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.

Hit-and-run crashes are always terrible situations for anyone who’s been injured, as the failure to identify the person at fault for the accident only adds to the stress for those who have been harmed. Tragically, three men were killed in a hit-and-run crash Saturday. The only news that’s even mildly positive so far in this situation is that the driver in the accident has been arrested.

According to ABC News 10:

“A Sacramento man faces arraignment on Tuesday after being arrested in a hit and run that killed three young men and injured another on Saturday, according to police.

The fatal crash happened just after 3:30 a.m. at the intersection of Center Parkway and Cosumnes River Boulevard, said Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

An Acura and a Lincoln crashed in the middle of the road, the impact throwing both cars into a nearby field, causing the Acura to catch fire. Leong said two men died inside the burning car. Another was found in the grass nearby. Officials said he died at the scene as well.

Investigators have not officially determined that speed, alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash.

A fourth man, also ejected during the crash, was rushed to Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento hospital but expected to survive, Leong said.

Leong said the driver of the Lincoln fled the scene. Investigators were determining if anyone else was in that car.”

Police are still asking for help from anyone who can provide additional information. If you or someone you love has been harmed in a hit-and-run crash, you need the help of Sacramento auto accidents lawyers who have a track record of holding those responsible for causing harm accountable. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.

When we drive our vehicles on public roads, we take on risks. One of those risks is trusting that the other drivers on the road will obey traffic laws and avoid mistakes that lead to accidents. Unfortunately for one Lodi woman, that trust was broken when another vehicle ran through a red light and collided with her vehicle, sending her to the hospital.

According to the Lodi News-Sentinel:

“A Lodi woman was trapped in her car for nearly 20 minutes Monday after a truck allegedly ran a red light at Lodi Avenue and Sacramento Street.

The woman was driving north in her silver Ford Contour when a westbound white Ford F-250 truck crossed her path at 12:46 p.m., according to Lodi police.

The collision smashed in the front of the sedan, which spun to a stop in the intersection. The truck just missed a traffic signal pole and came to rest against a utility box, which was not damaged.

It took six firefighters and two paramedics about 20 minutes to get the sedan’s driver out of the car, which still had a handicapped parking placard hanging from the rearview mirror. She suffered a badly broken leg.”

Authorities indicated that more investigation is necessary to definitively arrive at a cause for the accident. If you or someone you love has been harmed in a collision, you need the help of Sacramento auto accidents lawyers who have a long track record of holding those responsible for traffic injuries accountable. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Many different entities will publish lists of the most common causes of accidents on the roadways. Most would assume that issues such as speeding, poor driving conditions, the presence of alcohol and aggressive driving would be near the top of these lists. Most of them are, but one issue that’s overlooked is that of distracted drivers. When a driver is not paying attention, it leads to terrible accidents at an alarming rate. Police have investigated a recent fatal crash in Yolo County and found that two people were killed because the driver lost his focus on the road.

According to the Sacramento Bee:

“The California Highway Patrol is investigating whether a driver’s attention to a compact disc player may have led to an accident Thursday afternoon in Yolo County in which two men – a car driver and passenger – were killed.

Yolo County Chief Deputy Coroner Robert LaBrash identified the car driver as Luis Sarabia Trujillo, 23, of Woodland. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sacramento County Coroner officials identified the passenger as Omar Gaytan Sarabia, 20, also of Woodland. Gaytan Sarabia was taken to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where he died.

A news release from the CHP said that a pickup driven by David Pearl, 53, of Davis was northbound on County Road 89 in Yolo County at about 60 mph just after noon. Approaching from the southbound direction was a car with three passengers driven by Sarabia Trujillo.

The released stated that Pearl was “inattentive by looking at his CD player.” That lack of attention to driving allowed his truck to drift onto the right shoulder, the CHP said.

Realizing his truck was off the roadway, he corrected to the left, crossing over into the southbound lane, the CHP said. The truck then struck the car with the three passengers, the CHP said.”

