SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 — A jury in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, awarded a 51-year-old Eau Claire woman $3.14 million for permanent injuries she sustained in a crash caused by a drunk driver on the evening of December 11, 2005.

Debra Mayer suffered two broken teeth, a broken left arm, a broken left leg, a broken left foot, a fractured rib and a punctured lung after the near head-on collision. The accident occurred in the town of Eagle Point, north of Chippewa Falls. The driver of the 1989 Pontiac Grand Am that caused the accident, David M. Bowe, 59, had just left a bar in Chippewa Falls when the accident occurred. Bowe was sentenced to 18 months in jail for causing the collision. It was Bowe’s second drunken driving offense.

Since the crash, Mayer now walks with a cane, needs massage therapy and physical therapy. She has had to make modifications to her home to allow her to continue living at home with her injuries.

Two years ago, Mayer rejected a settlement offer of $900,000. The award included $750,000 for Mayer’s future medical expenses; $250,000 for past medical expenses; $17,588 for out-of-pocket expenses; $1.75 million for past and future pain and suffering, disfigurement and disability; and $375,000 in punitive damages.

JULY 15, 2009 - A repairman was hospitalized with a severe laceration caused by a power saw, authorities said. The unidentified man called 911 on a cell phone about 1:20 p.m. and reported that he had accidently cut his right groin area while working at a home on Levante Street near Sacada Circle, according to a captain with the Carlsbad Fire Department. When emergency personnel arrived at the house, the victim was unconscious and bleeding heavily from a cut to his femoral artery and vein, authorities said. He was flown to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit, authorities said.

FEBRUARY 19, 2009 - One woman is dead after an auto accident in Spring Valley yesterday. 38-year-old Benazir Siddiqui was traveling northbound on state Route 125 when she lost control of her vehicle just north of Jamacha Road. Her car then crossed the center median and collided with a Dodge in the southbound lanes. The Dodge then collided with a Cadillac. Ms. Siddiqui’s Toyota flipped and landed upside down before catching on fire. Several passing motorists managed to put out the fire and put the vehicle back on its wheels. However, Ms. Siddiqui died at the scene. The driver of the Dodge was transported to the hospital with moderate injuries. The occupants of the Cadillac were unhurt.

JANUARY 14, 2009 – A 44-year-old Escondido man was very seriously injured in a motorcycle accident Tuesday night, Escondido police reported.The accident happened on West 15^th Avenue at about 9:45 p.m.   The motorcycle struck a Toyota Camry backing out of a driveway.  The driver of the Camry, a 32-year-old Escondido resident, was not injured.  The motorcyclist, whose identity has not been released, suffered a broken neck and leg injuries. He was taken to the hospital, and is expected to survive.  The Escondido motorcycle crash remains under investigation. 

JANUARY 11, 2009 – A head-on collision in Rancho San Diego Saturday night left five people injured, authorities have reported. Two people reportedly suffered life-threatening injuries.  The head-on crash happened on Willow Glen Drive near Medinah Drive at about 7:20 p.m.  A Toyota Camry with a solo driver going east drifted into the westbound lane struck a Volkswagen Beetle head-on, according to the California Highway Patrol.  Four teenagers were inside the Beetle. The driver of the Camry suffered serious injuries and was unconscious at the crash scene.  The driver, whose name and identity have not been released, has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.  All victims were taken to local hospitals. The CHP is investigating the Willow Glen Drive  accident. 

DECEMBER 27, 2008 – The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified a man struck and killed by a motorcycle on Wednesday evening as Leonardo Ramirez Palado, 79, of San Diego. The pedestrian accident happened around 5 p.m.  Palado was crossing Miramar Road near Clayton Drive when he was hit by a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.  He was pronounced dead at the scene The driver of the motorcycle, whose identity has not been released, was thrown from his bike and was seriously injured.  San Diego Police are investigating the Miramar accident.  

DECEMBER 24, 2008 – San Diego Police reported a 35-year-old man suffered serious injuries in a rollover crash on Torrey Pines Road early this morning.  The man, whose identity has not been released, was driving north on Torrey Pines Road, south of La Jolla Village Road, when he lost control of his car, and hit the center divider.  He suffered head injuries and also injured his pelvis.  The accident happened shortly before 12:30 a.m. Police believe alcohol may have been a factor in the crash. 

DECEMBER 18, 2008 – Police reported a 44-year-old man was struck by a BMW on F Street in Chula Vista late Wednesday night. The man, whose identity was not released, had crossed the eastbound lanes of F Street when he paused to wait for a car to make a turn, and was subsequently hit by a car whose driver did not see him.  The man suffered serious head injuries, broken ribs and other injuries in the pedestrian accident.  He was transported to a hospital where he is in very serious condition.   The driver of the BMW, a 36-year-old woman from Chula Vista, stopped after the accident. She was arrested and booked for multiple charges, including possession of methamphetamine, bringing methamphetamine into a jail, and driving under the influence of drugs. 

DECEMBER 13, 2008 – A teenage girl suffered serious injuries when she was accidentally run over by a car at Scripps Ranch High School on Thursday afternoon. The 16-year-old student was sitting with her friends on the asphalt in the high school parking lot on Treena Street. According to a police officer, the girl’s friends hear a car engine start and got out of the way, but the girl did not get up and remained reclined in the parking lot.  The driver, another high school student, ran over the girl.  Her injuries included a lacerated liver, facial trauma, and other internal injuries. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment. 

DECEMBER 12, 2008 – The Navy released the identity today of a 22-year-old sailor that died Monday after being seriously injured in a freeway single vehicle crash the day before.  Miguel Amando, of Barstow, was driving from Mission Bay Drive onto northbound I-5 last Sunday afternoon when he lost control of his car and went off the side of the road and struck a tree.  The time of the crash was about 6:30 p.m. Two passengers, along with Flores, had to be extricated from the vehicle wreckage.  The CHP reported at least one other passenger was seriously injured. Armando was taken to UCSD Medical Center where he died Monday evening. The Medical Examiner’s office reported the victim was stationed on board the United States Naval Super Carrier Nimitz.