Apollo and General News

Many of you may not be aware that back in the 90’s, when $200 million dollars was a lot of money, congress caved to special interests and capped damages in train accidents no matter how many people were killed, to $200 million dollars. At least one Chatsworth train crash lawyer is speaking out and challenging this law.

Ever since the September 12, 2008 Chatsworth train crash, public transportation attorney, Michael Ehline, has been questioning the constitutional validity and fairness of the $200,000,000 single train crash damages cap ever since the Metrolink spokeswoman accepted fault.

After all says Ehline, “this was the deadliest train crash in Metrolink’s short history”. Readers will recall that this federal damages cap was passed into law back in the 90’s and there has never been any consideration as to inflation, or costs of living increases.

Ehline said that: “All this does is give train companies a chance to weight whether or not to spend the money to make things safe, or rest comforted and assured that if they do nothing, all they have to pay is $200 million dollars, no matter how many people are killed”

And since this recent Chatsworth train crash will likely be the costliest and deadliest and most avoidable train crash in recent memory, Ehline said he will challenge legality of a $200 million cap Congress imposed on a railroad’s liability for single train collisions.

Metrolink accident lawyers representing victims and families alleging negligence in the Chatsworth Metrolink crash are warning that the general, special and punitive damagesarising from this current crash, will more likely than not, exhaust the small pittance of $200 million dollars.

This is especially true when considering that many people aboard the train were professionals who lived in the Valley with incomes that exceeded six figures. This means those well to do people who suffered wrongful death could have come close to or exceeded that figure over their lifetimes in expected contributions to their families left behind.

Typical awards for wrongful death and catastrophic injuries would include economic support of the decedents. Ehlne believes that this may be one instance in which greedy insurance companies and special interest bought and paid for congressmen and senators will have to reverse themselves in the face of the public outcry in the avoidable Chatsworth train crash of September 12, 2008. “It may be the only time in U.S. history where a damages cap would be increased, or at least be made to conform with the costs of living and inflation, unlike medical malpractice damages caps which make it much easier for unscrupulous doctors to get away with malpractice today” Ehline said.

In all events, a constitutional challenge to the damages cap will be likely challenged.

Recent statistics are showing that motorcycle accidents resulting in brain injuries are on the rise in Orange County cities like Anaheim, and LA cities like Santa Monica. With the recent increase in gasoline prices, many people are deciding to commute via motorcycle instead of automobiles, SUV’s or trucks.

Orange County and Los Angeles Motorcycle Accident Attorneys are finding they are receiving an increasing number of calls for information on motorcycle accidents and brain injury lawsuits. This may be because more motorcycles are on the roadways. It is a well-known fact that there is a substantial risk for brain injury when a collision with a car or truck and motorcycle is involved. Even though California has a mandatory helmet law, motorcycle riders are still experiencing head injuries and brain injuries when they are involved in an accident.

Any motorcycle accident carries with it the inherent risk of a fatal or traumatic brain injury resulting from an accident. Unfortunately, many of the fatalities will leave the family members in a state of confusion and grief. They may not know that they could be compensated for wrongful deaths caused by negligent drivers. There is always the option to contact an experienced Motorcycle Accident attorney for much needed advice and direction. Anaheim personal injury lawyers can be located in the phone book or can be found on the Internet and provide a much-needed service in Orange County or LA County.

Every year there are many people that are injured in motorcycle accidents that can leave the victim with amputated limbs or TBI’s. Spinal cord injuries are also common, leaving the victim in a state of life long paralysis. These accidents can lead to an unalterable lifestyle change for the victim and the family. Anaheim residents who ride motorcycles are really at the disadvantage when it comes collisions with other vehicles, they have little protection from impact and the size and weight of a car or truck. Even what would be a small fender bender for two automobiles could be a major cause of damage if a motorcycle is one of the vehicles involved.

