Police in Redding, California, say that a drunk driver is responsible for causing a tragic accident that injured himself and another passenger and left another man dead. According to reports from KRCR 7 News, the accident occurred at 10:20 PM on Juniper Knoll Road, just east of Macdoel.

Reports from the California Highway Patrol troopers who responded to the crash scene say that the driver of a 1995 Hyundai sedan was under the influence of alcohol when he lost control and rolled the vehicle several times.

A passenger in the backseat was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. He died at the scene of the crash. The driver and another passenger in the front seat were both wearing seatbelts and only suffered minor injuries.

The driver has been charged with driving under the influence and causing injury to another person.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that alcohol continues to be a lead contributing factor in fatal highway accidents nationwide, especially among young people. They say roughly one third of drivers between 15 and 20 years old who were involved in fatal accidents had been drinking.

The Northern California DUI Injury Lawyers with Berg Injury Lawyers ask that motorists do their part to keep everyone on the highway safe by not drinking and driving. Also, make sure that yourself, and all other passengers in the car, are buckled up before you begin driving.

A 65-year-old man from San Jose, California, died last Friday afternoon after falling while trimming a tree on his property. According to reports from NBC Bay Area News, the accident happened at around 3:30 PM at a home the man rented on the 1700 block of Hillmont Avenue.

Reports from the San Jose police department indicate that the man was working alone in the yard of the home when he slipped off of a ladder he was climbing and fell to the ground. Residents of the home immediately offered assistance by calling police and rescue crews. Twenty minutes later, the man was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) estimates that falls from ladders and stairways are responsible for as many as 24,882 accidents resulting in injuries per year in this country. They continue by saying that as many as 36 of these accidents per year are fatal.

High elevations, sharp tools, and falling debris all contribute to tree trimming being one of the most dangerous occupations one can undertake.

This is why the California slip and fall accident attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers suggest hiring a professional and licensed tree trimmer to do the work for you when it’s time to cut your trees. If you do the work yourself, make sure you have all the appropriate safety gear and always follow proper safety precautions.

A bay-area contracting company is in trouble after an on-the-job fatality this past Saturday uncovered numerous building code violations. According to reports from The Oakland Tribune, a 39-year-old carpenter died after a trench he was working in at the work site collapsed and buried him alive.

Three days prior to the accident, construction inspectors issued a cease work order to the contractors on the site of a new home being built in Milpitas, California, because of failure to apply for a permit to dig a trench more than five feet deep. Besides the lack of a permit, the walls to the trench were not properly shored up.

The contracting company ignored the order and put workers back on the job anyway. Within hours the walls of the trench gave way, and the body of the worker was recovered several hours later.

In the days following the accident, the Contractors State License Board has discovered that the company also falsified paperwork in 2008 regarding workers’ compensation insurance, claiming they had no employees. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said that the contracting company may face both civil and criminal charges for failing to heed the cease work orders.

The California wrongful death attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers may be able to help if a loved was killed on a job site accident at no fault of their own. Contact an experienced attorney today to get the help you need.

We have all experienced road rage at some point in time. What drivers don’t often realize is just how dangerous these careless actions can be.

Take for instance the fatal crash that occurred on I-80 near Richmond, California, last Wednesday morning. Reports on the accident from NBC-Bay Area News claim the driver who was killed “brake checked” the person behind him just before rolling his vehicle.

The accident happened in the westbound lanes of the highway at around 5:30 in the morning, near the exit for Carlson Boulevard. It was still dark when investigators say they believe the driver of a minivan made an unsafe lane change in an effort to get around a GMC pickup truck. The van passed the truck and then immediately cut in front of it. The van’s driver then firmly tapped his breaks, causing himself to lose control of the vehicle. The van screeched off the highway and collided with a barrier wall before rolling several times across the pavement. The minivan’s driver was killed instantly.

California highway patrol officers said that road rage accidents are completely avoidable when motorists drive responsibly.

The Bay Area Car Accident Lawyers with Berg Injury Lawyers suggest slower traffic keeping to the right and allowing other vehicles at least three car lengths of following space. They believe that following theses tips will greatly decrease your chances of getting into a dangerous road rage situation.

The state of California has created a database of information that has offered residents a way to monitor which doctors in the state have been reprimanded for crimes or malpractice. The database was created in order to make information about doctors who do not properly care for patients public knowledge so that others are not hurt by their mistakes.

The database can be accessed by anyone via the Medical Board of California website and can show users information regarding a doctors educational history, license information, and public records of any complaints or charges filed against the individual doctor.

Doctors are searchable by name and license number and type. If you are having trouble finding your doctor in the system, it could be good or a bad. Doctors who have not ever been disciplined are not listed in the system; however, the database in only current through 2010, so if action has been taken against the doctor in recent years, it will not be listed either.

A quick search of the city of Alameda, California, turned up the names of nine doctors who had been disciplined as far back as eighteen years ago, and as recently as two. Several were for notices to surrender a license, while another showed information regarding a $2,000,000 medical malpractice lawsuit.

The California medical malpractice attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers would encourage all California residents to check their doctor’s names against the system to ensure the person you get your medical advice from has not made a costly, and sometimes fatal, mistake in the past.

High-speed vehicle pursuits down the highway gets our adrenaline pumping in the movies. But what if you found yourself to be the helpless bystander of a real car chase during your daily commute? This happens almost on a daily basis across California, and observations have shown that most motorists don’t know what to do.

