Two Vehicle Crash on State Route 118 Ends in Serious Injury

I’m Ed Smith, a Ventura car accident lawyer. A two-vehicle crash at Simi Valley along California State Route 118 left one man critically injured and resulted in the arrest of both drivers, who are under suspicion of DUI.

Accident Details

The crash, which resulted in a head-on collision, happened at about 2:00 in the morning on Tuesday, July 4, according to a representative of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). One of the vehicles, driven by a 32-year-old Pacoima man, was driving along Highway 118 near Kuehner Drive when his vehicle collided with a vehicle being driven by a 25-year-old female also from Pacoima. The woman had been driving in the wrong direction along the highway’s eastbound lanes.

One Victim Hospitalized

The 32-year-old man suffered severe injuries and was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. He had to be extricated from his vehicle by emergency personnel, which took around 20 minutes. The 25-year-old female driver suffered only minor injuries. After being treated at a local hospital in Simi Valley, authorities booked her into the Ventura County jail under the suspicion of driving drunk that resulted in injury, an offense that is considered a felony.

Aftermath of the Accident

Three out of four lanes of the highway remained closed for around two hours as a result of the crash. This was due to the investigation conducted by the CHP into the cause and while the area was cleared.

Incidence of Drunk Driving Injuries and Deaths in Simi Valley

In 2014, Simi Valley was the site of a total of 554 injuries and deaths due to accidents as reported by the California Office of Traffic Safety. There were 310 arrests made for drunk driving. Countywide, alcohol consumption was determined to be a factor in 367 of the injuries and deaths that occurred that year as a result of accidents.

Drunk Driving Nationwide

Drunk driving is a serious problem in the United States and accounted for almost one-third of the accidents around the country that resulted in death in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That same year, 1.1 million drunk or drugged drivers were arrested. That means these persons exhibited a blood alcohol level of at least 0.08 percent while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

Fault in an Accident Caused by a Drunk Driver

Motorists are expected to obey laws and not drive in a way that may endanger others. Those who drive drunk have been proven to have a slower reaction time, have depth perception that is impaired and have an impaired ability to think and respond. It is the responsibility of the person injured by the drunk driver to prove the following in a civil claim:

The driver was legally required to drive safely and obey the law.
The driver failed in his/her duty of care toward others by not acting as other responsible persons would.
It was this failure of care that caused the accident and the other person’s injuries.
The plaintiff (injured) person can show that their injuries occurred as a direct result of the accident.

Ventura Car Accident Lawyer

I’m Ed Smith, a Ventura car accident lawyer. Negligent drivers cause accidents every day. If this has happened to you or one of your loved ones, please phone me at (805) 372-0200. I offer you friendly advice that is free. Outside the area, call (800) 404-5400 to take advantage of my toll-free line.

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In my 35-year-long California practice, I have worked as an injury lawyer for the people of California and in Ventura county in numerous cases to obtain for them fair compensation for wrongful deaths and traumatic injuries.

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Ventura County Injury Accident