Motorcycle riders are notoriously at risk of injury when riding a motorcycle. They have little bodily protection. A leather jacket and chaps may help stave off road rash but will be of absolutely no value against another vehicle or light pole, fence, concrete wall, etc. Broken limbs, severed spinal cords and damaged brains can leave devastation in more ways than the physical element. Untold emotional suffering may be the consequence for the duration of the victims’ life also. Seeking lifetime compensation might not help emotionally but will go a long way to relieve the costs of medical care and lost wages. Always seek out legal representation in these matters and always remember that any motorcycle accident carries with it the inherent risk of a fatal or traumatic brain injury resulting from an accident.

August 8, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by Los Angeles car accident attorneys, a woman who has now been identified by the Coroner’s Office as Molly Kate Lamers-Wolfgang age 34 a resident of Manhattan Beach who was reported missing was found in her car after an apparent accident.

While the accident is still under investigation by the California Highway Patrol it is known that Lamers-Wolfgang was driving to her families Lake Arrowhead home when she was reported missing.

The vehicle she was driving, a silver 2008 Lexus was found after California Highway Patrol officers found broken guardrails and vehicle debris including a license plate on Wednesday evening. Then they found the Lexus that had gone through the guardrail traveling approximately 800 feet below. The vicinity the vehicle and driver were found was Highway 18 in the area of Red Rock Wall and Rimforest in the San Bernardino Mountains. The area the broken guardrail was found is known as a scenic viewing area and also a turnaround point.

According to Sgt. Robert O’Brine of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, the area is not accessable by vehicle or foot. A medic was lowered by helicopter to the bottom of the cliff where the vehicle was resting and determined Lamer’s-Wolfgang was dead.

The rescue workers were airlifted to a point where they could hike to the vehicle, with the onset of darkness three rescue personel and a sheriff’s deputy stayed with the vehicle and Lamers-Wolfgang who had sustained fatal injuries. Thursday the body of Lamers-Wolfgang was recovered from the scene of the accident.

The California Highway Patrol also planned to airlift the vehicle up to continue their investigation. What they were able to access was that the vehicle was traveling north in the vicinity of Lake Gregory Drive and the weather at the approximate time was clear.

The have also not ruled out foul play in the fatal accident and stated they will not have a cause for the accident until the investigation is completed according to California Highway Patrol Officer Gary Fernandez.

Officer Fernandez also stated that the vehicle was not visible and what gave them a crucial clue was the license plate that was found near the broken guardrail, helping them to identify the driver. The officer also stated that while it is early in the investigation there has been tire marks found on a stretch of the road leading to where the guardrails are located. The marks show that Lamers-Wolfgang was traveling around a curve and veered off her lane onto the shoulder where she went off the cliff.

Sgt. Fernandez also stated that the investigation is going to be very thorough and will include talking to friends and family that would have seen or spoken to the victim the days prior to the accident. 

 A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s helicopter spotted the broken guardrails and the vehicle. Rescue workers at the scene of the accident were aided by members of the U.S. Forest Service in the recovery of Lamers-Wolfgang’s body.  

Lamers-Wolfgang was reported missing Monday evening when she did not telephone her husband. Her husband Kurt Wolfgang filed a missing persons report with the Manhattan Beach Police Department and Wednesday hired a helicopter to search the mountains. The helicopter did not find anything according to Lamers – Wolfgang’s brother-in-law Andy Bark, he also stated the family has concerns that someone might have driven into her lane on the mountain road causing her to veer out of her lane.

 Bark also stated that Lamers-Wolfgang made the drive to the Lake Arrowhead home several times a week with her children and she was a stay at home mother that occasionally was employed as a massage therapist. 

Lamers- Wolfgang is survived by her children ages 4 and 11, her husband Kurt Wolfgang, father Micheal Lamers. She is also survived by siblings Megan Bark, Stacy and Devin Lamers, brothers Erik and David Lamers.

    In a rather bizarre story coming out of the bay area,  Terry Childs has been accused of locking out authorized network administrators from the system and has even apparently refused to give up passwords for the San Francisco online computer network he helped to construct

   It seems that he has pleaded not guilty to some 4 seperate criminal felony counts of coInjury lawyermputer network tampering plus 1 additional count of causing excessive loss which is reported to be in access of $200,000.

