California Injury Blog
Kathryn Rios, 19, of Rowland Heights, suffered major injuries in a car crash in Diamond Bar after an SUV struck her stopped Toyota Corolla on the 57 Freeway. According to a news report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the major injury collision occurred the afternoon of March 12, 2013 on the southbound 57 Freeway just south of Brea Canyon Cutoff Road. California Highway Patrol officials say 38-year-old Edward Castaneda of La Habra was driving a Ford Explorer SUV that rear-ended Rios’s car.
He was cited at the scene for driving on a suspended license and failing to provide proof of insurance at a collision scene. Officials do not believe that alcohol or drugs were factors. CHP officials say that for some reason Castaneda failed to notice the Toyota that was stopped directly in front of him. Rios was transported to an area hospital with major injuries. Castaneda was uninjured. The investigation is ongoing.
LA Crash Statistics
According to CHP’s 2010 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were four fatalities and 346 injuries involving car accidents in Diamond Bar. In Los Angeles County as a whole, 530 people died and 50,513 were injured due to traffic collisions during the same year.
What Caused This Crash?
Based on this news article, it appears that the driver of the SUV may not have been paying attention to the roadway prior to the collision. Officials say the victim’s car stalled ahead of the SUV, but that Castaneda failed to stop in time to avoid the crash. There are several questions here that need to be answered. Was Castaneda under the influence at the time? Was he distracted or inattentive? Was excessive speed a factor in the crash? I trust officials are looking into these and other issues in order to determine precisely what occurred here and why.
Victim’s Claim for Compensation
In such cases where negligence may be a factor, injured victims can seek compensation to cover medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, rehabilitation and other related damages. Car accident victims would be well advised to contact an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who will analyze all aspects of the incident and ensure that the negligent parties are held liable. A knowledgeable accident attorney will also be able to advice victims about how their own auto insurance policy applies to an incident where the at-fault motorist is uninsured or underinsured.