On Friday, a 2-year-old boy was critically injured after falling from a  second-story window of his home in Lakeside, California. The accident happened around 6 pm on Gold Bar Way, which is near Route 67. The mother of the child informed officers that the 2 year old climbed up on to an area near the open window, pushed on the screen and fall to the ground (a twelve foot fall). The toddler was taken by ambulence to Rady Children’s Hostpital.

The attorneys at Estey  & Bomberger handle children’s injury cases and can help if your child has been injured as a result of negligence by another person, or the liability of a company for making defective or unsafe products.

A former member of the San Diego Chargers has settled a lawsuit against the city of
Coronado and a police officer. In September of 2006, 23-year-old off-duty policeman Aaron Mansker followed athlete Steve Foley’s vehicle because he believed Mr. Foley was driving while intoxicated. The officer trailed Mr. Foley from San Diego to Poway, where he then instructed Mr. Foley to pull over and get out of his vehicle. Mr. Mansker said it appeared that Mr. Foley was taking out a weapon as he exited his vehicle, at which point the off-duty policeman shot Mr. Foley in the back of his knee and his hip. Mr. Foley did not have a weapon. Mr. Mansker, who was dressed in casual clothing and driving his personal vehicle, claimed that he informed Mr. Foley that he was a police officer; however, he never presented his badge. 

Mr. Foley injuries required 12 surgeries, and he still suffers painful nerve damage and has trouble walking. He was forced to end his football career. He filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Coronado and Mr. Mansker because he believed procedural violations had been made. The attorneys for Steve Foley argued that Mr. Mansker violated policies by forcing Mr. Foley to pull over, as opposed to merely following him. The lawsuit was settled for $5.5 million.  

The city of Coronado is insured for liability claims up to $100,000, and it is also involved in another liability insurance program with other counties and agencies. That program offers extra insurance to cover claims over $2 million. The $5 million settlement with Mr. Foley has now lessened the reserve amounts for the other participating counties and agencies. Furthermore, off-duty policeman Aaron Mansker is covered by the government code, so he is not responsible to pay any of the settlement funds to Mr. Foley.

If you reside in the San Diego area and have been seriously injured, contact the law firm of Estey &  Bomberger.

A man was seriously injured in an accident on July 8^th. 45-year-old Charles Ekiss Jr. was speeding while traveling southbound on Wildcat Canyon Road when his pickup truck drifted across the road’s dividing line. The vehicle then drove along the shoulder before striking at tree north of Featherstone Canyon Road. Mr. Ekiss was trapped in the vehicle and needed rescue workers to free him. He was transported to a San Diego hospital with serious injuries. It is believed that Mr. Ekiss was traveling at a speed of 90 mph in an area where the posted limit is 50 mph.

If you reside in the San Diego area and have been seriously injured, contact the law firm of Estey & Bomberger.

A woman from Pacific Beach was killed in an accident in La Jolla on July 8^th. 67-year-old Graciella Mejia Martinez was crossing the intersection of La Jolla Mesa Drive and Van Nuys Street when she was struck by a Ford pickup truck. The truck was driving slowly, but the impact caused Ms. Martinez to fall backwards and hit her head. She died on the way to the hospital. The 56-year-old driver had been making a left turn from Van Nuys Street, and claimed he did not see the victim when he looked both ways.

If you reside in the San Diego area and have been seriously injured, contact the law firm of Estey & Bomberger.

A former member of the San Diego Chargers was killed in an auto accident on July 4^th. 27-year-old Terrence Kiel was speeding in his Chevrolet Monte Carlo when he lost control in the Scripps Ranch area. Mr. Kiel struck a curb and then crashed into a wall, causing him to be thrown from the vehicle. Mr. Kiel played for the Chargers for four seasons, until he was cut in 2007 after it was discovered that he had shipped codeine-based cough syrup to
Texas.

If you reside in the San Diego area and have been seriously injured, contact the law firm of Estey & Bomberger.

An accident in Utah killed two adults and injured one child from Carlsbad on July 3^rd. Tod and Stephanie McFarland, along with their three children ages 1, 2, and 5, were traveling eastbound on Interstate 70, in the town of Sigurd. Mrs. McFarland lost control of the Ford Expedition and struck a median. The SUV then hit a pole and a fence, causing it to roll and fall off a bridge, landing on a highway. Both adults were not wearing seat belts and died in the crash. The five-year-old son suffered head injuries and is still admitted at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City. The two younger children are not hurt. The family had been traveling to Colorado and had driven through the night before the accident occurred.

If you reside in the San Diego area and have been seriously injured, contact the law firm of Estey & Bomberger.

A motorcycle accident killed an Indian tribe leader and his daughter-in-law on July 5^th. 57-year-old William C. Mesa and 29-year-old Crystal Roberts-Mesa were traveling on Mr. Mesa’s Harley Davidson around 5:00 p.m. Mr. Mesa lost control of the bike on Lyons Valley Road, east of Skyline Trail, and struck a power pole, killing himself and his passenger. Family members told authorities that the victims had several beers before the accident, but they were not intoxicated. The accident is still being investigated and toxicology results are expected in six to eight weeks. Mr. Mesa was a retired police officer with the El Cajon Police Department, and he was currently the chairman of the Jamul Indian Village.

If you reside in the San Diego area and have been seriously injured, contact the law firm of Estey & Bomberger.

An accident on July 2^nd left a 54-year-old woman dead. Karen Chacon was traveling northbound on Buckman Springs Road, south of Old Highway 80, when her Geo Tracker veered to the right shoulder. Ms. Chacon swerved back to the left, causing her vehicle to flip several times. The victim was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the SUV. Her body landed approximately 50 feet away from her vehicle and she was pronounced dead at the scene. It was later discovered that Ms. Chacon had received a citation in March for not wearing a seat belt.

If you reside in the San Diego area and have been seriously injured, contact the law firm of Estey & Bomberger.

A settlement has been reached in case of a fatal accident in 2005. Liliana Washington and Lydia Mendoza were passengers in a vehicle traveling southbound on Route 163 in Balboa
Park when they struck a tree that had fallen in the roadway during a recent storm. Ms.
Washington received cervical spine injuries, resulting in nine months of missed work. 19-year-old Lydia Mendoza died from head injuries. Caltrans had the fallen tree removed after the accident.  

Ms. Washington and the mother of Ms. Mendoza, Marilyn Vasquez, believed that the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) should have been aware of the potential danger the tree posed, as it had been leaning into the roadway for several years.  

Caltrans argued that they were responsible for the upkeep of hundreds of thousands of trees throughout San Diego. They had checked the trees in Balboa Park repeatedly and there appeared to be no danger. They argued further that Ms. Washington and Ms. Mendoza were not wearing seat belts and the driver was speeding, and this was the cause of the injuries.  

The case resulted in a mistrial after five days of deliberation. However, the majority of the jurors voted that Caltrans had enough notice of the dangerous tree to attend to it. The case was settled for $625,000.

If you reside in the San Diego area and have been seriously injured, contact the law firm of Estey & Bomberger.

A woman is dead after a motorcycle accident on June 30^th. 54-year-old Patricia Lace Burke and her husband, Howard Burke, were riding their motorcycles eastbound on Route 76 near Fallbrook around 10:40 a.m. As they were nearing Couser Canyon Road, Mr. Burke made a right turn in front of his wife’s motorcycle, causing them to collide. Mrs. Burke was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the accident.

If you reside in the San Diego area and have been seriously injured, contact the law firm of Estey & Bomberger.