July 27, 2010 – OCEANSIDE — One person was killed Tuesday when a small plane crashed in a field not far from the Oceanside Municipal Airport.

The crash, which left the aircraft engulfed in flames, was reported about 11 a.m. at South El Camino Real and Vista Oceana, Oceanside police said.

The twin-engine plane had just taken off from the Oceanside airport when it experienced some kind of problem and crashed about one-third of a mile away, said Michael Drake, a spokesman with county Public Works Department.

Drake said two county employees were loading larvicide onto a helicopter at the east end of the runway when the plane took off.

“They saw the plane taking off and it sounded like it had an engine problem,” said Drake. “He barely cleared the trees.”

“The plane just flew over them. They said it appeared to be kind of circling back around and it went down in the ravine adjacent to the highway.”

The plane went down behind San Luis Rey Elementary school. No structures were in the immediate area. The crash site is south of state Route 76.

“It’s an open field,” said Oceanside police Lt. Leonard Mata. He said firefighters had the flames under control.

Federal Aviation Administration records show the plane, a twin-engine Beech 95-B55 built in 1968, is owned by Judd C. Edward of San Clemente. Authorities could not say who was piloting the craft.

Monday, July 26, 2010 at 6:02 a.m.

SAN DIEGO — A 15-year-old girl killed in a crash in Campo was identified Monday as Crystal Lopez of El Centro, officials with the Medical Examiner’s Office said.

Lopez was riding with her mother in a pickup on westbound Interstate 8 west of Crestwood Road about 10:05 a.m. Saturday when they heard a popping sound, investigators said.

The truck hit the center divide and turned over several times before landing upright. The girl, who was wearing a seat belt, died before she could be taken to a hospital.

The teen lived with her family in El Centro, the Medical Examiner’s Office said.  Our hearts go out to the friends and family of Crystal Lopez.

At the Gomez Law Firm, we have extensive experience representing the victims of auto defects, including roof crush, tire defects and rollovers.  If you or someone you love has been the victim of any defective product, call or write a personal injury attorney at the Gomez Law Firm today. ]]> http://injury.thegomezfirm.com/blog/2010/07/teen-killed-in-campo-crash-identified/feed/ 0 http://injury.thegomezfirm.com/blog/2010/07/two-reported-injured-in-i-5-crash/ http://injury.thegomezfirm.com/blog/2010/07/two-reported-injured-in-i-5-crash/#comments Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:38:25 +0000 jgomez http://injury.thegomezfirm.com/blog/?p=5038 By Debbi Baker, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Originally published July 6, 2010 at 10:47 a.m., updated July 6, 2010 at 11:20 a.m.

SAN DIEGO — Two active-duty service members suffered major injuries Monday afternoon and one had both legs amputated after a high-speed crash that may have involved racing.

The men were in a red Ford Mustang that was heading south on Interstate 5 about 2 p.m. when the driver abruptly changed lanes at the transition road to state Route 94, said California Highway Patrol officer Ken Jackman.

The car went into a skid and the driver’s side door slammed into a metal guard rail and the car overturned. Both men were ejected and the driver’s legs were both severed below the knee, Jackman said.

The crash demolished the car, bending it into a U-shape, its floorboard pushed up so high that it left the driver’s seat completely outside of the vehicle on top of the car’s undercarriage, Jackman said. The passenger was wearing a seat belt, but investigators do not know if the driver was belted in because the damage to the car was so severe, Jackman said.

Several people stopped and tried to help the victims, identified only as an 18-year-old from Tennessee who was driving and a 19-year-old from Texas.

One man applied a tourniquet to the man with the severed legs, Jackman said. The other victim suffered deep cuts to his face. Friends who gathered at Scripps Mercy Hospital, where the men were taken, told KGTV-Channel 10 that both are in the Navy. Jackman said he did not know where they were stationed.

Jackman said the investigation is still in the preliminary stages. Investigators are not prepared to say that racing was a factor, but at least one witness told officers that one and possibly two other vehicles were seen speeding in the area at the time, Jackman said.

Alcohol was not a factor, Jackman said.

The driver does not currently face charges, but that could change as the investigation progresses, Jackman said. Based on the skid marks and damage to the car, officers estimated it was traveling anywhere between 60 and 90 mph. If officers determined that others were involved in a race with the Mustang, they could also face charges, Jackman said.

The state Route 94 transition road as well as two lanes of I-5 were shut down for several hours as authorities investigated the crash and crews cleared away the wreckage.

The names of the injured men have not been released.

The driver, who was a resident of Cardiff , was the sole occupant of a black 1997 Infiniti QX4 SUV traveling north on Interstate 5 near Gilman Drive around 11:48 p.m. when for unknown reasons she hit the median, the county Medical Examiner’s Office said.

Her SUV then crossed back into the traffic lanes, where it rolled and was struck by a white Ford Focus, which then veered off the freeway and struck a tree. The Infinity flipped and came to rest upside down in the traffic lanes.

The Infinity’s driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Ford with taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.

The dead woman’s name was not released pending the notification of her family.

After the accident, the northbound lanes of I-5 were closed and traffic was diverted to state Route 52. The lanes were reopened around 3:30 a.m.

The woman, who was in her 30s, was driving a Pontiac Firebird west on Paradise Valley Road near South Meadowbrook Drive in Bay Terraces when she drove off the road, police said.

The driver suffered minor injuries and was being held for observation, said police Sgt. Ray Battrick. Charges against her are pending, he said.

A man riding in the car was taken to the hospital with major head injuries and a female passenger suffered minor injuries, police said.

