The victims and their families of the 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire are being awarded by the State of Rhode Island and the town of Warwick. 100 people died at the Station nightclub during a Great White concert when pyrotechnics started a fire with soundproofing foam. Both state and the town have each agreed to pay $10 million to the victims and families.   

A man was killed by falling boulders in the Flatrock area of La Jolla on August 20^th. 57-year-old Robert Allen Mellone was visiting from Nevada when he was struck by debris from the cliffs north of Black’s Beach. Mr. Mellone was struck in the head by boulders that were the size of basketballs; 3-5 cubic yards of rocks and debris fell. Witnesses helped dig the victim out while waiting for emergency responders. Crews attempted to resuscitate him, but he later died at Scripps Memorial Hospital-La Jolla. Signs warning of unstable cliffs are posted around the area. The site remained temporarily closed while loose debris continued to fall several hours after the accident.

A bicyclist was killed in Mira Mesa on August 20^th. The man, a Mexican national, was riding in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Capricorn Way when he was struck by a red Dodge Neon. He got caught underneath the vehicle and was dragged for approximately 500 feet. The man died at the scene of major head injuries. The driver, 22-year-old Marcos Garcia Jeronimo, fled the scene on foot. He turned himself in three days later. Mr. Jeronimo, who is in the country illegally, is believed to have struck the victim on purpose. The men were involved in an ongoing dispute involving a woman.

A motorcyclist is dead after an accident in San Clemente on August 19^th. 43-year-old Douglas Curl was traveling southbound on El Camino Real when he lost control of his Yamaha motorcycle and hit a curb. He was thrown from the vehicle. He died at the scene.

The wife of man who died after a motorcycle accident has won a wrongful death lawsuit. 49-year-old Stanley Stinnett crashed his motorcycle in 2006 while trying to avoid a dog that ran into the road. He was transported to Memorial Medical Center of Modesto where he was in the care of Dr. Tony Tam for five days. Dr. Tam reported that Mr. Stinnett suffered fractured ribs, and he prescribed painkillers and instructed the patient to rest. Six hours after he arrived at the hospital, Mr. Stinnett went into respiratory arrest. Tests showed that the patient had low blood oxygen levels and high acidity in his system, which should have alerted Dr. Tam that Mr. Stinnett was suffering from more than fractured ribs. While hospitalized over the next four days, Mr. Stinnett’s stomach filled with fluid and swelled a great deal. Experts explained that type of swelling occurs when the digestive process is not functioning. It can be treated by draining the fluid or letting the issue resolve itself. Dr. Tam chose not to drain the fluid. Mr. Stinnett began vomiting several hours later, at which time nurses drained 2.5 liters of fluid out of his stomach. He died shortly after.

An autopsy showed that Mr. Stinnett died of heart failure; however, some experts testified that he may have died from choking on the fluid in his stomach. Lawyers for the Stinnett family believed that Stanley was misdiagnosed by Dr. Tam and could have lived if he had drained the stomach fluid earlier. A jury found that Dr. Tam’s negligence was a factor in Mr. Stinnett’s death and awarded his widow, Holly, $8.5 million.  $148,000 was for past economic loss, $1.2 million for loss of future earnings, and $6 million was for loss of love, comfort, and companionship. However, jurors were not informed of a California law that only allows for a maximum of $250,000 to be awarded for non-economic damages. Consequently, Holly Stinnett will only receive $2.4 million. The Memorial Medical Center of Modesto settled separately for $175,000.

One person is dead after a motorcycle accident on August 16^th in Pala. 21-year-old Christopher G. Carrasquillo, a Marine, was traveling on Palomar Mountain Road when he lost control of his motorcycle. The vehicle veered off the road and struck a tree.  Mr. Carrasquillo was killed.

A man is killed after an accident in University City on August 19^th. 66-year-old Robert Abendroth was walking at the intersection of Regents Road and Governor Drive when he was struck by a vehicle. He died two days later of major head injuries.

One person is dead after an accident in Oceanside on August 17th.  68-year-old Vaughn Leslie Powell was traveling northbound on Interstate 5 when he was rear-ended north of Harbor Drive. Mr. Powell died at the scene. It was reported that up to three vehicles may have been involved in the accident, one of which was overturned.

A cyclist was killed in Vista on August 17^th. 46-year-old Juan Tomas-Antonio was struck by an SUV on East Vista Way near Taylor Street. He died at the scene. The driver reported that the victim entered the intersection without stopping at a stop sign, and she did not have enough time to stop before striking him.  

Four people were injured after an accident in Oceanside on August 17^th. A car was preparing to turn north onto Guajome Lake Road from Mission Avenue when it was struck by a pickup truck that ran a red light. The truck struck the car at a speed of 55-60 mph. Two of the car’s passengers were children, who were flown to Rady Children’s Hospital. Two adults were transported to La Jolla’s Scripps Memorial Hospital.