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California Personal Injury Lawyers Should Join and Support CAOC
George Washington once said:
Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.
Letter of Instructions to the Captains of the Virginia Regiments [July 29, 1759]. The advocates of consumer rights, viewing the resources of defense firms and corporate defendants, can relate to the trepidation felt by the out-numbered and out-gunned Continental Army. Because of that disparity in resources, Consumer Attorneys of California ("CAOC") consolidates the voices of consumer attorneys throughout the state to (1) preserve and protect the constitutional right to trial by jury for all consumers, (2) champion the cause of those who deserve redress for injury to person or property, (3) encourage and promote changes to California law by legislative, initiative or court action, (4) oppose injustice in existing or contemplated legislation, (5) correct harsh, unjust and oppressive legislation or judicial decisions, (6) advance the common law and promote the public good through the civil justice system and concerted efforts to secure safe products, a safe workplace, a clean environment, and quality health care, (7) uphold the honor, integrity and dignity of the legal profession by encouraging mutual support and cooperation among members, (8) promote the highest standards of professional conduct, and (9) inspire excellence in advocacy. This post is a multi-blog effort to inform consumer attorneys about CAOC's value and encourage participation in CAOC through membership.
CAOC works tirelessly to protect or advance those causes of import to consumers and their attorneys in California. Often those efforts, though valuable, receive little fanfare. For example, CAOC recently sponsored SB 510, which affects the re-sale of what are known as "structured settlements," in which victims receive financial compensation over a period of time for medical expenses and basic living needs, as determined by a jury. Before SB 510 was signed by the Governor, Courts expressed frustration at their inability to prevent the sale of structured settlements on terms that might ultimately lead to long-term financial hardship for the victim. Now, SB 510 gives judges the information they need to make a reasoned decision about the propriety of a structured settlement sale.
Measures like CAOC-sponsored SB 510 help protect the most vulnerable members of our society and ask for nothing in return. They exemplify the spirit of CAOC. However, CAOC is only as effective in its mission as its membership allows it to be. When consumer attorneys join the ranks of CAOC, its voice gains in power and clarity. But if consumer advocates sit on the sidelines, hoping to benefit from the work of others, CAOC is stretched thin, and we are all at risk as a result.
Now, consumer advocate bloggers from across the state are combining their voices to call upon each and every lawyer and firm that regularly represents plaintiffs to join CAOC, thereby strengthening the consumer's first line of defense. The blogs participating in this unified call to action are:
Show your support of consumers' rights by joining and supporting CAOC. Together we can make an impact that we cannot make alone.
Victim of Fatal Santee Car Accident Identified
Recently, the Jurewitz Law Group reported on a fatal Santee car crash that was the second accident seen at the intersection within a month. The victim has just been identified as a 53-year-old radiology technician.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office reported that Pamela Sue Marabeas of Santee was killed when a pickup truck struck the driver's side of her SUV as she crossed through an intersection at Mission Gorge Road and California State Route 125, near 6:30 a.m. on September 20, 2009.
Marabeas had been the sole occupant of her vehicle, and died at the scene of the fatal San Diego County auto accident. The driver of the pickup truck had to be rushed to the hospital and remains in critical condition.
If you or a loved one has ever been injured or killed in a Santee auto accident, contact Santee auto accident lawyer Ross Jurewitz and the San Diego car accident attorneys of the Jurewitz Law Group at (619) 233-5020. You may also contact these San Diego, CA personal injury lawyers online here.
Second Santee Car Accident at Intersection that Claimed Life of CHP Officer
The intersection where CHP Officer Saylor perished in a fiery San Diego car wreck, along with his wife, daughter, and brother-in-law, claimed another life on September 20, 2009, making it two fatal San Diego motor vehicle accidents within less than a month for the Santee location.
This second San Diego County car accident occurred at 6:35 a.m. at the intersection of Mission Gorge Road at California State Route 125, according to Lt. Gary Steadman of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. One person riding in the vehicle was killed while another was rushed to the hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The newest auto collision was reportedly caused when their vehicle hit a berm and veered off the roadway into a dirt construction area.
If you or a loved one has ever been injured or killed in a Santee car accident, contact Santee car accident lawyer Ross Jurewitz and the San Diego, CA auto accident lawyers of the Jurewitz Law Group at (619) 233-5020. You may also contact these San Diego, CA personal injury lawyers online here.
For a free copy of our California injury book, The 10 Biggest Mistakes that can Destroy Your California Accident Case, click on the link above. It is full of free, helpful advice for accident victims--including what to do and what not to do following an accident.
Driver Found Guilty in Fatal Ramona DUI Car Accident
A fatal car crash close to Ramona along state Route 78 was finally investigated, prosecuted, and the El Cajon man who was the suspect was convicted.
The auto accident killed two men and injured a woman, and left the El Cajon man clear of murder charges, but convicted on two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter. Shannon Shimp was found guilty of DUI causing injury as he had been driving with a blood-alcohol level of over .08 percent. Each of these charges had allegations that the suspect inflicted great bodily injury personally, and caused death or injury to three or more victims.
