On May 19, 2010, another California motorcycle accident killed the motorcycle’s driver, Gregg Haskell, when his Harley-Davidson drifted off of west bound Horseshoe Road between Knights Ferry and Oakdale at approximately 45 miles per hour.  At 7:05 p.m., Mr. Haskell’s Harley drifted off the road and off the road, across a dirt shoulder and struck an asphalt curb near Honolulu Bar.  Mr. Haskell, 57 years old, was thrown from his bike and hit an oak tree. He was transported to Oak Valley Hospital where he later died.

The accident remains under the investigation and authorities don’t know if alcohol or drugs were a factor.  Thorough investigation is required in such cases to determine all other possible contributing factors, including the involvement of another vehicle, road conditions, including any ongoing construction in the area, and even manufacturing defects in the motorcycle itself.  When the negligence of someone other than the injured or deceased party contributes to an accident, that negligent party is responsible for paying his or her share of medical bills, lost income and pain and suffering.

In such cases, families and friends of deceased accident victims are highly advised to contact an experienced California Personal Injury Attorney who will stay abreast of the investigation, hire expert accident reconstruction experts and investigators to thoroughly evaluate the cause of the collision and make sure every angle is examined, including possible claims for defective roadway conditions. A reputed Sacramento Car Accident Attorney will also be able to advise the victims’ families about how their car insurance policy applies to an incident where the at-fault motorist is uninsured or underinsured.

The Demas & Rosenthal personal injury law firm is not currently representing anyone mentioned in this article at the time it was posted. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your legal rights and options, call us or another well recognized and respected personal injury law firm. Please do not rely or act solely upon the information provided in this article. Please consider getting a consultation immediately. The best California personal injury law firms will provide a free consultation. Demas & Rosenthal will provide a free, confidential consultation to the persons who were not at fault named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.

Tuesday’s California car accident killed a 27-year–old woman at about 6:45 a.m., injured at least one other person and damaged four vehicles.


The unidentified woman was driving south on Highway 99 in a Pontiac, approaching Shippee Road, south of Highway 149. The woman drifted across the fog line on the west side of the highway but never went off the pavement. Her car collided with the left rear of a Ford Ranger pickup being driven by Joshua Dahl, 22, from Sacramento. The woman then continued southbound, colliding with the left rear of a vehicle driven by Jose Duneas. The woman’s car then continued and slammed into a vehicle driven by Patricia Parra, 36, from. The 27 year-old driver of Pontiac was pronounced dead at the scene. Parra was transported to the hospital in Chico and treated for her injuries.

Although the exact speed of the Pontiac is unknown when she drifted across the fog line and lost control, preliminary reports indicate a combination of speed and inattention may have caused the collision. The cause of accident is under investigation however, it was raining at the time of the collision.

We are sending our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased woman. It is indeed a tragic lost. We hope that Ms. Parra and anyone else injured in this collision is recovering from her injuries.

California Car Accident Statistics
Chico Car Accidents

As reported by the California Highway Patrol each year there are approximately 5,425 car collisions caused by the rain, or other weather circumstances.

All injured victims in accidents like this are strongly urged to consult with an experienced Chico Personal Injury Attorney to protect their rights. All collisions involving multiple vehicles and victims are extremely complicated. Do not talk to insurance adjusters or attorneys for other parties without, first, consulting your own lawyer. A knowledgeable car accident lawyer should also tell victims about how their car insurance policy will apply to an accident.

The Demas & Rosenthal personal injury law firm is not currently representing anyone mentioned in this article at the time it was posted. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your legal rights and options, call us or another well recognized and respected personal injury law firm. Please do not rely or act solely upon the information provided in this article. Please consider getting a consultation immediately. The best personal injury law firms will provide a free consultation. Demas & Rosenthal will provide a free, confidential consultation to the persons who were not at fault named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.

Few weather developments present more risk to motorists than snow storms. When they arise, roads instantly become slippery, visibility drops significantly and the margin of error allowed for drivers almost disappears. Even the smallest mistake can lead to serious and disastrous consequences, and that’s likely what occurred with a crash on Friday north of Redding.

According to the Modesto Bee:

“A 20-car pile-up during a heavy snowstorm has forced the closure of northbound Interstate 5 from 10 miles north of Redding to Mount Shasta, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The snow has caused numerous accidents in southern Siskiyou County, which is about 220 miles north of Sacramento, including on Highway 89, the road to Mount Shasta Ski Park.”

