Napa Accident Sends Driver to Hospital
I’m Ed Smith, a Napa personal injury lawyer. On Saturday, October 28, a collision that occurred in Napa involving three vehicles left one driver with serious injuries requiring hospitalization.
Accident Info
California Highway Patrol (CHP) issued a report on the incident, noting that the accident occurred on Silverado Trail a short distance north of Rutherford Hill Road at approximately 11:59 a.m. CHP said that a northbound vehicle driven by Justin Morris, a 38-year-old resident of nearby St. Helena, had been passing over solid double yellow lines in the middle of Silverado Trail when it struck a southbound vehicle driven by Miguel Jimenez-Ochoa, a 22-year-old and a St. Helena resident as well.
After colliding with Jimenez-Ochoa’s vehicle, Morris’ car reportedly struck a third vehicle that had been driving in the southbound lane behind Ochoa. The third vehicle was being driven by Adrian Breckel, a 36-year-old resident of San Jose.
Injuries and Response
Upon receiving a phone call indicating that multiple parties may have been injured in an accident, CHP sent emergency personnel to the scene of the collision. Upon arriving, responders discovered that Morris had sustained major traumatic injuries and had him taken by ground ambulance to the Queen of the Valley Medical Center. As of October 30, 2017, Morris had been released from the hospital.
Jimenez-Ochoa reportedly sustained minor injuries and was treated at the accident site by responders before being released. Breckel was not reported to have sustained any injuries. Furthermore, no additional persons or vehicles were reported to have been involved in this accident.
Investigation
CHP is currently investigating this collision in order to determine what factors caused Morris’s vehicle to cross over the double-yellow lines. CHP has not commented on whether or not they believe drugs or alcohol were contributing factors in this crash. Other possible causal factors of this accident include things like distracted driving, defective roadways, faulty vehicle parts, driving while fatigued, and more.
Distracted Driving
While this is not a confirmed case of distracted driving, driving while not paying full attention to the road causes thousands of fatal crashes in the United States every year. In fact, the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) reports that, annually, up to 3000 individuals lose their lives in U.S. as a result of distracted driving accidents.
OTS reports that 80 percent of vehicle collision involve some type of driver inattention and that talking or texting on a cell phone is the primary source of driver distraction. In order to drive safely and without distraction, drivers should refrain from things like eating and drinking, grooming, watching videos, picking things up off the vehicle floor, reading maps, and other distracting activities.
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Napa Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Napa Personal Injury Lawyer. Have you or someone you love been injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence? Please don’t hesitate to call me at (707) 564-1900 or (800) 404-5400 for compassionate, free, and friendly advice. I can also be reached online via my website, AutoAccident.com.
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