March 2009 Archives

The use of cell phones and texting have become the norm in Burbank culture today; especially on the road. With the newest technology of cell phones like the Blackberry, the iPhone, and many other phones which include GPS systems, easy touch screens, and even movie options, where does driving actually come into play?

Recently in California a bill was passed and made into a law saying that it is illegal for drivers to be texting while behind the wheel. This law was brought into effect not to long after a hands free cell phone law made it illegal for drivers to talk on their phones without a Bluetooth or and ear phone piece.

It is the law enforcement who is supposed to be regulating these new laws, and yet even police officers are breaking this law being so distracted by their new age cell phones. Just this past month it was reported that a California police officer was involved in an automobile accident caused by his lack of attention to the road due to texting while driving. He rear-ended another motor vehicle and probably caused some damage to their car or even minor injuries to the other driver and / or their passengers.

The police chief was lucky this time when he got away with only a "fender-bender," on his record and little damage caused to the other vehicle and driver overall. But what about the next time something like this happens? What happens when a Burbank police officer is driving; abusing his badge while texting on the job and at the wheel, and causes a serious car accident where severe or critical injuries are suffered and / or the negligent driver commits a wrongful death? While anyone can cause a car accident, people who intentionally disregard laws specifically put in place to protect other drivers and / or pedestrians should be held responsible for the injuries they negligently / recklessly cause.

Thus far, since the introduction of cell phones, texting has been a factor in a number of auto accidents in and around Burbank on city streets, the 134 Freeway and the I-5.  If you or a loved one has been involved in a car crash involving another driver texting, using their cell phone illegally, or driving negligently or recklessless - it is in your best interest to contact an experienced Burbank Car Accident Lawyer for a free confidential consultation today.

On Friday, March 27, 2009 the Pasadena Police Department (PPD) organized a mandatory DUI check point in hopes of decreasing the amount of car collisions, hit and run auto accidents, and / or pedestrian fatalities caused by drunk drivers in Pasadena, and the surrounding cities. The check point was conducted between the evening hours (8 PM) into the early morning (3 AM); the ideal times to catch those who are driving under the influence of alcohol.

The program has been funded by the California Office of Traffic and Safety (COTS) in relation to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This program should show to be an aid in car accident prevention in Pasadena. The Pasadena police have a desire and a goal to help prevent deaths related to that of negligent, reckless, or drunk driving which may injury Pasadena residents.  The funding received for projects such as the DUI Check Point in Pasadena also go toward informing the public of the risks of driving while drunk, like dangers to the individual driver who is drunk as well as other drivers on the road and the community as a whole.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study conducted for 2007 showed that 12,998 people were killed as the result of alcohol related car accidents. According to further research, this number reflects an average of one fatality every 40 minutes caused by someone driving under the influence of alcohol. These statistics are alarming, and make the case for the need of D.U.I. check point centers in Pasadena as well as in Burbank and Glendale, and all of California.

If you have ever been involved in an alcohol related motor vehicle accident or a loved one of yours has been the victim of a wrongful death as the result of a reckless drunk driver in Pasadena, Burbank, or Glendale you should contact one of our Pasadena Motor Vehicle Attorneys for a confidential, free consultation today! Make your case known and join with the Pasadena Police Department as well as the NHTSA in the public awareness and prevention of drunk driving in California. 

A California resident, who lives in Tarzana, close to Burbank, is attending a memorial for 3 of his family members that were killed in a tragic multiple car accident which he survived in 2008. A drunk driver hit the side of a SUV limousine which the Randle family was riding, on their way back from the local airport. The car crash was one of serious destruction,

Mr. Randle was critically injured and 4 others were killed. Included in the fatality count were the limousine driver, Randle's 14 year old son, his 21 year old daughter, and her 13-month old son. The drunk driver fled the scene and survived with minor injuries. He is being charged with reckless driving, a hit and run, and four counts of vehicular homicide. 

Demetrius Randle suffered severe head injuries, which could have resulted in his death. But were only enough to put him in a coma and left him hospitalized for an extended period of time. A year later, he has come out of the coma but he still suffers from brain trauma caused by the auto accident. He receives treatments for his head injuries such as hyperbaric oxygen treatments and physical therapy at a local hospital near Burbank, CA. He is supposed to be able to travel to attend the one year anniversary memorial for his loved ones who were killed in the car crash.