   Currently Childs bail is set at $5 million bucks and he is also supposed to go to another bail hearing next week. When Child’s current bail was set his lawyer on the case argued that the bail for those who do not cause any type of personal injury from a violent act ot acts is most often set at around $1 million dollars or so. This high bail total, which is virtually unpayable from a man in his financial position, may be because his crimes cuts to the bone of the whole municipal online network, which has the potential for a rather crippling effect. Of course it should be noted that the defendent in this case is innocent untill proven guilty beyond a resonable doubt….. Should you need a top drawer San Francisco Personal injury lawyer you should consider the law offices of Scott Righthand. He is absolutely one of the top personal injury attorney in the SF bay area and he additionally covers other nearby localities like Oakland, Santa Rosa, Mountain View, Sunnyvale and other portions of central California into the inland empire. Ha can give you a fast telephone consultation as well.

   According to the Department of Technology there are some sections of this somewhat vast and lumbering network which are still locked at the time of this writing. Some of the records which are located on this network include records and law enforcement documents and fully more than half of San Francisco’s traffic data. Wow that is a lot of important data indeed  Furthermore, Ron Vinson of the Dept. of Technology has said that they have control of the FiberWan network and are working with their forensics team to reclaim total access. He said that while Childs has not been laid off or perhaps fired as it were he does have the authority to fill his position while he is on administrative leave awaiting trial. It should be interesting to see exactly how this case unfolds and you can bet that cyber-security experts will be studying and monitoring this incident very closely for future procedural doctrine.

Well here is some more bay area criminal news for your digestion: In a police raid on Hells Angels locations including the Santa Rosa location of the Hells Angels that included the use of SWAT teams seeking evidence against two men accused of severely beating a man according to statements by Capt. Dave Sears.
The two men Jonathan Nelson from Healdsburg and Mark Anthony Guardado from San Francisco or San Jose are facing criminal charges which basically accuse them of acting in unison with a criminal street gang. If convicted this will obviously add additional time to their sentencing. In the evidence the authorities were seeking in the raid included information that the 2 individuals charged hold high profile positions within the Hells Angels and probably has great attorney representation.
Both of them have been charged with allegedly jumping a man and beating him to the extreme despite the fact that he had earlier lost consciousness. A savage crime indeed. This attack happened several months ago in the area around McNear’s Saloon & Dinning House in the Petaluma locale. By the way if you require a superb
San Jose Criminal Attorney then by all means take a look at the law offices of Ed Ajlouny. He is simply one of he best San Jose criminal attorney working and he also serves surrounding coomunities susch as as mountain View, San Francisco, Sunnyvale and Oakland.
Both men were again charged with allegedly beating the victim in March in the vicinity of Henny Penny’ Restaurant located at the on Petaluma Boulevard.
Both Nelson and Guardado have pleaded not guilty to both allegations according to records from the court. Each of the two have also file five million dollar lawsuits against Sonoma County after Superior Judge Ken Gnoss expelled them from the courtroom because of shirts they were wearing that had Hells Angels insignia on them. Judge Gnoss stated that the shirt insignias are intended to intimidate and threaten others.
During the San Francisco search by two FBI tactical teams Guardado was arrested for alleged drug possession according to statements by Capt. Sears.
Lately there has been a lot of high profile criminal news coming from San Francisco, San Jose and the surrounding area. For instance, a parolee recently pleaded Guilty to killing his instructor in Oakland. Troy Tyrone Thomas(that is touph sounding name for sure) is scheduled to be sentenced on September 5th to life without the possibility of parole.
Thomas, who by the way was on parole at the time of the killing has an extensive criminal history.

July 20th  (Patrice Garby)

 According California Highway Patrol reports, a Diamond Bar woman was killed Saturday morning in a fatal car crash on the Garden Grove Freeway.

