Distracted Driver Charged In Fatal Huntington Beach Pedestrian Accident

In September, we posted a news article about a Huntington Beach pedestrian accident that killed a 4-month-old baby girl.  This week, the driver who caused the accident was charged with one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.
 
The Orange County car crash occurred on September 7, 2010. The driver, 50-year-old Robert Anthony Casares of Huntington Beach, was distracted by a laptop sliding off his passenger seat.  Casares says that he briefly looked down to secure the bag, and did not notice that the traffic in front of him had stopped at the intersection.  Casares slammed on his brakes but was unable to prevent his car from crashing into a pickup truck.  The truck spun into a crosswalk where a mother from Australia was walking with her baby in a stroller and her 11-year-old niece and 7-year-old nephew beside her.
 
The group was hit by the truck.  The baby was ejected from her stroller and landed 70 feet away. She was pronounced dead due to blunt force trauma to the head. The mother suffered a dislocated shoulder and fractured vertebrae and the niece sustained a broken leg. 
 
The computer started to slide after the vehicle crossed a train track.  The driver probably gave little thought to the fact that he was taking eyes off the road, but just a moment of distraction can cost a life and shatter a family’s dreams.
 
You can learn more about distracted driving in our library article: “Can Hands-Free Devices Prevent Orange County Distracted Driving Accidents?”
 
If you or someone you love has been injured by a distracted driver, you have rights. The Newport Beach pedestrian accident attorneys at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis and Leslie are dedicated to helping Orange County injury victims. We help those who are injured in Orange County car accidents to recover fair insurance compensation for their injuries, property damage, medical costs, and other losses. To learn more, contact our Orange County car crash lawyers at 866-981-5596.