This is a very sad account about the consequences of drunk driving. Mr. Randle's time in the hospital had to of cost his family a significant amount of money, and that should have been the last thing on their minds in middle of mourning the wrongful death of three other family members. The negligent driver not only cost this family a lot of money in physical damages to Mr. Randle, but in funeral costs for their dead loved ones, as well as damages done to the other vehicles involved in the multi-vehicle crash.

If you have a loved one who was killed in a fatal car accident, or you, or someone you know has been injured in an automobile accident where the other driver was at fault you should seek out legal help. Please contact one of our Burbank Automobile Accident Attorneys for a confidential consultation which is also free! Fight for your rights, and the compensation which you deserve and need to cope with the injuries caused by a drunk driver.

A family in Pasadena, California is seeking a wrongful death claim against the city of Pasadena. The lawsuit claims that in February a Pasadena police officer wrongfully shot their loved one, Leroy Barnes, during a routine traffic stop. The details of the shooting and the autopsy have been withheld from public access for investigation and court purposes.

The general overview of the shooting is that Barnes, a previous offender, was a passenger in a car with a negligent driver who was being reckless and driving on the wrong side of the street.  Reports say that Pasadena Police officers pulled the vehicle over, probably with intentions of preventing a potential car accident. The reports are not clear, but maybe in an attempt to arrest Barnes, somehow he and the arresting officer got into an argument that turned physical. Somewhere in the struggle Barnes was shot several times, and killed by the police officers.

The primary issues in this wrongful death claim focus the inconsistencies in the statements made by the Pasadena Police Department (PPD). The family claims that these inconsistencies prove negligence on the part of the officers to exercise caution in using their weapons. In addition to a lack of caution, a deliberate intention on the police officer's part to shoot and kill Barnes is implied by all of the inconsistent testimonies by the Police Officers involved in the fatal shooting. One article reports that the family claims that Barnes was "executed" by the police and witnesses testify to seeing the police officers shoot Barnes while he was face down and clearly not a threat to them.

This is not a case of a criminal resisting arrest, and even opening fire on police. This is not even a case of self-defense for the Pasadena Police Department (PPD). This is a case of police brutality, and as the result of the PPD, Leroy Barnes has suffered a wrongful death, and his family is now mourning the death of a child and loved one. Barnes may have been a convicted criminal in the past, but that is no justification for any police officer to take the law into their own hands.

Have you, or someone that you know been involved in a situation that involved negligence on the part of the Pasadena, Burbank, or Glendale police department? Maybe you have been the victim of police brutality and critically injured as the result. You may have reason to bring a lawsuit against the city of Pasadena or The PPD for police brutality, negligence, or even a wrongful death claim for your loved one who has died. Contact one of our Pasadena Personal Injury Attorney's today. We offer free, confidential consultation for your convenience.

The state of California, specifically the city of Burbank, and even Glendale, Pasadena and the surrounding cities, were founded on the same principles that our country was founded. Those principles include ensuring the protection of the Constitutional Rights of Burbank citizens. The Bill of Rights is made up of amendments outlined to protect against unlawful actions against United States Citizens. The 4th Amendment specifically protects against unreasonable searches and seizures of a person's body, documents, property, house, car and more.

Within the last year, there have been several public U.S. Supreme Court cases concerning the potential violation of a person's rights under the Fourth Amendment. One particular case, from October of 2008, Herring vs. the United States, deals with the violation of a man's rights after he was searched and arrested as the result of faulty information on file at the police department. The police data base claimed that there was a warrant out for his arrest. The arresting officers followed the information found in the inaccurate computer system, and not only arrested the man, but searched him and the premises where he was arrested. Upon the search there was evidence found that could be incriminating to the man who was arrested.

The issue in the case is whether or not the evidence found in the search should be admissible to court in a case by the state against the man. His defending attorney is arguing that the evidence was acquired under an illegal search and seizure based upon the negligence of the police department who supposedly had a warrant on file for the accused.

This attorney is arguing that excuses made for police departments and their lack of working, up to date technology should not be made or ruled on in a court setting.  The issue is not whether or not this man is guilty for the charges that could be brought on the evidence found in the search and seizure, but that the search and seizure was unconstitutional and in violation of the man's 4th Amendment Rights.

In Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena, California Fourth Amendment rights violations happen all of the time. Violations like this cause personal injury to a person's reptutation. The problem is that they are not brought to the public's eye, or even offered an opportunity to be brought to legal battle. There are local Burbank Personal Injury Lawyers willing to stand up for the citizens of Burbank, California whose 4th amendment rights have been violated.

