Oakland Legal Issues Blog

Most people in California can appreciate putting in a hard day's work. This may be particularly true for those who work in dangerous occupations. Unfortunately, it is not unknown for a worker to be injured or even killed while performing their work duties. As a result, their family members are left grapping with the loss they have suffered.

A tragic incident took place recently at John Wayne Airport in Southern California. According to an airport spokeswoman, one worker lost his life when a jet bridge tire exploded. The worker and another employee were performing maintenance on the tire in a workshop when the explosion occurred.

These days the technology we have at our fingertips is truly astounding. A cellphone can do so much more than make a phone call. One can use a cellphone to send a text message, email, as a navigation system, play music and more. However, all these acts can be extremely distracting for drivers and could lead to a serious car crash.

A bill has been introduced in the California State Assembly that would further penalize those who use a cellphone while driving. Under the bill, those who use a cellphone while behind the wheel would incur a point on their driving record. If a person has too many points on their driver's license, their license could be suspended.

Sometimes determining fault in a car accident is relatively straight forward. For example, if a motorist in California is struck by a drunk driver or is rear-ended while waiting at a red light, it can generally be shown that the other driver is at fault. Drunk drivers are breaking their duty of care to drive reasonably under the circumstances and, likewise, a motorist who rear-ends another motorist may have been distracted, speeding or following too close, all breaches of their duty of care.

However, other times the circumstances surrounding a car accident are more complex. The other driver might have been drunk, distracted or violating a traffic law, but what if you were also speeding, had your eyes off the road or in some other way contributed to the accident. Does this mean you cannot collect damages if you choose to pursue a personal injury lawsuit following the crash?

Farming is an important industry in California, and citrus groves are one of the state's most renowned crops. However, like many other manual jobs where people must work with heavy machinery, farming can be dangerous. One recent incident in a California citrus grove exemplifies just how dangerous these occupations can be.

A worker in a California citrus grove lost his life recently after being struck by a 600-pound wind machine blade. The wind machines stop the citrus crops from freezing by circulating warm air on the orchards. According to the brother of the deceased worker, the worker was turning off a wind machine. The machine started vibrating heavily, which caused a propeller to break off, hitting the worker, who died from the blow he suffered. The company the deceased worked for had been cited twice in 2016 for accidents that took place at its facilities. This recent incident is being investigated by state regulators.