San Francisco Wrongful Death Law Blog

Police continue to investigate possible causes of a car crash that happened earlier this week near Dana Point, California. The Dodge Stratus collided with a tree around 2:00 am, after the driver apparently lost control of the car. There were four people in the car at the time, and the driver is the only survivor.

According to the local sheriff's department, all of the people in the car were active duty marines serving at Camp Pendleton near San Diego. While the accident and causes are still under investigation, police believe that unsafe speed was a main factor. Depending on the results of the investigation, family members of the victims may be able to recover for wrongful death from the driver.

Last August, a 23-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed while in the crosswalk at Hartford and 18^th Streets. The driver of the San Francisco Municipal Railway bus that hit the woman has been charged with misdemeanor vehicular homicide in connection with her death.

The bus driver was making a left hand turn onto Hartford Street when the fatal pedestrian accident occurred. The driver had been on the job for only eight months before the crash. It was reported that he didn't even realize he had hit a pedestrian until another person started screaming. The victim had been texting while walking and did not see the bus coming toward her as she crossed the narrow street.

The tragic San Francisco, California pedestrian accident may have been avoidable had the bus driver received proper direction and training from the MUNI Railway system. The driver was not on his normal route and, according to his criminal defense attorney, was not properly advised as to where to travel and how to get there.