San Diego Drunk Driving Crash Claims Life of Pregnant Woman
Jan 19, 2010 Auto & Car Crashes, Wrongful Death - Murder
A tragic accident took place in San Diego during the wee morning hours on New Years day, claiming the life of 21 year old Elaina Luquis-Ortiz. According to Sign on San Diego, the accident was caused by a suspected drunk driver who struck Ortiz’ Mazda Sedan, which was parked on the shoulder of I-805 as she and some friends were attempting to help a motorist in distress.
Luquis-Ortiz was six months pregnant with a baby boy, who also died in the crash. Luquis-Ortiz had gotten a call from a friend around 1:30 in the morning, who wanted her to come help a distressed motorist who had a flat tire. As the three sat in Luquis-Ortiz’ car behind the disabled vehicle, they were struck by a Chevrolet Tahoe. Luquis-Ortiz was killed instantly, and the other two had to be hospitalized because of severe injuries.
While the incidence of drunk driving crashed may be decreasing, they still cause some of the most devastating accidents in California and around the nation. The results are often fatal; those under the influence are more likely to speed and drive recklessly, meaning high impact crashes.
In many instances, survivors of the victims are often eligible for compensation for funeral and burial expenses, along with medical expenses they may have incurred before death. Additional compensation may be awarded for pain and suffering, and loss of consortium and companionship if the victim was a spouse.
Damages for loss of consortium are offered in only a few states, which includes California. These California wrongful death actions are often trickier than determining compensation in personal injury claims. Wrongful death claims usually involve intangible benefits such as anguish, loss of consortium and other things that are difficult if not impossible to place a value on. After all, how can you place a monetary value on the life of someone you love, and all of the loss you suffer such as help with the children, repairs around the home, etc?
In the courtroom, things can get ugly which may only make things more painful for a surviving spouse. Defense attorneys may argue what is fair compensation for loss of consortium, and try to lower damages; these situations can become ugly and require the assistance of a talented San Diego accident attorney. Wrongful death lawsuits may also include punitive damages, which are not meant to compensate survivors but as punishment designed to make an example out of the one responsible for the death.
The Reeves Law Group has offices across California and is dedicated to representing personal injury victims, including victims of drunk driving accidents. Please contact us for a free consultation at (800) 644-8000.
Dog Bite Leaves Santa Cruz Man Seriously Injured
Jan 15, 2010 Dog Bites
In a shocking incident, a Live Oak man had portions of his mouth ripped out when he was attacked by an aggressive dog in Santa Cruz recently. Even more frightening is that the dog has not been located according to animal service officers, and another attack could occur.
The victim was walking late in the evening on a deserted street when the attack took place, according to Mercury News. The man was seriously injured in the facial area, including his nose and left eye. His lips had to be sewn back on after being ripped off by the dog, and the victim claims he did nothing to provoke the attack. Minor dog attacks are seen more often by animal control officers, who don’t often see vicious attacks by dogs that were not provoked.
If this dog is located, the owner likely faces misdemeanor changes for their negligence in letting a vicious dog run loose where an attack like this can occur. The most important thing at the current time is to locate the dog, which is believed to be a Rottweiller type breed that probably ways in the vicinity of 80 to 100 pounds. Animal control officers are asking for information from anyone who might have clues to this attack or who has seen a dog similar to this to call them. They are anxious due to the fact that another attack could occur, and they have no information about the vaccination history of the dog or whether it has attacked before.
Victims of vicious dog bit attacks are often left with extreme fear, as well as psychological and physical scars. California dog bite lawyers understand this, and know that victims who have suffered through such an attack can be left with severe trauma that may take them months or longer to overcome.
Physical scarring to the face, legs, arms, hands, head and neck can really take a toll on a victim, and these injuries are often very serious. In fact, just recently a Virginia woman died after being bitten by a friends dog on her neck. This dog did not attack the woman according to available information, but the bite caused her to experience difficulty breathing before being rushed to the hospital.
Thankfully, these types of incidents are not very common, but demonstrate that dog bites can be much more severe than we realize, and even fatal. California dog bite attorneys are hopeful that the aggressive dog responsible for severely injuring the Santa Cruz victim will be located by animal control officers soon before another possibly serious attack takes place.
The Reeves Law Group has offices across California and is dedicated to representing personal injury victims, including victims of dog bites. Please contact us for a free consultation at (800) 644-8000.