Obviously, if you are driving and find yourself encountering snow or other winter weather, you need to take immediate steps to make sure that you’re exercising extreme caution. Slow down as much as necessary, increase the distance between you and other vehicles and crawl around curves before slowly accelerating after the turn is completed.

If you or someone you love has been harmed in an accident, whether it involved snow, other bad weather or not, you need the help of Sacramento auto accidents lawyers who understand how to sort through complicated scenarios such as the one above and to hold those responsible for harm accountable. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Many of us have run out of gas while driving, and depending on where this occurs, it can create a dangerous situation. If someone is forced to move their vehicle from a busy street, the odds of something terrible happening tend to rise. Tragically, that appears to be the case with a woman who was struck and killed while pushing her vehicle that was out of gas last week.

According to the Sacramento Bee:

“A woman pushing a car that had run out of gas was struck and killed by a sport-utility vehicle Monday night in Roseville.

Dawn Rachael Nelson, 34, of Roseville was transported by ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Roseville police and fire personnel responded about 7 p.m. to the accident in the northbound lanes of Foothills Boulevard overpass between Roseville Road and the Denio Loop.

Nelson was a passenger in a 1990 Nissan Maxima that ran out of gas on the overpass. Nelson and two other passengers were pushing the car when she was struck from behind by a northbound 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 17-year-old boy from Antelope.”

Authorities have not completed their investigation as to what could have led to this collision. If you find yourself in this situation, you need to proceed with extreme caution. If you or someone you love has been harmed in a collision, you need the help of Sacramento auto accidents lawyers who have years of experience in successfully obtaining justice for those who have been wronged. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Automobile accidents happen every day in California, and thousands of people are injured every year as a result of them. In addition, many fatalities occur, and in certain cases, an accident can lead to both fatalities and serious injuries. Tragically, such was the case with a crash that occurred over the weekend that left one woman dead and four others injured.

According to KCRA:

“A woman died and four others were injured in a two-car collision early Sunday in Sacramento.

Officers went to Power Inn Road and Elder Creek Road at about 1:40 a.m. and found a Nissan Altima and a Cadillac had crashed. A passenger in the Cadillac was declared dead at the scene. Her name was not immediately released.

Two other occupants of the Cadillac had moderate injuries. Two occupants of the Nissan had moderate to major injuries.

Investigators said they believe the cars collided when the Nissan was headed south on Power Inn Road and the Cadillac was turning from northbound Power Inn to westbound Elder Creek Road.”

Authorities have yet to determine which party was at fault for the accident, and no indication was given as to whether alcohol or other intoxicants were involved. Whatever the result, there will likely be exposure to civil liability to the driver at fault.

If you or someone you love has been harmed in a traffic collision, you need the help of Sacramento auto accidents lawyers who have years of experience in successfully holding those responsible for death and harm accountable. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Hit-and-run drivers are not easily profiled into certain types or demographics. However, there are times when follow-up reports tend to lend credence as to why someone would think that fleeing the scene of a serious accident is the right decision. We posted recently regarding a fatal hit-and-run accident that led to the arrest of a local man. Now comes word that the suspect had only recently regained his privilege to drive.

According to CBS 13:

“A driver who has been charged with felony hit-and-run after a deadly crash that left three men dead over the weekend just got his license reinstated by the DMV just two days before the accident.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles says 25-year-old Omar Carrasco has had his license suspended five times for driving under the influence and various legal violations over the past three years, most recently on February 28 for canceling his auto insurance.

The DMV reinstated his license on Thursday, March 4, less than 48 hours before Carrasco was involved in a crash near Cosumnes River Boulevard and Center Parkway early Saturday morning.”

Two people were killed in the accident and the driver was arrested shortly afterward. While he faces significant criminal problems, the driver could also face civil liability. Evidence of his driving record would likely be relevant to such a legal claim.

If you or someone you love has been harmed in a hit-and-run crash, you need to take action by contacting Sacramento personal injury lawyers who understand how to properly use all of the evidence at their disposal to protect your legal rights. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Hit-and-run accidents are always difficult to handle for everyone involved, particularly the families of those who are wrongfully harmed. Recently, we posted about a hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian in the area, and tragically, another fatal hit-and-run crash has occurred. This one took the life of a bicyclist who was hit twice and did not survive the impacts.

According to a report by KCRA:

“The California Highway Patrol is looking for a driver accused of fleeing the scene of a south Sacramento County hit-and-run crash that left a bicyclist dead.

The wreck, which was reported at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, occurred on Stockton Boulevard near Walter Avenue.

