Fairfield Crash Injures Nine Students
Hi, I’m Ed Smith, a Fairfield personal injury attorney. On the morning of Friday, September 9, 2016, nine students in Fairfield were injured when a forty-year-old male and member of the Solano Community College staff drove his vehicle off of the road, through a stretch of grass, and into a portable building in which a group of math students were taking a test. The vehicle, a black Acura SUV, crashed clear through the wall of the building, knocked over many desks and students, and stopped just before colliding with the wall on the other side.
Crash Causes Multiple Injuries
All in all, ten people were injured due to the accident. Seven of those ten were taken to a nearby hospital, while the remaining three only required minimal treatment that was provided by medical personnel at the site of the incident. Of the seven taken to the hospital, five were determined to have suffered minor injuries only and two were diagnosed with moderate injuries. One of the two persons who sustained moderate injury was the driver himself, whose airbags apparently failed to deploy during the crash; the other, a student pinned by the car between a wall and the desk she had been sitting in at the time of the collision.
Alcohol and Drugs Not Suspected in Crash
Solano County Sherriff’s Dept. Deputy Christine Castillo, who had been stationed on campus at the time of the accident, was one of the first law officers to respond. Castillo reported that alcohol and drugs are not suspected to have been contributing factors to the impairment of the driver. The driver is believed to have suffered a medical emergency before swerving off of the road that left him incapable of properly controlling the acceleration and direction of his vehicle. It is expected that more details about the nature of the man’s medical emergency will be released after he is treated for his injuries and examined at the hospital. However, Cordelia Fire Battalion Chief Allyn Kemp says that his loss of control is most likely due to a seizure.
Thankfully Crash Didn’t Occur Earlier
The accident occurred around 9:15 in the morning and could have involved many more injuries had it occurred any sooner, as about half of the students taking that morning’s test had already finished and left the classroom. There were, according to Castillo, at most, fifteen students remaining in the building by the time the car drove through the wall. Castillo mentioned that, “We’re extremely thankful there were not more serious injuries.” Another mitigating factor to injury, as noted by Celia Esposito-Noy, the superintendent-president of the college, is that an adjacent building was, “…full of nursing faculty who rushed to help.”
Students Take to Social Media With Photos of Property Damage
Photos taken of the scene and uploaded to Twitter, Facebook, and other social media show the portable classroom with half its front wall blown in as well as twisted metal railing lying on the ground around the point of impact. Photos taken from inside the building show the classroom in shambles, with desks piled up against the walls, debris strewn all about, and the mostly undamaged SUV parked near the corner of the room, still pinning some desks against the back wall.
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Personal Injury Claims Against Goverment Entities
If you plan on bringing a claim against a government entity for injuries received, it is important to note that you have only 6 months or 180 days from the date the accident occurred to do so. After filing your claim, there are more important steps and timelines that must be properly adhered to. For additional information, call an experienced personal injury attorney.
Fairfield Auto Accident and Personal Injury Attorney
Hi, I’m Ed Smith, a Fairfield personal injury attorney. If you or someone you love have been seriously hurt in a car accident, please give me a call at (707) 564-1900 for free and friendly advice. I’ve been helping Solano county residents and their family members recover compensation for their injuries for more than 34 years.
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