California Injury Blog
Daniel Pearson, of Mission Viejo died when his car drifted off the Interstate 405 at Fairview Road in Costa Mesa and crashed into a guardrail and pole, according to an article in the Daily Pilot.
California Highway Patrol Officer Denise Quesada said that neither alcohol nor other vehicles were involved in this Costa Mesa auto accident. Pearson, 31 years old, was alone in a Toyota Land Cruiser, reportedly doing 65 mph. and had tried to exit the freeway when the accident happened. Pearson did not appear to have slowed down or attempted to avoid the guardrail, officials said.
My deepest condolences are with Pearson’s family. What a tragedy. And without an explanation as to what happened or why.
Yes, it is possible that Pearson fell asleep at the wheel and lost control. But, an expert investigator will want to rule out all other explanations for this car crash before forming an opinion. Was there any debris or another dangerous condition on the road that Pearson had tried to avoid? Was the car in a good mechanical and operational condition or did it have a mechanical failure of some type? Were there any problems with the brakes? A complete analysis and reconstruction of the accident is required in order to truly know what happened.
If I were a family member, I would ask for the traffic collision report. I would want the vehicle and scene reviewed by a skilled personal injury law firm that has a wealth of experience with roadway design and defective automobile cases. I would also preserve the vehicle involved in this accident until experts inspected it for clues to the accident. It could be a vital piece of evidence should this turn into an auto product defect case.
Bear in mind any claims against a governmental agency for a road hazard must be filed within six months of the auto accident. If the accident was caused by roadway debris, the Pearson family could make a uninsured motorist claim against Daniel Pearson’s (or possibly any other family members’) auto insurance policy.