Contact one of our attorney's today for a confidential, free consultation at (800) 704-8237.

Wrongful death in Burbank and the surrounding areas, what is it? It is a death that occurs in Burbank and nearby cities as the result of negligence on the part of an individual, a company, a group of people, etc. Negligence may include but is not limited to a lack of attention to mechanical errors by servicing companies in Burbank, reckless driving in Pasadena, drunk driving in Glendale, and lack of supervision by a paid care-taker in local day cares or nursing homes in Burbank.

When a wrongful death takes the life of a loved one, there are legal options of compensation and justice in Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena and all of California. One should hire an experienced wrongful death attorney with training who is best suited to represent the interests of wrongful death victims. Our Burbank Wrongful Death Attorneys are dedicated to fighting for the rights of residents whose loved ones have been victims of wrongful death and / or negligence in Burbank and other surrounding cities

In recent news, a family in the Bay area is taking legal action and fighting for the rights of their loved one who was physically beaten, shot, and killed by a California transit officer. The family is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the transit agency and the transit officer. The wrongful death attorneys for the family of the deceased are claiming that the shooting was intentional, and other surrounding factors to the incident may support this claim. Other surrounding factors include another officer striking the victim in his head before the victim was shot and the shooting officer mistakenly shot his gun instead of his Taser.

If you or someone you know has had a loved one die as a result of wrongful death caused by the negligence of authority officials, or you or someone you know has been the victim of negligence causing serious injuries or a wrongful death, please contact one of our Burbank Personal Injury Lawyers today. We offer a free, confidential consultation.

A fellow Southern California man, who lived not too far from Pasadena, was killed in a multiple car collision caused by a reckless driver. Reports say that the car was driving the opposite direction on Intersate 10 (I-10) in Arizona and hit a motorcyclist head on. The negligent driver of the car which caused the car / motorcycle accident by colliding with the motorcyclist fled the scene and is now wanted by the police. The California man was thrown from his bike / motorcycle where upon he was hit by another motor vehicle. Several other people suffered minor to severe injuries, but the California motorcycle rider was pronounced dead at the scene.

Although most of the other people involved in the crash only suffered moderate injuries, most of them were still able to walk-away from this tragic motorcycle / multiple-car accident. They could have suffered more serious injuries including brain trauma and / or brain injuries. Just like the motorcycle rider was thrown from his motorcycle, these other motor vehicle accident victims could have been thrown from their vehicle and suffered similar fatal or critical injuries such as broken bones or bone fractures, loss of feeling in legs or arms, and even destruction to, or loss of an organ. Severe or critical motorcycle injuries can take a substantial period of time to recover from, if recovery is possible at all.  Additionally, there are extensive hospital bills, physical therapy costs, as well as non-monetary emotional hardships for both the injured and their families that comes from this kind of accident.

Not only did a young California man of only 21 years lose his life, but a family living close to Pasadena lost a loved one; a brother, a son, and / or a friend. In Pasadena, and other local cities such as Glendale and Burbank, the idea of a hit and run is not a distant relative. A hit and run, a wrongful death, or an auto accident can happen anytime or anywhere in Pasadena and it is a tragic thing when it does.

The fact that Pasadena and the surrounding areas are so heavily populated, the chances of a hit and run, an auto accident, and / or a wrongful death are high. A young man lost his life after being struck by a car and thrown from his motorcycle; have you or someone that you know had a loved one who has died as the result of a hit and run, an auto accident, a motor cycle accident or a wrongful death? Please contact one of our Pasadena Motorcycle Accident Lawyers for a consultation about compensation available in cases like these. It's free at (800) 704- 8237!

Glendale will be amongst several cities of the valley to receive donations from organizations like Southwest Ambulance, Phoenix Children's Hospital, and Valley public safety that have joined together in hopes of making the community more aware of drowning deaths, and how to prevent them. It has been reported that in 2009 alone, Southwest will give more than $40,000 in order than these communities can offer reduced-rate, or even free, swim lessons for families who are in need to reduce drowning deaths of children in swimming pools.

