Northern California Personal Injury Blog

East Bay Truck Crash Closes Both Lanes of Interstate 680

By Kelly Balamuth on October 30, 2015

Recently, a tractor-trailer collided with a freeway divider on Interstate 680. The truck accident caused several other vehicle collisions, started a brush fire, and shut down both sides of the freeway for several hours.

According to witnesses who spoke to the California Highway Patrol, the truck had been driving erratically before it hit the concrete divider, spraying debris across the freeway. Read the rest »

Head on Car Collision in Richmond Claims a Life According to CHP

By Kelly Balamuth on October 23, 2015

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) responded to a head-on car accident near Richmond last weekend that claimed at least one life.

The crash happened on the San Pablo Dam Road near the intersection with Castro Ranch Road, according to a news report from NBC Bay Area. Police, firefighters, and paramedics who responded to the scene were forced to close both lanes of traffic to assist crash victims. The road remained closed for approximately four hours. Police are still investigating the causes of the crash. Read the rest »

What to Do After an Oakland Dog Attack

By Kelly Balamuth on September 26, 2015

Dog attacks are not only physically painful, but also emotionally traumatizing and financially draining. Regardless of the victim’s age, a dog attack can result in major injuries and permanent disfigurement and scarring. If you have been injured in a dog attack in Oakland, it’s important that you have a thorough understanding of your legal rights and options. Read the rest »

Construction Worker Killed in Oakland Crash

By Kelly Balamuth on September 21, 2015

A 33-year-old construction worker from Oakland was killed in a work-related car accident that officials suspect involved a drunk driver. According to a news report in the Rockridge Patch, the fatal car accident happened on westbound Highway 580 at Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland. Officials say the man was working within the two lanes that were closed off with cones for paving operations when a car crossed into the construction zone and struck him. The construction worker was pronounced dead at the scene. A multidisciplinary accident investigation team arrived at the crash site to collect evidence against the suspected drunk driver. Read the rest »

Oakland Truck Accident Shuts Down I-880

By Kelly Balamuth on September 14, 2015

On September 7^th around 12:06 a.m. a Chevrolet truck traveling on southbound I-880, where it transitions onto Highway 238, crashed into a utility pole. High-voltage wires were knocked down, starting a small blaze that firefighters were able to put out quickly. The truck accident cleanup closed the busy interchange for most of the day while crews repaired the lines. The truck contained two adults and two children. Their conditions are unknown and the crash is under investigation. Read the rest »

New State Bill Could Prevent More Bay Area Truck Accidents

By Kelly Balamuth on September 10, 2015

Last summer, a truck accident on Highway 17 took the life of a twenty-six year old while he was sitting in stopped traffic near Lexington Reservoir near Los Gatos. A truck hauling dirt was driving downhill and couldn’t stop; causing a 10-vehicle collision that killed the young man and injured seven more.

The driver of the truck had been driving a big rig for less than three months. He was driving with too much weight, too fast, on too steep of a grade. He jammed on his brakes but they couldn’t take all of the pressure. Read the rest »

Martinez Wife Accidentally Runs Over and Kills Husband

By Kelly Balamuth on July 30, 2015

On the morning of Wednesday July 28^th, an elderly woman who mistook the gas pedal for the brake in her Toyota Corolla ran over and killed her husband. The accident occurred on the 600 block of Reliez Valley Road near the border of Martinez, according to NBC Bay Area News. The husband was giving directions for repositioning the car in the driveway when the wrong pedal was pushed, crashing into the garage and pinning him underneath. Read the rest »

High-Speed Chase Ends with a Crash in Walnut Creek

By Kelly Balamuth on July 23, 2015

Shortly before 10 pm on July 16th, law enforcement authorities in the city of San Lorenzo attempted to make a routine traffic stop of a Land Rover with two men inside. As reported by KPIX 5, the driver failed to yield on Hesperian Boulevard and Grant Avenue, beginning a chase that continued onto Interstate 680. The SUV led law enforcement at speeds of up to 100 mph at times, with the California Patrol Highway taking up the pursuit. The chase ended in Walnut Creek where the SUV sideswiped two cars and slammed into a parked vehicle near the intersection of North Main and Pine streets, shutting down North Main Street for more than two hours. Read the rest »

Were You a Victim of Legal Malpractice?

By Kelly Balamuth on July 3, 2015

Did you hire a lawyer who broke your trust, who caused your case to end unfavorably due to incompetency or intentional misrepresentation? Are you now facing serious repercussions because of this? When an attorney does not properly do his or her job, the client may have grounds for a legal malpractice claim and recover the damages incurred by the attorney’s failure to fulfill his or her professional duty.

The common forms of legal malpractice include the following: Read the rest »

Man Shot and Killed by Oakland Police

By Kelly Balamuth on June 11, 2015

A 30-year-old man was shot and killed by Oakland police Saturday, June 6th near Lake Merritt in Oakland. He was unresponsive in a stolen gray 2005 BMW stopped several feet away from the stoplight at Lakeshore and Lake Park avenues with a loaded handgun nearby. Officials said that they attempted to wake the man up for over an hour with nonviolent efforts that included using a bullhorn and unsuccessfully trying to break the car windows using bean bag rounds.

When the man woke up and responded to police officers a confrontation ensued, leading one officer to deploy his taser and another officer to discharge their firearm, shooting him. The man was taken to Highland Hospital where he was pronounced dead. He leaves behind three children. The 12 officers who were on the scene are all being questioned and footage is being reviewed from their body cameras. This is Oakland’s first fatal officer-involved shooting in more than two years, and comes on the heels of protests around the country concerning excessive force used by police officers. Read the rest »