The CHP said the cyclist was struck by a red vehicle as he attempted to cross the street. The rider was thrown from his bike and dragged under the vehicle for a short time.

The red vehicle was last seen fleeing northbound on Stockton Boulevard.

The cyclist was hit a second time by a white Hyundai driven by a Sacramento resident. The Hyundai came to rest on top of the victim. Rescue workers had to lift the car off the victim’s body, the CHP said.”

Authorities are asking anyone who may have information regarding the incident to contact them and to provide those details. If you or someone you love has been harmed in such a crash, you should not wait to seek help. Contact the Sacramento personal injury lawyers at Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation. The firm has years of experience in holding those responsible for these types of losses accountable.

One would assume that a vehicle that collects trash does not generally move quickly enough to be involved in a serious collision with another vehicle. Tragically, that was proven wrong this morning when a garbage truck and a satellite television installation van were involved in a horrific crash that killed the van driver and seriously injured the driver of the truck.

According to the Sacramento Bee:

“A garbage truck and a satellite television installation van collided this morning on Folsom Boulevard, killing the van driver.

After the collision, the garbage truck then crashed into a metal drive-through awning outside a children’s daycare center. Nobody in the childcare facility, which was set back from the road, was hurt.

The collision occurred about 9:30 a.m. in the 8500 block of Folsom Boulevard. A Sacramento County garbage truck traveling west on Folsom collided with and eastbound Dish Network van that turned in front of the truck, police said.”

It could take some time for investigators to pinpoint the cause or causes of the accident. Situations like these can also be complicated from an enforcement of legal rights standpoint because both drivers were using company vehicles.

If you or someone you love has been harmed in this sort of incident, you should not attempt to handle the legal details by yourself. Seek the help of Sacramento auto accidents lawyers who understand all the layers of liability involved with these types of occurrences. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation so that your rights are properly protected and enforced.

Auto accidents that lead to injuries are always troubling for anyone involved, but this is particularly true when some of those injured are small children. Sadly, that’s what occurred Wednesday night in Folsom when a station wagon collided with a pickup truck. Five people were sent to the hospital, including three children. One child suffered life-threatening injuries.

According to the Sacramento Bee:

“A two-vehicle collision Wednesday in Folsom sent five people, including three children, to the hospital, police said.

One of the children suffered life-threatening injuries, said Officer Jason Browning, police spokesman. The children are between the ages of 7 and 8.

The accident happened shortly after 9 p.m. at East Bidwell Street and Bluestone Circle.

Browning said the children were inside a Mercedes-Benz station wagon southbound on East Bidwell Street when for unknown reasons, the driver hit the center divider, rode over it and into oncoming traffic, which had the green light.

Browning said it’s unclear if the driver was attempting a left turn or accidentally veered in that direction.

A Dodge Durango northbound on East Bidwell Street struck the Mercedes and ripped it in half, Browning said.”

The investigation of the crash continues as authorities attempt to decipher the underlying cause of the crash. Regardless, if you or someone you love has been injured in an accident, you need to take action by contacting Sacramento auto accidents lawyers who have the experience and track record necessary to hold those responsible for injuries accountable. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Now that the holidays are over and the celebrations have ended, tragic stories of untimely deaths due to auto accidents are beginning to emerge. There is never a good time to lose someone under such circumstances, but it’s particularly troubling when one of the people lost is an 18-year-old woman. That’s unfortunately what occurred recently east of Sacramento as a result of a horrific and fiery head-on crash that occurred at 3:30 a.m. Fog was ruled out as a cause.

According to the Auburn Journal:

“The California Highway Patrol has ruled out fog as a factor in a collision on Interstate 80 at Newcastle that left two people dead.

Conditions were foggy at the time of the 3:30 a.m. accident Tuesday on eastbound I-80. But Officer Dave Montijo of the Highway Patrol’s Auburn office said that investigators have ruled out poor visibility from fog as the reason for the crash.

The initial Highway Patrol report stated visibility was limited to 100 yards.

The investigation is centered instead on what is being seen as a fatal error by crash victim Christopher Dann, 21, of Auburn.

The CHP reported he was seen driving the wrong way on the freeway by several witnesses as he traveled west on eastbound I-80.”

When these accidents occur during the early morning hours and involve such a clear mistake by one of the drivers, the suspicion of the presence of alcohol always arises, though authorities have given no indication of its presence at this time. Regardless, if you have lost someone you love due to an egregious driving error, you need the help of Sacramento wrongful death attorneys to protect your rights. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.