On March 24, 2009 there will be a Water Safety Day to promote drowning prevention in general and to make the community more aware of the risks in children swimming or bathing without an adult to watch them. Adult supervision is of utmost importance in issues of drowning.  For those unfortunate enough to have had a child drown, know that a split-second of unsupervised swimming could result in a fatal drowning accident in Glendale. If a fatality is not the end result, critical injuries such as brain damage  can be caused by being under the water too long. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) reported that of all the children who died between the ages of 1 and 4 in 2005, 30% of those deaths were caused by drowning.

In Southern California, and especially in Glendale, swimming is a common recreation and everyone has to bathe. As a community we should be striving for more awareness concerning drowning, and strive to provide better supervision for our children and loved ones while they are swimming or bathing in and around Glendale. Accidents happen, and when drowning is that accident, it is a horrible circumstance and in some situations legally considered a wrongful death, such as when a child drowns while under the supervision of a paid individual.

Have you or someone that you know been affected by the drowning of a loved one? Maybe you or someone you know has a family member who was the victim of a wrongful death, drowning or other fatal injury in Glendale or the surrounding areas. If so, please contact one of our Glendale Wrongful Death Lawyers for a free consultation in an attempt to find answers to the many questions you may have concerning wrongful deaths such as drowning.

On March 16, 2009 three people were hospitalized after a natural gas explosion.  Of these three injured people, one of them was critically injured while the other two were seriously injured.

The Pasadena Fire Department reported that the natural gas explosion resulted from a worker at the California Linen Services textile rental business improperly transferring natural gas.

It was reported that the explosion was heard several miles away from the actual incident site giving clear implications to the immediate effects on those closest to the blast.  The three victims were all employees of California Linen, and each one was rushed to a near-by Pasadena hospital. 

One victim, who was in critical condition, suffered injuries to his lower body; such as severe burns, cuts, and / or sores. The other victims suffered from "blast syndrome" and secondary blast injuries, which are caused by debris.

"Blast Syndrome," which is also known as "shell shock" or "blast injury," has serious effects on the injured that are not always immediate, but have a long lasting effect on one's life. These effects may include; but are not limited to, external wounds, damage to ear drums, total loss of hearing, nervous system defects, and even brain injuries or brain trauma such as memory loss, and cognitive delay. 

Injuries on the job, as well as blast or explosion injuries which cause brain defects and more should be taken seriously by all parties involved. As the result of negligence, these three employees and victims were injured on the job, and will now have a long battle ahead of recovery. These victims should contact a Pasadena Personal Injury Lawyer to fight for their rights. 

If you or a loved one has been injured in a gas explosion which resulted in serious injuries in Pasadena, California, please contact one of our Pasadena Personal Injury Attorneys today for a free consultation.

A large 18-wheeler semi-tractor trailer truck was involved in a truck accident on the Golden State Freeway (I-5) in Glendale, California on March 10, 2009 at around 4:30 a.m.  The Big-Rig's cargo consisted of produce which was on its way to a produce distribution center. 

Unfortunately, the commercial truck crashed into the center divider which blocked both the fast lane and the lane next to the fast lane causing extensive backup during the morning commute.  The truck accident occurred on the northbound side of the I-5 south of Western Avenue as reported by California Highway Patrol at the scene of the truck accident.

The truck accident was so substantial that the cab of the semi-tractor trailer separated from the trailer and went over the center divider of the 5 Freeway onto the southbound side.  Before the trailer of the truck could be uprighted and towed away all of the produce had to be off-loaded for transport.  Once that was completed, after minor toxic cleanup, the I-5 Freeway was reopened.

Injured in a trucking accident on the I-5 Golden State Freeway? Contact our Glendale Trucking Accident Lawyers for a free case evaluation or consultation at 800-704-8237.

In early March 2009, a semi-tractor trailer big rig truck while traveling on Interstate 5 (I-5) caught fire while transporting unknown chemicals northbound.  In an attempt to prevent injuries from both the truck fire as well as the unknown chemicals it was transporting, the California Highway Patrol shut down both northbound and southbound lanes of the I-5.

The Interstate 5 was closed starting at around 6:45 p.m.  It wasn't until two hours later that the only the southbound lanes were reopened.  The northbound lanes remained closed for most of the night as emergency chemical clean-up crews worked to combat the chemicals and while they waited for the toxic fumes to dissipate to safety levels which would then permit passenger motor vehicles to drive through the affected area.  There is no indication as to whether anyone, including the truck driver, was injured as a result of this chemical truck accident fire.

Injured in a truck accident on Interstate 5 (I-5), please contact one of our I-5 Truck Accident Attorneys for a free confidential consultation.