Sacramento Car Accident Lawyer Blog

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.

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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.

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Two hit-and-runs occurred this past Sunday in Sacramento, California – by the same person. A 31-year old woman, Tracy Figueroa, hit a Sacramento City Unified School Police officer’s car around 2:00 in the morning and ran from the scene of the accident.

As she fled, she ran a stop light and hit another police car, school police chief Vince Matranga. The police car was propelled by Tracy’s Mercedes Benz S500 100 feet. Tracy’s car stalled for a moment, but after the engine took hold, Tracy was once again off.

Tracy eventually stopped and CHP offers arrested her for two hit-and-run accidents and suspicion of driving under the influence.

This is an incredible story for our Sacramento area, not one, but two hit-and-runs, and to top it off, both cars hit were police cars! Luckily, no one was seriously injured, and hopefully Tracy has learned her lesson.

Watch out all…

For the full article on Tracy’s hit-and-run accidents, please click here.

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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.

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