Woman Accused Of DUI And Killing Grandmother

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Katie L. Ellison, 21, has been accused of drunk driving and hitting a 55-year-old Texan woman, killing her, and seriously injuring her husband. Ellison is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at the El Cajon courthouse.

Ellison is suspected of causing a September 25 incident that killed Lorraine Kennedy, from Brenham, Texas, and critically injuring David Sandel, her husband. The victims were attending their grandchild’s birthday party in Lakeside, according to reports.

Several witnesses reported to CHP investigators that Ellison was driving without her lights on and was indefinitely speeding on the 12200 block of Woodside Avenue around 8 p.m. when she hit Kennedy and Sandel as they were crossing the street after enjoying dinner with family.

One witnessed claimed one of Kennedy’s sons attempted CPR on his mother until paramedics came. Kennedy was driven to a hospital, but died shortly afterward from blunt force trauma, authorities stated.

Ellison suffered critical injuries when her Toyota Yaris struck Kennedy and Sandel. A witness claimed Ellison was lying in the roadway after the incident and bystanders were assisting her. Authorities have no released whether she was wearing a seatbelt.

She was driven to UC San Diego Trauma Center.

According to the 2013 Annual Report of Fatal and Injury Motor Vehicle Traffic Collisions in California, 3,104 peopled were killed, along with 2,853 fatal collisions, in 2004 the number was 3,772. Fortunately, the number of fatal collisions in the past ten years have significantly declined but any loss of lives, especially in the thousands, are extremely sorrowful.

If you or a loved one have been in an accident in Oceanside, contact an experienced and professional personal injury attorney from the law offices of Guldjian Law APC. Personal injury lawyers specialize in assessing your accident to determine whether you were wrongly accused or insufficiently paid.

Guldjian Law has successfully represented additional cities in the San Diego County such as Chula Vista, Carlsbad, and El Cajon.

California Motor Vehicle Accidents

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There was 156,909 injury collision in California during 2013 according to the California Highway Patrol.  Their 2013 Annual Report of fatal and injury traffic collisions is a stark reminder of how many lives are affected each year by motor vehicle accidents.  Some additional statistics from the report include:

  • 3,104 Individuals Killed (1,597 drivers, 591 passengers, 752 pedestrians and 164 bicyclists)
  • 223,128 Individuals Injured
  • 2,853 Fatal Collisions

According to the report, a fatal or injury traffic collision was reported every 3 minutes and 17 seconds somewhere in California!  On average, one person was killed every 2 hours and 5 minutes, and one person injured every 2 minutes and 21 seconds as a result of a traffic collision.  For each person killed there were 72 individuals injured according to the CHP data.

Motorcycle accidents resulted in 463 deaths and 11,946 individuals injured in 2013.  According to the CHP 65.7% of motorcycle drivers were at fault in fatal collisions.

These are sobering statistics from the California Highway Patrol and reminds us that traffic accidents occur frequently in California and can have devastating consequences.  Many people do not know where to turn if they or a loved one are involved in a serious accident.  An experienced California personal injury attorney should be contacted as soon as possible after an accident to ensure the best possible outcome after an accident.

Below are a few links to helpful online resources if you’ve been involved in a California accident:

 

New Budget Deal Could Cost Some Retirees Up To $50,000

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There is a change in how individuals can file and collect Social Security benefits in the new budget deal being kicked around by the White House and Congress.   The change has to do with what is called the “File & Suspend” procedure.  Most people have not even heard of the procedure, so what is “file and suspend”?

A person files for Social Security retirement benefits at full retirement age, but then suspends payment of them. By filing for benefits, that person’s spouse and dependents are eligible for retirement benefits at the time of the filing. And by suspending the benefits, the person can still earn delayed retirement credits that increase the future retirement benefit by 8 percent per year until age 70. source: cnbc.com

The budget legislation calls the procedure an “unintended loophole” because it allows individuals to obtain benefits meant for 70-year-olds  earlier.

If the budget deal passes, then the change would only affect retirees who file for benefits in the future, and wouldn’t take effect for 6 months after the budget passes.

You can visit your local Social Security office to learn more information.  Search online for “social security office” to find the nearest office.

Below are some links to some of the most searched for social security resources: