Fleeing from Police in Car

3 Southern California Boys Killed After Fleeing from Police in Car

A high-speed car chase ended with the deaths of three Southern California boys when their car flipped over a wall and landed in the front yard of a home in Fontana, California.

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The car, a Nissan Maxima driven by a 14-year-old boy, ran a red light and was pulled over by a California Highway Patrol Officer. As the officer walked toward the car, the boy sped off and led the officer on a high-speed chase that led the cars through several red lights and reached speeds of up to 90 mph before the Nissan hit the wall.

The car accident threw the 14-year-old driver and his 11-year-old passenger from the car. They were declared dead at the scene. A 6-year-old passenger wearing a seat belt was transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center where he later died of his injuries.

Culver City Police Sergeant Killed in Los Angeles Head On Car Accident

For the second time in two days, a Southern California man was killed by a wrong-way driver on a California freeway.

This time, a Culver City Police sergeant died after his vehicle was struck by a wrong-way driver on the eastbound Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) in West Los Angeles when a wrong way driver hit his car head on. Both drivers died at the scene. The car accident happened just west of National Boulevard in the Palms area.

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Earlier in the week, a 60-year-old Palmdale man was killed when his car was struck head on by a Ford Explorer driven the wrong way along California 14.

The Jurewitz Law Group sends its' prayers and thoughts to Sgt. Curt Massey's family and friends in this difficult time.

Wrong-way driver head-on collisions on freeways are very rare, but usually end up as fatal car accidents. To have two in two days is alarming. Please take the time, care, and attention to always drive your vehicle carefully and to look out for the safety of others. Hopefully, these accidents will be an aberration.

San Miguel Woman Dies from Hit-and-Run Crash

Late Sunday night, San Miguel resident Monica Arryaga's car was stuck on the northbound onramp on Spring Street to Highway 101 in Paso Robles, California. Ms. Arryaga's car had been involved in an earlier car accident and was disabled.

While waiting for police officers to arrive to help her, Ms. Arryaga was hit by a Jeep. The driver of the Jeep escaped before police officers arrived on scene.

Ms. Arryaga was taken via ambulance to the hospital where she remained overnight before dying from her injuries Monday afternoon.

We here at the Jurewitz Law Group are saddened by Ms. Arryaga's death and hope that the law catches up with the driver who killed her.

San Diego: What You Need to Know About Buying Car Insurance

Times are tough in San Diego and those tough times are affecting drivers and their ability to purchase insurance.

Even in good times, drivers often try to save as much money as they can by buying cheap insurance. We have all seen the commercials. "Call our insurance brokerage and we'll get you the best price for insurance. We'll save you money!" However, policy price is only one factor that drivers should consider when buying insurance.

A second factor, and really the reason why you buy insurance, is to protect you and your family. Car insurance does that in two ways. First, the insurance policy protects you in the event that you are at fault and cause a car accident. This is called "third party coverage" because the injured person is not part of the insurance contract between with you and your insurance company. Third party coverage by law MUST include coverage for "bodily injury" claims, i.e., claims of physical injury, and property damage claims to pay for car repairs.

Under California law, all drivers must carry car insurance with limits of at least $15,000 bodily injury coverage per person, $30,000 bodily injury coverage per accident, and $5,000 property damage. These limits have been on the books for years and have not adjusted for inflation.

As you can imagine, these limits are not sufficient to pay for all but the most minor car accidents. With the cost of medical care today, it is very easy for medical treatment alone to exceed $15,000--let alone the compensation necessary to pay for pain and suffering or for lost earnings while the injured person recovers. And any significant auto body repair can easily exceed $5,000.

Needless to say, possessing a minimum car insurance policy doesn't do anyone much good.

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