Drivers are also responsible for their passengers, and if you or someone you love has been harmed because of an inattentive driver, you need the help of Sacramento auto accidents attorneys who have years of experience in successfully fighting for the rights of their clients. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Pedestrians generally understand that they are sharing the roads with much larger and faster vehicles, and that there are some risks involved with doing so. Much like any other traffic setting, though, when traffic laws are obeyed, people will usually be kept from facing unreasonable dangers. Tragically, one local pedestrian paid the ultimate price for something that went wrong when hit by a vehicle and killed. To make matters worse, the vehicle fled the scene.

According to the Sacramento Bee:

“A pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run accident in south Sacramento this morning.

Sacramento Fire Department personnel told California Highway Patrol officers that a person was killed after being struck by a vehicle near 46th Avenue and Franklin Boulevard at about 5:30 a.m. and that the vehicle fled the scene.

Sacramento County coroner’s deputies were called to the scene.

CHP authorities say the vehicle involved possibly is a red, 1990s pickup.”

The fact that there is already at least a limited description of the vehicle provides hope that the driver will ultimately be identified and apprehended. More often than not, those responsible for hit-and-run injuries are ultimately brought to justice. When this occurs with this driver, he or she will face serious criminal charges and potential penalties.

In addition, the driver could face significant civil liability for the damages caused to the pedestrian’s family. If you or someone you love has been harmed in a hit-and-run accident, you should not hesitate to protect your legal rights. You need the help of a Sacramento auto accidents lawyer who has the experience necessary to hold these types of drivers accountable. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.

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.

When someone gets behind the wheel of a vehicle and heads onto public roads, that driver has a legal duty to take reasonable steps that promote both the safety of the driver and the other vehicles in the area. This legal duty also extends to any passengers in the vehicle, as these passengers literally put their lives in the hands of those who are handling the car, truck or SUV. Tragically, one passenger paid the ultimate price for a driver’s mistake in a crash a few months ago, and everyone needs to understand this duty.

According to the Sacramento Bee:

“Investigators say they believe speed was a factor in the car crash that killed a teenage Elk Grove girl on Howe Avenue on Sunday.

Sacramento police say witnesses told them the car made a lane change shortly before the driver lost control.

Corryne M. Quinn, 16, died in the crash that was reported about 10 p.m. Sunday at Howe Avenue and Swathmore Drive near the American River.

Sacramento police said the car in which Quinn was a passenger was northbound on Howe Avenue approaching Swathmore when the driver lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree in the center median.”

At this point, there is no indication that the family of the passenger killed made an attempt to protect the rights of the victim of the crash. If you or someone you love has been harmed in a collision, you need to contact Sacramento auto accidents attorneys who understand how to hold those responsible for these terrible results 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.

The holiday season is always a time of happiness and celebration, but unfortunately, there is also a downside to the festive feelings shared by almost everyone. Traffic accidents are a constant negative this time of year, and tragically, that ‘tradition’ has continued in the area. Last week, one person was killed and five more were injured in an early-morning crash.

According to News 10:

“A man was killed and five others injured in a car accident on Highway 99 in the south area early Monday morning, according to officials.

California Highway Patrol Sgt. Dave Costa said just before 1 a.m., a car traveling northbound on Highway 99 north of Mack Road lost control and hit the center divider. Another vehicle traveling behind hit that car, ejecting the driver upon impact, Costa said. The unidentified man died at the scene, said Costa.

A family of five, including three children, was in the second car that hit the vehicle in the center divide, said Costa. They were all taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Costa said a male passenger in the car with the deceased victim walked away unharmed but was also taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons.”

It’s of small comfort for the families of those involved that authorities do not suspect the presence of drugs or alcohol at this time. If you or someone you love has been injured or worse in such an incident, you need the help of Sacramento auto accidents attorneys who have years of experience and a track record of success with fighting for the rights of the injured. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.