Joseph Edwards, 52, who was the passenger in Shimp's pickup, was killed in the crash, along with Ian Kinney, 19, who had been driving a Lexus that was involved in the fatal Ramona car accident. Kinney's girlfriend was also injured.
A test conducted on Shimp nearly two hours following the traffic collision found that his blood-alcohol level to be .19 percent, more than twice the legal limit. Witnesses to the scene testified that Shimp had been driving eastbound when he tried to pass vehicles on the road, but instead lost control and collided with the Lexus, which became pinned under the pickup. Edwards, of Ramona, and Kinney, of Julian, both perished at the scene. Kinney's passenger and girlfriend, Tessa Medearis of Vista had to be cut from the sedan and was hospitalized. Shimp only suffered minor injuries from the fiery wreck.
Monte Bennett, the Deputy District Attorney of the area reported that the defendant Shimp is looking at about 17 years in prison once sentenced by Judge Herbert Exarhos on the following hearing on January 8.
If you or a loved one has ever been injured or killed in a Ramona drunk driving car accident, contact San Diego, CA DUI auto accident lawyer Ross Jurewitz and the San Diego, CA personal injury attorneys of the Jurewitz Law Group at (619) 233-5020. You may also contact these San Diego injury lawyers online here.
You may also order our free California injury book, The 10 Biggest Mistakes that can Destroy Your California Accident Case, which is full of free information.
Two Fatal East San Diego County Motorcycle Accidents This Week
Two people have died this week in two East San Diego County motorcycle accidents. The first was the tragic accident of Mark Anthony Taylor when he was hit by an unlicensed car driver, which the Jurewitz Law Group has already reported. The second fatal motorcycle accident occurred in Descanso and was just reported by the San Diego County Coroner's Office.
Marleea Anne Gerfen, 21, was killed September 13th after fracturing her cervical spine in a motorcycle accident along California's Highway 79 while she was traveling southbound near Lookout Road in Descanso. Gerfen had been a servicewoman with the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar on active duty. She struck a dirt berm just as she approached a bend in the highway, causing her to crash on her motorcycle.
Though 911 was called and there was serious resuscitative effort on the paramedic's part, she was unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene in this fatal San Diego motorcycle accident.
If you or a loved one has ever been injured or killed in a San Diego, CA motorcycle accident, contact San Diego motorcycle accident lawyer Ross Jurewitz and the traffic accident lawyers of the Jurewitz Law Group at (619) 233-5020. You may also contact these San Diego, CA personal injury lawyers online here.
For more information about the best motorcycle accident attorneys in San Diego, CA, you can also visit our new motorcycle accident website.
San Diego Rock Band Seriously Injured in Rollover Bus Accident
A local band from San Diego called "A City Serene" with six members, were all seriously injured last week when their tour bus, which had been traveling up the California Grapevine along Interstate 5, was t-boned over the weekend.
The band, which has been classified as a screamo/hardcore band, was riding north on Interstate 5 through the Grapevine on September 20 around 3:30 p.m. when their bus crashed on the way to a San Jose show.
A CHP officer reporting on the incident noted that a Ford pickup truck coming in the opposite direction was airborne and flew over the center divider of Interstate 5. The truck caught a Honda Civic before going broadside into the bus belonging to the band. Another Honda just behind the bus then collided with the undercarriage after the bus had tipped over.
All seven people aboard were hurt in the wreck, all with serious injuries, and all six members of the band are reported to have suffered broken bones as a result of the California car wreck. The six musicians had to be transported by air ambulances to various hospitals in Mission Hills, Bakersfield, and Valencia, California. Family members report that two of the band members are barely holding on to life and are in comas at the moment. Other injuries suffered range from severe concussions to broken bones.
If you or a loved one has ever been injured or killed in a California bus accident, contact San Diego, CA auto accident attorney Ross Jurewitz and the California personal injury lawyers of the Jurewitz Law Group at (619) 233-5020. You may also contact these San Diego, CA personal injury attorneys online here.
Order a free copy of our California injury book for accident victims, The 10 Biggest Mistakes that can Destroy Your California Accident Case, through our website. It is a free resource for all California accident victims.
Santee Car Crash Causes Toyota to Recall All Floor Mats
The recent tragic Santee car accident that killed a CHP officer along with his family due to floor mats that trapped the accelerator was the catalyst for Toyota make huge efforts recently to order all such floor mats to be scrutinized under mandatory inspections in all Lexus and Toyota vehicles. It appears that a wrong floor mat was installed into the Lexus loaner that CHP Officer Saylor had been driving when the fiery crash took place.
Though the investigation is not complete just yet, Toyota wanted to waste no time in getting the word out to consumer before a similar catastrophe took place. It was investigators with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that believes the all-weather floor mats found in the wreckage of the accident could have been a cause.