Only products with the letters “KN” following the Better If Used Before Date are included in the recall. Products with a “KM” designation are NOT included in the recall. In addition, no products in Canada are affected.

Kellogg’s® Apple Jacks®

• UPC 3800039136 1: 17 ounce package with Better if Used Before Dates between APR 10 2011 and JUN 22 2011
• UPC 3800039132 3: 8.7 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between JUN 03 2011 and JUN 22 2011

Kellogg’s® Corn Pops®

• UPC 3800039109 5: 12.5 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between MAR 26 2011 and JUN 22 2011
• UPC 3800039111 8: 17.2 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between MAR 26 2011 and JUN 22 2011
• UPC 3800039116 3: 9.2 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between APR 05 2011 and JUN 22 2011

Kellogg’s® Froot Loops®

• UPC 3800039118 7: 12.2 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between MAR 26 2011 and JUN 22 2011
• UPC 3800039120 0: 17 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between MAR 26 2011 and JUN 22 2011
• UPC 3800039125 5: 8.7 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between MAR 26 2011 and JUN 22 2011

Kellogg’s® Honey Smacks®

• UPC 3800039103 3: 15.3 ounce packages with Better if Used Before Dates between MAR 26 2011 and JUN 22 2011

While the potential for serious health problems is low, some consumers are sensitive to the uncharacteristic off-flavor and smell and should not eat the recalled products because of possible temporary symptoms, including nausea and diarrhea.

No other Kellogg’s products are part of this recall. The recalled products were distributed nationwide.

Shirley Boles, 71, of Walton Beach, Florida, sued Merck in 2006, claiming she suffered dental and jaw problems because she took Fosamax from 1997 to 2006.

“Today’s verdict is just the first step, but it’s important because the jury found that Merck defectively designed the drug,” Boles’s attorney Tim O’Brien said in a statement.

Merck said in a statement that it would challenge the verdict.

A month-long trial in Manhattan federal court in August and September last year was Merck’s first out of some 1,280 plaintiff groups involving almost 900 U.S. lawsuits by patients who claim Fosamax caused the condition known as osteonecrosis of the jaw, or death of jawbone tissue.

The second trial that began on June 7 before U.S. District Judge John Keenan ended on Friday with a verdict in favor of Boles that the company said was contrary to the evidence presented at trial.

“Both the finding and the amount of the compensatory damages are against the weight of the evidence,” Bruce Kuhlik, executive vice president and general counsel said in a statement. “We believe the evidence showed that FOSAMAX did not cause the plaintiff’s injury and that it is a safe and effective medication that was properly designed.”

The statement cited another verdict before the same court in May in favor of the company.

The recall notification is being issued out of an abundance of caution based on a random sample test conducted by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture Food & Drug Protection Division (NCAGR) on fresh Spinachwith the Best Enjoyed By dates of 23 JUN 10 sold under the brand name Krisp-Pak that was confirmed positive for Listeria monocytogenes in NCAGR labs.

Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria M. infection can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail, or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. It can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. Consumers with any of these symptoms should consult their health care provider.

Because it is still possible that the spinach with the Best Enjoyed By dates of 19 JUN 10 through 27 JUN 10 sold under the brand names Krisp-Pak, Lancaster Fresh, Giant or America’s Coice could be on store shelves, this recall extends to retailers as well as consumers. Lancaster Foods, LLC believes that it is important to alert consumers who might still possess one of the potentially affected expired packages of spinach to immediately dispose of it.

Spinach included in the recall notification includes the items listed in the table below with Best Enjoyed By dates of 19 JUN 10 through 27 JUN 10.

Complete Listing of Recalled Lancaster Foods, LLC spinach packed under the Krisp-Pac, Lancaster Fresh, Giant, and America’s Choice brands, Use-by Dates and Product Codes.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product, contact the Defective Product lawyers of the Gomez Law Firm today.

In researching incident reports from the past 20 years, CPSC identified and is investigating at least 14 deaths associated with sling-style infant carriers, including three in 2009. Twelve of the deaths involved babies younger than four months of age.

Slings can pose two different types of suffocation hazards to babies. In the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles. The sling’s fabric can press against an infant’s nose and mouth, blocking the baby’s breathing and rapidly suffocating a baby within a minute or two. Additionally, where a sling keeps the infant in a curled position bending the chin toward the chest, the airways can be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply. The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate.

Many of the babies who died in slings were either a low birth weight twin, were born prematurely, or had breathing issues such as a cold. Therefore, CPSC urges parents of preemies, twins, babies in fragile health and those with low weight to use extra care and consult their pediatricians about using slings.

Two months ago, the Commission added slings to the list of durable infant products that require a mandatory standard. Additionally, CPSC staff is actively investigating these products to determine what additional action may be appropriate. Until a mandatory standard is developed, CPSC is working with ASTM International to quickly complete an effective voluntary standard for infant sling carriers.

CPSC recommends that parents and caregivers make sure the infant’s face is not covered and is visible at all times to the sling’s wearer. If nursing the baby in a sling, change the baby’s position after feeding so the baby’s head is facing up and is clear of the sling and the mother’s body. Parents and caregivers should be vigilant about frequently checking their baby in a sling.

March 10, 2010 –

The labels that list the trailer’s gross axle weight ratings, tire information, and cargo carrying capacity may be incorrect.  Tire blowout may happen without warning causing a crash possibly resulting in property damage, personal injury, or death.

At the Gomez Law Firm, we have extensive experience representing the victims of auto defects, including roof crush, tire defects and rollovers.  If you or someone you love has been the victim of any defective product, call or write a personal injury attorney  at the Gomez Law Firm today.