 Reports state that the accident happened at 2:50 am Saturday morning and shut down the freeway until 5:55 am while investigations were underway.

 Bagum Muktar, 64, a resident of Diamond Bar, was a riding as a passenger in a 2004 Toyota Sequoia. Muktar’s daughter was driving on the eastbound side west of the Harbor Boulevard exit, when she as rear-ended by a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. The collision caused the Toyota to roll over several times before coming to a stop. California Highway Patrol reports show that there were seven other passengers in the Toyota at the time of the crash. The other passengers reportedly suffered minor injuries.

 The driver of the Malibu was an unidentified man at the time of the report. He reportedly fled the scene of the accident. As reported elsewhere, the police were able to locate and arrest the unidentified man for felony vehicular manslaughter, gross negligence, felony DUI and felony hit-and-run. The time of his arrest was at 1:50 p.m.

 The initial investigation was unable to state the speed of the Chevrolet at the time of the crash.  If you were injured in a car accident, or SUV rollover, contact Los Angeles SUV rollover lawyers now at 888-400-9721.

  An individuals who remains in jail with a quarter million dollar bail has been named as Darrell Tyrone Guice. He has been charged with robbing a home in Denver, Colorado, where he confronted the homeowner and forced her back into the house. Then he began to go through the belongings in the house, after which time he left the residence in the homeowners’ automobile. The charges that have been filed against Guice include kidnapping, first-degree burglary and grand theft auto, among others. This guy had better have a really good lawyer…… I live much of the year in San Francisco myself and have never seen anything quite like this. He is also a suspect in another home invasion which occurred around the end of May. There was a similar tactic used in this home invasion where the homeowner was a 57 year old woman. The thief left the home with some of the owner’s possessions. However, he has not been charged in this home invasion as of this date.This criminal in question further has a record as reported by the Colorado Bureau of Investigations that dates at least to 1990 when he was found guilty of aggravated robbery (which could have caused major personal injury)and given an 18 year sentence. He has also been arrested for possession of a weapon as an ex-offender. These are all criminal offenses that when a person is charged requires the retaining of an experienced San Francisco Personal Injury lawyer He is ideal if you live in San Francisco and need to obtain a superlative San Francisco Personal Injury Attorney, because they can lead to many years in prison if not represented by a criminal attorney who will build an expert case and fight aggressively in court for their client. Including filing appeals when it is necessary to prove their clients innocence’s or receive the best sentence possible for their client.

Although I live in several areas including Portland, Oregon, I would like to write a little bit about the law in the interesting and scenic community of Denver, also known as the Mile High City, is not immune from female juvenile offenders. According to Colorado Division of Criminal Justice (1994), there are 10 top offenses that female juveniles share in common with other nearby cities.  All of which may or may not need representation by experienced criminal defense lawyer.

  Property Crime ranked as the leading offense committed by young female juveniles.  According to the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice, it comes in as 28% of all the offenses committed by young girls.  The most common opportunity for young women to commit theft involves shoplifting.  Young girls are generally out going to the mall and shopping.  Some common female juvenile offenses in Denver also include runaways.  Sixteen percent of all offenses committed are runaway juvenile girls.  These young girls will runaway trying to escape abuse or violent home situations but also just because they are rebelling against parental authority. Young girls who offend Colorado liquor laws account for 8% of all offenses according to the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice (1994). The laws are stringent about selling or serving liquor to those under age but young girls can find willing older or young adults to purchase liquor for them. Many parent are also guilty of permitting their children to consume alcohol at home. They often do so to provide a safe environment for underage drinking. An adult can be held liable for any injuries that are incurred while serving liquor to those under age and also if there is an automobile accident as the result of drinking and driving after leaving the home where liquor was served.  In this case, the adult as well as the juvenile would need legal representation from experienced criminal defense lawyers. By the way If you know of a juvenile girl who has been picked up for one of these offenses, and you live in the Portland, Oregon community, you can knowledgeable for help and advice. competent Portland Criminal Defense lawyer may just make a lot of difference at this particular stage. The Portland criminal defense lawyer in question will help to make certain that you are given all of your precious constitutional rightsNext would be curfew breaking and loitering. 7.6 percent of those committing this offense are juvenile girls.  Not far behind are a disorderly conduct and vandalism. Aggravated assault and car theft finish off the list of common offenses committed by young female juveniles. 

