Tag Archives: Newport Beach personal injury lawyer

Cyclists Petition for Newport Beach Bicycle Friendly Roads

Cyclists across Newport Beach petitioned city officials to take immediate steps to make the roads safer for bicycles despite official reports that show a decline in bicycle-related fatalities. This petition came less than one week after the Newport Beach cyclist death of Debra Deem at a Bicycle Master Plan Oversight Committee meeting.

At the meeting on Tuesday some of those gathered wore black T-shirts commemorating last year’s memorial ride held after cycling accidents took the lives of Sarah Leaf on Sept. 14 and Catherine Campion-Ritz on Sept. 15. Lt. Jeff Lu told informed them that the death of Deem in a collision with a minivan Aug. 28 is still under investigation.

Newport Beach officials stated that within the first six months of this year bicycle-involved incidents dropped 6 percent to 62 from 66 in 2012. But several frustrated attendees at the meeting asked for new signage and striping at select Pacific Coast Highway intersections in hopes that the numbers would continue to decline.  MacArthur Boulevard, Newport Coast Drive, Jamboree Road and Dover Drive were a few of the intersections mentioned.

Adding bike markings is an issue that’s been raised in the past, said cyclist Ron Wortman. But not all fall under city control. Some roadways are controlled by Caltrans.

“Who at Caltrans is unresponsive?” he asked. “This is really serious.”

Others concerned attendees criticized aggressive drivers who fail to accommodate cyclists. “I literally had someone right behind me blaring their horn,” said Stacy Kline, who serves on the board of Orange County Wheelmen, a recreational cycling group.

“Sharrows are golden,” cyclist Pete van Nuys said. “I don’t get the glares, and I don’t get the honks.”

He along with others credited the committee and officials for improvements, such as shared-pavement markings, sharrows, which were painted on some roadways last years. The results have been spectacular as motorists are now noticing.

A proposed bicycle master plan is underway that will take the committee approximately 12 months to produce.  The plan according to consultants could be compromised of these four key components: education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation.

Education could include outreach to children and adults, traffic safety campaigns and public service announcements; encouragement could mean new signage, fun rides and commuter incentives; enforcement could bring stepped up speed limit monitoring and bike patrols.

If you or someone you know was injured on the street while riding your bicycle, speak with a Newport Beach bike accident lawyer today.

Newport Harbor Boat Crash Injures 4

A boating collision in Newport Harbor left four people injured and two vessels damaged, Sunday evening.

At approximately 8:20 p.m., sheriff officials were called to respond to the accident that happened near the Newport Harbor entrance.

Officials arrived to the scene and found that two boats had crashed in the harbor and as a result people were thrown overboard and injured. After further investigation, it was determined that both vessels had been traveling at high speeds in the five mile per hour zone prior to the wreck.

Lt. Lloyd Downing of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department told reporters that officials are investigating further details of the events that lead to the Newport Beach boat crash and whether any of the people piloting the boats were intoxicated.

Aboard the two boats, a 22-foot Whaler and a 27-foot Rayson, were seven people. The boats were heading towards each other and when they tried to escape the crash, it was too late. The boats were wrecked and had to be pulled from the harbor with a crane.

The sheriff’s Harbor Patrol responded to the accident and was able to account for all seven passengers, including the three women and one man that were thrown overboard at the time of Orange County high-speed boat collision.

Lt. Mike Janson of the Harbor Patrol told reporters that one person that was tossed into the water had facial cuts and complained of knee and forearm pain. Emergency personnel tended to those who were injured and all four people were hospitalized. Further information regarding their injuries has not been made public.

Aside from speeding, there are many common factors that may have contributed to the boating crash. Distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and breaking waterway laws are contributing factors of waterway collisions, which can cause serious damage to people and their property.

It has been our experience, here at Dara Khajavi Law Offices that in the event of a boat accident occurring at high speeds, the people riding the boat tend to incur more serious injuries on average than those who crash at lower velocities.

No matter how bad your Orange County boating accident is, give us a call before you contact an insurance company and file a claim. Call us at (877) 782-3777 for more information. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your convenience and offer FREE consultations. We would like to hear about your case and let you know how we can assist you.