Southern California Accident News

Motorcycle Accidents

• Costa Mesa Motorcyclist Injured in Hit and Run Accident
  Aug 09, 2010

  A motorcyclist sustained serious injuries after being struck by a flatbed truck on a Costa Mesa freeway last Friday. An Orange County accident attorney recounts the incident and offers California motorcycle accident statistics. 
  
  
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• Speeding motorcyclist killed in Southbound 55, I-5 motorcycle crash
  Jun 21, 2010
  An Irvine motorcyclist is dead after an Orange County motorcycle crash caused by high speed on the southbound 55 connector to southbound I-5.
   
  The fatal motorcycle accident occurred at about 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 20. Forty-year-old Charlie Park was travelling in the No. 1 lane of the connector road at about 80 miles per hour when his motorcycle veered to the left and hit a sand barrel.  The motorcycle then hit a second sand barrel and Park was ejected from his vehicle.  He landed in the road where he was struck by three different vehicles.  The motorcycle came to rest on the shoulder of the road.
   
  Park was pronounced dead at the scene.
   
  This accident was caused by speeding.  However, many California motorcycle accidents occur simply because the car driver does not see the motorcycle or misjudges the motorcycle’s speed. To learn more about Orange County motorcycle accidents and the rights of Southern California motorcyclists, click here.
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• Stuntswoman killed in Los Angeles freeway motorcycle wreck
  Apr 07, 2010
  A 28-year-old stuntswoman is dead after she fell from her motorcycle and was hit by another vehicle as she travelled to her job at a Los Angeles movie set.
   
  The accident occurred at about 7:40 am on Tuesday April 6. April Erin Stirton was driving her motorcycle on U.S. Highway 101 just west of Laurel Canyon Boulevard when she attempted to pass a tow truck. Ms. Stirton was going about 55 m.p.h. when she lost control of her motorcycle and fell off her bike. She was hit by the rear wheels of the tow truck. The motorcycle was wedged under the truck and dragged more than 100 feet before the truck stopped. Paramedics pronounced Ms. Stirton dead at the scene.
   
  Stirton worked as a stunt double on TV shows such as “True Blood” and “CSI”.
   
  Riding a motorcycle in the street with larger vehicles is dangerous. Over 500,000 people are injured every year in motorcycle accidents. If you have been harmed in a California motorcycle crash, contact Allen, Flatt, Ballidis and Leslie.  
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• Motorcycle accidents frequently involve firery aftermath.
  Jan 06, 2010

  On Saturday, January 2, 2009 an officer of the Buena Park police department was involved in a collision while on his motorcycle.  A Nissan Sentra turned left in front of him at the intersection of Knott and San Bruno Drive.  The motorcycle struck the car and burst into flames causing injury to the officer. 
  Fire caused by motorcycle impacts is common and severe injury and burns can occur.  Fortunately this officer is reported to be injured far less than expected given the impact and furnace like blast that followed.
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• Riverside California accident kills motorcyclist and was again caused by a drunk driver.
  Dec 17, 2009

  Once again, drunk driving has killed on our highways and streets.  A motorcyclist was killed today in a head-on accident with a truck.  He suffered head injuries and died from those injuries.  His identity was released by CHP officers as Brian Spambati of Norco.  Mr. Spambati was killed by Valentino Feliciano of Riverside.
  
  When accidents cause death, there is no amount of damages that pays for the loss of life.  What makes matters worse, Mr. Feliciano was arrested for DUI on several other occassions.  The State of California must remove these people from the road, require their vehicles be equipped with alcohol sensors that prohibit the car from starting and prosecute violations more rigorously.  If there has been a prior conviction for drunk driving, there is a high correleation to a later accident causing serious injury and or death.
  It is hoped that he will be incarcerated for a long time.  Our sympathies to the family and freinds of Mr. Spamboti for this tragic and unnecessary loss of life.  - 5 - 10

• Former Hyundai executive pleads guilty in 2005 DUI hit-and-run
  Nov 11, 2009
  Youn Burn Lee, a 42 year old former Hyundai executive, has pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter charges resulting from an October 2005 hit-and-run accident. The crash resulted in the death of motorcyclist Ryan Dallas Cook. Lee was under the influence of alcohol at the time. 
   
