Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

There is a very interesting legal story developing in Oceanside. Early on Christmas morning, 44-year-old Jimmy Misaalefua was gunned down in the cul-d-sac where he lived by his neighbor Robert Pulley. According to news accounts, Misaalefua was beloved in his community, a former Marine and college football player, who was an active volunteer in the…

The settlements of most personal injury cases are confidential. Usually a defendant agrees to pay a settlement under certain conditions. One, that no liability is admitted (e.g. we did nothing wrong, but will pay you to “buy our peace”), and two, that the settlement amount will be confidential. Most injured parties agree to these terms,…

A lawsuit was filed against a big-rig driver and his employer after the death of a 47-year-old cyclist. The complaint alleges that the driver, Gabriel Vera, was driving the truck negligently when he struck cyclist Lauren Perdriau Ward. According to news accounts, this is the third fatal accident Vera has been involved while working. Interestingly,…

Two Escondido men who hosted a party were charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor, who later lost control of her car and died in the ensuing accident. San Diego prosecutors charged Michael Love and Nick Bowser with three misdemeanors each, all alleging that they unlawfully provided alcohol drinks to a minor. According to reports,…

A diner at Troy’s Burgers on York Boulevard was killed when a car crashed into the restaurant. Investigators still don’t know why a 19-year-old man drove into the restaurant. The driver apparently passed a roadside sobriety test and has told police that he doesn’t remember what happened. As the dramatic video below shows, the family…

Details of last week’s tragic motorcycle accident in eastern San Diego County that claimed the lives of five members of a motorcycle club are now being reported. Twenty-one members of the Saddletramps Motorcycle Club were on a desert ride to celebrate its 10th anniversary when the horror began. According to witnesses, the group was traveling…

The high-profile case involving the shooting death of a male dancer by San Diego Harbor Police on a charted boat has been settled. The parents of Steven Hirschfield have agreed to a sum of $2.5 million to settle the wrongful death case they brought against the Port of San Diego. Steven Hirschfield was hired to…

Nationwide, fatal car accidents involving drunk drivers have been on the decline. But yesterday, a study was released listing the 20 cities in the United States where drunk driving is most prevalent, and San Diego tops the list. Not far behind San Diego was Los Angeles, which ranked seventh. Despite the trend downward, driving under…

Kitchens are full of inherent dangers – stove tops, knives, and other sharp, dangerous items. A tragedy in Missouri has lead to a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of a 2 year old, who was killed when the kitchen stove tumbled over onto the child, killing him instantly. Deondrew Watson, Jr. death could have…

The criminal investigation into the Coast Guard boat accident that claimed the life of 8-year-old Anthony DeWeese is revealing a startlingly relaxed and sometimes “cowboy” attitude toward the operation of Coast Guard boats. The lead investigator into the accident has testified that boat operators failed to assign lookouts during patrols, used cell phones for talk…