Does Tatup need a Seattle lawyer? It looks as if he just might indeed. Lofa Tatupu of the Seattle Seahawks appeared in court for a May 10th stop for speeding and driving erratic at approximately 2:00 a.m. where he was later charged with driving under the influence.
According to reports approximately two hours after he was stopped he was given a breathalyzer test that reportedly was almost twice the legal limit of 0.08. By the way if you require a dedicated Seattle dui lawyer
then by all means take a look at the offices of Kirk C. Davis. Whether you need a criminal lawyer, an accident lawyer or a Seattle dui lawyer, Kirk can help you out. You may call him for a completely free consultation as well.
When appearing Tuesday June 17th in the Kirkland Muncipal Court in front of Judge Michael J. Lambo, the Seahawks linebacker, Tatupu did not speak and his lawyer Jon Fox entered the plea of not guilty to the judge for his client.
After the hearing his attorney stated that Tatupu would not be making any statements or taking any questions from reporters.
There was a tentative date set for a hearing July 7th for Tatupu to appear and the linebackers training camp for the Seahawks begins July 25th.
After his arrest Tatupu made a May 13th statement that was released by the team apologizing to family and teammates for his arrest as well as the Seahawk fans. He stated that he had used poor judgment and was disappointed as well as embarrassed.

There has been more headlines lately concerning the Hawaii Superferry program in the Hawaiian blogosphere plus other news outlets around the internet. Up untill recently their lawyer or perhaps spokesperson has been emphasising the fact that
it is not mandated that they wait for the environmental impact study (EIS) to conclude prio to resuming ferries to Mauai and the garden island of kauai. And it has already resumed going to the island of Maui from Oahu.
But these most recent reports have put a spotlight on certain issues pertaining to the Lobbyists who were hired by the Superferry firm.
Apparently the lobbyists in question approached the United States Congress not to mention the Dept. of Defense to to try to get assistence in bankrolling an auto ramp and as well as additional needed modifications.
The company reportedly (according to the Honolulu Advertiser online newspaper) paid Blank Rome Limited Liability firm, a rather sizeable entity, to try to secure the funding
via the National Defense Features program so as to fund the expenses to the 2nd catamaran being built on the Gulf Coast. This specific program evidentially covers the installation of militarily helpful features on public type ships should the owners be willing will make the ships available to the government when the situation calls for it.
By the way if you need a top drawer Hawaii medical malpractice lawyer then you may want to check out the Law offices of Jeff Crabtree. He is
based on oahu but also serves the outlying islands also he specializes in personal injury cases, motorcycle accidents, consumer Law and is a primary Hawaii medical malpractice lawyer firm as well. I have used his services myself for a consumer law case and i can tell you that I was more than happy with his work (he secured concessions without us having to go to court)
All in all, the Superferry could decide to upgrade the Alakai, which is now in passnger related service, with a vehicle ramp. This could allow it to transport the Stryker armored vehicles of the 25th Light infantry division based in Schofield barrack to
their training grounds on the largest island of Hawaii and so on.
The 2nd second superferry is due for delivery sometime early in the next year. The hawaii superferry ran into a considerable amount of controversy at the end of last summer when it attempted to initiate a route between the islands of
Oahu and Kauai. Surfers on kauai blocked it’s passageway in Nawiliwili harbor while a lawyer from Kauai and also at least one lawyer from the valley island of Mauai sought an injunction from a judge untill the environmental impact study was completed.
While the superferry has resumed it’s service to mauai it has not as yet resumed the route to kauai. Once concern was that it could interfere with the whale population in the area.