Released 911 tapes that the Jurewitz Law Group has previously reported on showed that backseat passenger Chris Lastrella, brother-in-law to Officer Saylor, made a call to report that their accelerator was stuck adn they had no brakes and they were driving at 120 mph, just before crashing into an SUV at the Mission Gorge intersection with state Route 125 in Santee on August 28 of this year.
By their orders, vehicles may also be taken to dealers for the inspection, and vehicles brought in for any service will have the mats checked as part of the service. The company recently released a statement noting that Toyota takes the safety of the public and their passengers very seriously and will fully cooperate with any investigation. It offers its deepest sympathies to the Saylor and Lastrella families.
Escondido Man Injured in Serious San Diego County Car Accident
An Escondido man was seriously injured last week when he crashed his car into a traffic light pole on Sunday after losing control of his car in San Diego County.
The driver was indentified as Steve Diaz. He accidentally crashed his Honda Civic just before 7 p.m. on September 12, 2009, as he was traveling south on Woodland Parkway just before Rock Springs Road. His sedan actually jumped the curb, sideswiped a concrete wall and then hit the pole. He suffered force injuries to his chest and had to be transported to Palomar Medical Center nearby.
The cause of his accident and the reason he initially lost control of his car is still under investigation, and police have not ruled out alcohol as a possible cause just yet.
If you or a loved one has ever been injured or killed in an Escondido car accident, contact San Diego, CA motorcycle accident lawyer Ross Jurewitz and the California personal injury attorneys of the Jurewitz Law Group at (619) 233-5020. You may also contact these San Diego, CA injury lawyers online here
Study Shows Most Car Accidents Caused by Drunk or Distracted Driving
Recent horrific car and motorcycle accidents in San Diego County, as well as across the country, have been horrifying the nation, and spurred many researchers to look into the causes of car crashes and other unfortunate deaths. A recent study has shown that in 2008, 5.8 million car accidents occurring in the United States has resulted in 2.35 million injuries and over 37,000 deaths. The scary notion is the finding that a huge one-third of the deaths attributed to car accidents were the results of a drunk driver.
As it reported, the California numbers are proportionate to the national average. However, San Diego County ranks among the highest three California counties to have fatal car accidents and deaths. San Diego County residents have approximately a 13 percent higher chance of being involved in a deadly car collision than the rest of the nation.
Though the state's total number of alcohol-related deaths had decreased by 103 from 2007 to 2008, there are still an alarming number of unwarranted deaths on California roadways.
They also credit drivers who text while behind the wheel to be a significant factor in traffic accidents.
If you or a loved one has ever been injured or killed in a San Diego County drunk driving car accident, contact San Diego, CA car accident attorney Ross Jurewitz and the California personal injury lawyers of the Jurewitz Law Group at (619) 233-5020. You may also contact these San Diego, CA personal injury lawyers online here.
911 Transcript Released from Fatal San Diego Car Crash
Recently, the Jurewitz law Group reported on the fatal San Diego car accident that involved an off-duty CHP officer and his family, when the accelerator of their rental car stuck and they collided with an SUV before their car caught on fire and burned at the bottom of the San Diego river in a fiery Santee auto crash.
The 911 call made by the brother-in-law of the CHP officer was recently released by San Diego 10 News, in a devastating account of the last minutes of the California Highway Patrol Officer, his wife, daughter, and brother-in-law on August 28. The car they had been riding in was a 2009 Lexus. The call was made by the brother-in-law Christopher Lastrella, and released to San Diego 10 News as the following:
Lastrella: "We're on North 125 and our accelerator is stuck."
911 Dispatcher: "I'm sorry?"
Lastrella: "Our accelerator is stuck. We're on 125."
911 Dispatcher: "Northbound 125. What are you passing?"
Lastrella: "We're going 120. Mission Gorge. We're in trouble. We can't … there is no brakes. End freeway half mile."
911 dispatcher: "You can't do anything like turn off your engine?"
Lastrella: "We're approaching the intersection. We're approaching the intersection. We're approaching the intersection."
Others in the car are heard saying "hold on" and "pray."
As investigation showed, the Lexus they were driving had had "all-weather" floor mats which were made for Lexus between 2004 and 2009, but recalled by Toyota in November 2007 due to complaints that if they were not properly installed the mats would slide forward and trap the gas pedal. A full report of the crash is due to be completed in a few weeks.
If you or a loved one has ever been injured or killed in a Santee car crash, contact San Diego, CA auto accident Ross Jurewitz and the San Diego car crash lawyers of the Jurewitz Law Group at (619) 233-5020. You may also contact these San Diego, CA personal injury lawyers online here.
82 DUI Arrests in San Diego, One Fatal Car Accident Over Labor Day Weekend
It looked like Labor Day in San Diego County might be more upsetting than celebratory, when a fatal car crash occurred within the first 60 hours of the three-day holiday weekend. However, when all was said and done it was a more successful weekend than anticipated, with that fatality being the only one recorded for the weekend.
37-year-old Mitchell Paul Pinder of Spring Valley had been riding his motorcycle when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a guard rail when he was driving eastbound on state Route 94, just near Barrett Lake Road in Dulzura.
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