scene. An investigation is still ongoing.
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A 39-year-old man sustained fatal injuries in a Los Angeles car accident the night of July 7, 2010, according to a news report in The San Gabriel Valley Tribune. California Highway Patrol officials say that the crash occurred on the westbound 10 Freeway near State Street. The man, an El Monte resident, was found in his 2005 Toyota car, which had rolled over on its roof. A 33-year-old motorcyclist, riding a 2008 Harley-Davidson was involved in the crash, but was uninjured, officials say. The driver of the Toyota was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries shortly after the crash. An investigation is ongoing.

I offer my heartfelt sympathies to this deceased motorist’s family and friends for their tragic and devastating loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
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A woman in San Diego is facing murder charges in connection with a fatal DUI collision that killed 95-year-old Benjamin Friedman on April 21, 2010. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that 47-year-old Melanie Rebecca Flores is accused of driving under the influence and causing a multi-vehicle accident in Coronado, which killed Friedman who was a passenger in one of the vehicles.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Benjamin Friedman for their tragic loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
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A worker at an alternative fuel plant in Simi Valley sustained fatal job injuries after an explosion shook the facility and an entire neighborhood the afternoon of June 17, 2010. According to a news report in the Ventura County Star, the worker, who has not yet been identified, was working in Realm Industries’ facility at 480 E. Easy Street in Simi Valley. Fire officials say the blast caused a partial collapse of the building and put a hole in the roof.
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A Chino police officer who killed a bystander she mistook for an armed robbery suspect was legally justified, despite her tragic error, prosecutors wrote in a report. Cpl. Claudia Lisner shot Daniel Balandran, a 23-year-old Rubidoux resident, outside a Papa John’s pizzeria on Feb. 1, 2009. The victim happened to leave a nearby McDonald’s with a friend and walk into a shootout between police and two men who had robbed the Papa John’s. Balandran was wearing a black shirt, like one of the suspects and came from the general area where shots had been fired. Lisner said she believed Balandran and his friend were the ones exchanging fire with her colleagues on the other side of the pizzeria. In a poorly lit parking lot, Balandran continued to approach her and then ducked behind a car. When he emerged, Lisner noticed him holding something. She said she asked him to show his hands but he did not, according to the report. . The victim “suddenly turned” with the item, the prosecutor noted. Still hearing gunfire, and believing she was in danger, Lisner shot Balandran once in the chest. Under all the circumstances, her “split second” decision was reasonable and legal according to the DA. The item turned out to be a McDonald’s food container.
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