Sacramento Car Accident Lawyer Blog

The woman who struck and killed a 15-year-old cheerleader on Folsom-Auburn Boulevard in Granite Bay last June was recently found guilty of vehicular manslaughter.

The 15-year-old girl was a cheerleader from Granite Bay, CA, a suburb of Sacramento. On the day of the accident, she and several of her friends were walking from a fast food restaurant when she remembered that she had left her phone at the restaurant. As she was crossing the street to return, she was struck by 52-year-old Anna Berset, who then fled the scene. Parker was found by her friend, lying on the side of the road.

According to Sacto 9-1-1, Berset called California Highway Patrol the night of the incident:

A California Highway Patrol officer had testified during Berset's preliminary hearing that Berset called June 14 to report she had hit something on Auburn Folsom Road the previous night, but that it might have been a trash can or deer or perhaps a rock thrown at her by kids.

Berset was found guilty of hit and run driving causing death and vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence. Incidentally, Berset’s son spent four years in prison for a fatal hit and run car accident on the same road in 1999.

Here at the offices of Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer Moseley Collins, our hearts go out to everyone involved in this tragedy.

For the full article, please visit this link.

A Sacramento youth pleaded guilty last week to gross vehicular manslaughter and other charges regarding a hit and run collision he caused in October, 2008.

Aman Kumar Khanna, beloved husband and father of three, was struck by the teenager on October 10, 2008, and killed. The teen was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Khanna was a hardworking family man who worked two jobs to provide for his wife, children, and mother. Recently a fund has been set up in Khanna's honor to provide for his family. Contributions can be sent to the Aman Kumar Khanna Memorial Fund at the Golden One Credit Union, Post Office Box 15249, Sacramento, CA 95851-0249.

The teenager who struck Khanna was sentenced by the Juvenille Court to one year at the Sacramento County Boys' Ranch. Upon his release he will be deported to Mexico.

For the full story, please visit Sacto 9-1-1.

Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer Moseley Collins has settled many hit and run cases over the length of his 27-year career. Many times, just as the case above, serious car collisions can create a family of victims who are unable to pay their bills because their breadwinner has been injured or killed.

If you or a loved one has been injured, you do not need to be a victim.

Please call us at (916) 444-4444 or visit our website at www.moseleycollins.com. We are waiting to help you.

Don't let your pessimistic friends fool you! There are still good people out there. Case in point: Dava Tennet. On the afternoon of February 4, 2008, in Folsom, CA, a suburb outside Sacramento, Tennet pulled an injured man out of his burning car and then called for police assistance.

“I saw the car crash and couldn’t believe it,” Tennant, 29, said. “It was like auto-pilot – I hopped out of the car to make sure everybody was OK.”

Joy Snider had been waiting on a red light at the intersection of Russi Road and Blue Ravine when she was struck from behind by Douglas Burns, who, allegedly, was driving drunk. Burns' sports car became wedged underneath Snider's truck and caught fire. Tennet, a witness to the accident, rushed over and pulled Burns from his vehicle. In her interview with the Folsom Telegraph, Tennet described Burns as resistant at first to her attempts to pull him from his vehicle but eventually gave in as he had little control over his body.

“I just knew that I had to get him out of the car,” Tennant said. “I didn’t know if it was going to blow. I didn’t think about me getting hurt by helping him.”

Once Burns was safely out the car, Tennet reports he ran into a nearby wooded area which is where police found him after a few minutes and arrested him on suspicion of hit and run.

It is a terrible thing to be involved in a car accident, no matter what the circumstances. But when the cause of the accident is a drunk driver, the situation becomes more terrible. Why? Because it could have been avoided. It is one thing if the person responsible for an accident made an honest mistake, but when they deliberately drink and then get behind the wheel of their now potentially fatal automobile, it is another. It is reckless and malicious. Thank God that no one was seriously hurt in the accident described above. Such is not always the case.

According to Lt. Sheldon Sterling of the Folsom Police Department, DUI arrests are up in Folsom and DUI collisions are down. In 2007, the number of DUI collisions decreased by 41 compared to the year prior, while there were 362 DUI arrests, compared to the 252 in 2004.

For the full story please click here.

If you are or a loved one has been injured in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, please call me, Moseley, at The Law Offices of Moseley Collins at (916) 444-4444. My staff and I would love to help you.

A woman from the Sacramento area, in Folsom, California, was charged on Friday with a hit-and-run accident. The accident killed a 15-year old Granite Bay High School student, Courtney Parker. She and friend were walking along Auburn-Folsom Road one night when the accident occurred. Courtney was hit by the Rav4 while on the road’s right shoulder as the vehicle continued on the road without stopping. Courtney was sadly passed away, as she was taken off of life-support two days later.

The day after the accident, a woman called the police to say that she believes she may have hit a deer or another object while driving on the road that night. An investigation tied the 50-year old woman to the hit-and-run accident and subsequent death.

Please be careful to be safe while walking on the roads. To all drivers, be careful and aware! Accidents often occur when we do not expect for something or someone to be there. If you or someone you love has been injured in a hit-and-run accident, please contact me at the Law Offices of Moseley Collins. We are here to listen and help you in your time of need.

For the full article on this accident, please click here.

There is a big controversy going on south of our Sacramento home in Escondido, along with cases being brought against Los Angeles and several other Southern California counties for similar reasons. People are opposing a new system that has increased checkpoints throughout the city of Escondido. Police have two to five checkpoints up once a month to check for drunk drivers and people driving without a license. The police chief of Escondido, Jim Maher, says that this system is to reduce the amount of hit-and-run car accidents.

Hit-and-run car accidents can be a dreadful situation to be in, especially if the person injured does not carry uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. People who are drunk or do not have a license are more likely to run after a car crash, fearing jail and loss of their car.

The new checkpoint system has actually proved to lower hit-and-run accidents since begun. In the first half of 2007 there were 281 hit-and-run accidents, compared to 370 during the first half of 2006 -- a 24% drop in hit-and-run accidents in one year.

So why is this new system, that is lowering these terrible car accidents, at such opposition? People coming against the new system say that it is targeted at illegal immigrants and Latinos. Escondido’s policy against unlicensed drivers is also much stricter than most counties. Once found, the unlicensed person will be arrested and their car gets immediately impounded, whether or not there is a licensed driver in the car to take the car. Impounded for 30 days, the car will cost an average of $1,120 to get back.

Since June of 2007, 23 drivers without licenses have been arrested, 5 drivers under the influence arrested, and 434 cars impounded in the first half of 2007. This is a pretty substantial number, and to me it seems to be for the best in the long run to protect innocent victims of car crashes. We will see what happens in the future with this large dispute. Until then, keep safe on the road, and make sure you carry your license!

Until then...

For the full article on the new Escondido checkpoints, please click here.