A young woman who was fatally injured in a car accident in Orange County the morning of September 18, 2011, has been identified by officials as Taylor Sams, 18. The Orange County Register reports that the fatal rollover accident happened on the 241 toll road near Portola Parkway in Lake Forest. CHP officials say Sams was a passenger in a 2000 Toyota Tacoma that was southbound on the toll road. The driver lost control of the pickup. He later told officials that they were driving from Los Angeles and that he had become tired. Sams was partially ejected from the pickup. Officials say both Sams and the driver were buckled up at the time of the crash.

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An elderly woman who was fatally injured in a car accident in Riverside has been identified as Maria Gonzalez. City News Service reports that the fatal crash occurred the afternoon of August 7, 2011 on the 60 Freeway in Glen Avon. California Highway Patrol officials say the 2000 Ford SUV in which Gonzalez was a passenger lost its right rear tire tread and went out of control, crashing into a concrete wall. Gonzalez died at the scene while two other female passengers sustained injuries. The extent of their injuries is not known. An investigation is ongoing.

I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Maria Gonzalez. I also wish the injured victims the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep them in your prayers.

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Two California residents, Shawna Geraldine Zamora, 27 and her daughter, 9-year-old Lillyana Zamora, were fatally injured in a Ford SUV rollover accident in South Carolina. According to a news report, Zamora was driving a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport on Interstate 85 in South Carolina when she lost control of the SUV, which rolled over. Both Zamora and her daughter were thrown off the vehicle as it overturned and both were killed. Three others, including two children, were also injured but the nature and extent of their injuries is not known.

I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Shawna Zamora and Lillyana. This grieving family will certainly be in my thoughts and prayers.

Accident Statistics

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 10,000 people are killed in rollover car accidents in the United States. That number accounts for nearly 25 percent of all fatal car accidents in the country. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety estimates that more than half of SUV occupants who were killed in traffic collisions in 2008 were involved in rollover accidents.

Auto Product Liability Issues

It is not clear from this news report what caused Zamora to lose control of the Ford SUV. While it is possible that this may have been due to driver error, it is also important to note that Ford SUVs, especially the Explorer Sport model from the early 2000s, are notorious for their instability. In this particular case, Zamora and her daughter were ejected. If I were a member of the Zamora family, I would also want to find out if they were ejected due to defective seatbelts.

It would be in the best interests of victims' families in such cases to preserve the vehicle involved in its current state, unaltered, so it can be carefully examined by an expert for design flaws, product defects, malfunctions and other evidence. Families in such cases would also be well-advised to seek the counsel of an experienced auto products liability lawyer, who will analyze all aspects of the incident and ensure that the family's rights are protected.

Lost a family member in a California car accident? Want to know your rights? Want to know what your case is worth? Want compensation? Want justice? Want to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen to another family?

Call your best friends in the legal industry after a fatal rollover car accident. Call 800-816-4779. The call is free. The advice may be priceless.

Call a BISNAR | CHASE California wrongful death lawyer for a free professional evaluation of your rights by attorneys who have been representing families of deceased accident victims since 1978. You will experience award winning representation and outstanding personal service by a compassionate and understanding law firm in a comfortable environment.

Two students, who were part of a Fresno high school basketball team, identified as Ben Ross and Davante McPeters, sustained major injuries in a van rollover accident the morning of December 2, 2010. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the injury car accident happened on the Highway 152 near Carlucci when the high school's assistant coach, Michael McDonald, who was driving the van, fell asleep at the wheel. The van went out of control, rolled over and crashed into a pole. Ross and McPeters sustained the most severe injuries while four others sustained relatively minor injuries. An investigation is ongoing. Read full story »

A rollover accident involving a 15-passenger van resulted in four fatalities the evening of October 3, 2010. Associated Press identifies the fatally injured victims, all members of a church group, as Apostle Ronmyka D. Williams, the 35-year-old pastor, 20-year-old Jennifer Walton, 19-year-old Cameron Freeman and 13-year-old Jasmin Shelly. Officials say that the fatal crash occurred when a 1987 Dodge Ram Wagon van driven by 29-year-old Kenasha Seldon blew a rear tire and spun out of control on U.S. 27 close to Blakely. The 15-passenger van rolled over several times. All the occupants were ejected. Although the van could hold only 15 people, there were a total of 19 people in that van. Read full story »

An SUV rollover accident the night of August 30, 2010 resulted in the death of an elderly passenger. The San Bernardino County Sun reports that the fatal crash occurred on the 40 Freeway near Kelbaker Road in the city of Ludlow. California Highway Patrol officials believe that the driver of the SUV lost control of the vehicle after the tread separated on one of the rear tires. The SUV rolled over multiple times. One passenger died while five others were hospitalized with injuries. Read full story »

A 4-year-old boy who was killed in a Ventura car accident has been identified as Bernardino Rincon. The car accident was apparently caused by an elderly driver the morning of November 30, 2009, according to a news report in the Ventura County Star. The fatal car accident occurred on Santa Rosa Road when 84-year-old Richard Levens struck two other cars stopped at a light and then hit the Rincon family's minivan. The van left the roadway, struck a tree and rolled over on an embankment. Bernardino was ejected from the vehicle and pinned under the van. He was pronounced dead soon after the accident in an area hospital.
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Omead Afshar, 23, and Melissa Lynch, 24, suffered serious injuries in a Ventura car accident. The Ventura County Star reports that the major injury car accident occurred on November 21, 2009 after Afshar, who was driving, lost control of the car and crashed into the median on Westlake Boulevard. Afshar and Lynch were trapped in the car and sustained major injuries. Both were taken to a local hospital after being rescued from the vehicle by emergency personnel.
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Five vehicles were involved in an Orange County car accident, which officials say, was caused by tire tread from a large truck, that was dropped on the roadway. The Orange County Register reports that the multi-vehicle crash happened on the 57 northbound near Imperial Highway in Brea, California, the morning of November 17, 2009. California Highway Patrol officials said no serious injuries were reported in this crash. The car accident involved a Mercedes Benz driven by 18-year-old Francisco Linares, a Nissan Altima, an Acura, Ford Explorer SUV and a Ford F-250 pickup truck.
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A boy who died in a November 11, 2009 San Francisco car accident has been identified by authorities as 7-year-old Mark Thomas. The rollover crash happened after a Ford Explorer SUV blew its left rear tire. The driver, Mark's 22-year-old sister Jewel Mims, lost control of the SUV, which veered off the roadway and overturned landing on its side. Mark, who was in the cargo area of the SUV, was not wearing a seatbelt and was partially ejected, California Highway Patrol officials said. He died of major head trauma. Others in the SUV sustained injuries as well, but they were not life-threatening.
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