An article in The Sacramento Bee described a chase that occurred several weeks ago along California’s Highway 99. News footage shows that as the chase progresses, the cars around the chase acted as if nothing was happening. They stayed at the same speed and made no efforts to get out of the way.

California Highway Patrol (CHP) says that one reason this occurs is that drivers don’t scan their mirrors often enough. They suggest that motorists check all of their mirrors every 15-20 seconds.

If you find yourself in the middle of a high-speed pursuit, CHP Trooper Mike Bradley stated that you should not slow down, but turn on your right blinker and work your way over to the shoulder of the highway. If you see a crime scene ahead, pull over and stop well behind officer vehicles.

The California auto accident attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers fight for victims who have been injured in accidents and support community safety campaigns throughout the year in order to prevent accidents. If you are the victim of a car accident, contact an experienced attorney today.

From the moment a child first peddles their bike down the driveway for the first time, it is vital to begin teaching them the importance of wearing a helmet and following safety rules. Unfortunately, not all children are taught these lessons early on. That is why, according to CBS-San Francisco News, the San Jose Department of Transportation and the Franklin-McKinley school district have partnered in a new campaign.

The pair has joined forces to give away approximately 2,500 bicycle helmets to children within the school district. A spokesman for the groups and associate transportation specialist with the City of San Jose, Devin Gianchandani, said the helmets were made possible by a $55,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.  He added that the children would receive a helmet along with, “Pedestrian-bicycle safety education through the city’s nationally recognized street smart program.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that every year, approximately 1,000 die in bicycle-related accidents. Of those accident victims, 62 percent suffered from a traumatic head injury. The agency states that the most effective way to prevent such injuries is to wear a helmet.

The California brain injury attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers understand that traumatic brain injuries can have a full spectrum of effects on a victim. Founding Attorney William Berg recently discussed how and why diagnosing brain injuries can be difficult and what steps to take in a recent news interview.

California state law has undergone several changes that took effect with the ringing in of the New Year. The Sacramento Bee reported earlier today that the state’s tougher penalties on drinking and driving infractions and new standards for child safety seats while riding in motor vehicles began being enforced by police and troopers statewide yesterday.

Repeat Driving-Under-the-Influence (DUI) offenders will now face a possible decade-long ban of driving privileges under the new legislation. Now, judges will be able to sentence those who have been convicted of drunk driving three times or more in the past 10 years to a license revocation that will last a decade as well.

A state representative backed the law after hearing the story of two California highway patrol troopers who arrested a man for driving under the influence. The troopers discovered the man had been convicted of the crime eight times prior, but had always managed to get his license back.

Another important change to state law that took effect yesterday is in regards to child safety seats. Now, all children eight-years-old or younger must be in an approved child-restraining safety seat. For the past year, the safety seat law has been for all children six-years-old or younger, or 60 pounds or less. The only exception to the new rules of all children under eight is if they are 4’9” or taller.

The California auto accident attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers ask that motorists keep it safe on the highway by following all state guidelines, both new and old.

In recent years, the holidays have become an increasingly dangerous time of year for driving in California. According to The Los Angeles Times, six people died on California highways over this past holiday weekend, and the California Highway Patrol made 889 suspected drunken driving arrests.

The California drunk driving victim attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers are sponsoring a campaign in order to help combat the growing number of drunk drivers during the holidays. The firm will be offering free cab rides home to those who have been drinking on New Years Eve.

This will be the seventh year that the law firm has sponsored the Safe And Sober Cab Ride program, which offers a maximum $35 cab fair home to anyone needing a ride. The rides are provided only to a person’s residence, not to another drinking location. The cabs will be running from 10:00 PM Saturday, December 31 to 4:00 AM Sunday, January 1.

Call one of the following cab companies and tell them your ride home is on Berg Injury Lawyers:

• Sacramento – Call Yellow Cab Company of Sacramento at (916) 444-2222. Patrons must be picked up at a restaurant, hotel, or bar within downtown Sacramento to qualify for a free ride.

• Alameda, Oakland & Berkeley — Call Veterans Cab at (800) 281‐4488. Any fare exceeding $35 must be paid in cash.

• San Francisco — Call Luxor Cab at (415) 282‐4141. 

A 19-year-old woman from Sacramento, California, who escaped from the home of her adoptive mother where she was held against her will and tortured, has filed a claim for damages against the Sacramento County Child Protective Services and the Sacramento City Unified School District. According to The Sacramento Bee, the claim alleges that several employees of the agency and school district failed to protect the girl against the suspected abuse.

The girl was born addicted to cocaine because of her birth mother’s drug abuse problems, and she suffered beatings, burnings, and solitary confinement later in life by her adoptive mother. And yet, authority figures from teachers to case workers have been documented at their own hand as doing nothing to stop it.

One key factor may hold the case back. California State law requires a personal injury case to be filed within six months of the injury, with very few exceptions. The abuse in this case ended around two years ago, which may keep the case out of the courtroom. Prosecutors allege the woman suffered from a mental illness from the abuse know as Stockholm Syndrome, which held her back from filing the claim.

That’s why the California Personal Injury Attorneys with Berg Injury Lawyers say it is important to file your claim as soon as you can after an accident occurs. If you have questions regarding a claim you need to file, we have answers.