  After the accident, Lee, formerly a resident of Irvine, fled to South Korea. Lee was arrested in Seoul in December 2008, and was extradited back to Orange County to stand trial.
   
  According to the Orange County district Attorney’s Office, Lee pled guilty to one felony count of vehicular manslaughter by unlawful act with gross negligence while intoxicated. He will be sentenced on December 7. It is expected that Lee will serve nine years in state prison, including a sentencing enhancement for fleeing the scene of the crime.
   
  The accident followed a company-sponsored dinner at the Seoul Oak Korean BBQ Restaurant in Garden Grove. The group had finished 14 bottles of soju, a distilled Korean rice wine, before heading to a nearby karaoke bar where they continued to consume alcohol.  
   
  Lee left the gathering in a black, company-issued SUV. He drove with his headlights off along the 22 freeway onto southbound 55. On 55, he veered into the carpool lane and crashed into the center median. Cook, was riding his motorcycle in the carpool lane, and was unable to stop in time to avoid slamming into Lee’s unlit, black vehicle.
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• ATV rider dies after ejection while off roading.
  Nov 09, 2009

  A Costa Mesa resident, Andrew McKenzie, was killed during a weekend off-road accident.  He was a passenger in an off road vehicle that lost control and overturned.  He was ejected and died at the scene, near Calico Ghost Town.  We want to extend our Sympathy to his family for this tragedy. 
  
  As we pointed out recently, ejection is a major cause of injury and drivers must take responsibility to ensure the safety of their passengers.   These deaths are avoidable, and until more is done to educate the owners on the method of securing passengers and operating these vehicles safely, these needless incidents will continue to cause great grief and destruction of lives.
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• Motorcycle policeman dies in tragic collision lane splitting.
  Aug 19, 2009

  California Highway Patrol officer Jim Hetrick was first on the scene of a fatal motorcycle injury this week on the 405 freeway in Huntington Beach. Early reports indicate that the driver may have been “splitting lanes”. This is a maneuver where motorcyclists drive between cars and traffic lanes. While doing this movement, he clipped a Toyota Matrix, causing him to fall off his bike. He then was run over by a Buick sedan.
  
  The rider was identified as Jason Doerr. He worked at the Harley Davidson dealership in Harbor City, but had previously worked at the Orange County store in Anaheim. Although only in his early thirties, he had worked in the motorcycle industry for over 12 years. His co-workers said that riding motorcycles was his passion in life and that he knew every part of his bike. When he didn’t show up for work, his colleagues knew something had happened.
  Doerr died at the scene from trauma injuries.  - 8 - 10

Bicycle Accidents

• Bicyclist Dies A Week After Newport Beach Cycling Accident
  Aug 18, 2010

  Another Newport Beach cycling accident ended in tragedy on Sunday. An Orange County injury attorney gives an account of the incident and explains how the area has become increasingly dangerous for bicyclists. 

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• Irvine Police Investigating Bicycle Accident Involving Amtrak Train
  Aug 17, 2010

  At around 7 a.m. an elderly man fell from his bicycle onto the tracks of an approaching Amtrak train, reported the Orange County Register. Orange County paramedics found the man injured at the scene of the accident, near Harvard Avenue in Irvine. He suffered a broken leg and ankle and has been taken to an Orange County hospital. 
  
  The accident is under investigation. Witnesses are urged to contact Detective Jon Cherney of the Irvine Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Team: (949) 724-7024.
  
  Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie is an Orange County personal injury law firm specializing in bicycle and pedestrian accidents. If you have been in an accident and have questions about your rights and options, feel free to call 866-981-5596.   - 10 - 10