Articles
June 30, 2011
Underinsured Motorist Insurance Coverage in California
Recently proposed legislation that suffered a procedural defeat in the Insurance Committee of the California State Assembly aimed to provide California’s insured drivers with benefits of underinsured motorist benefits up to the full amount of their limits. AB 1063, which was sponsored by Assemblyman Steven Bradford, sought to correct a more than thirty year old… read more
June 30, 2011
Summer Safety – Pedestrians Take Caution!
A recent article in the Orange County Register highlighted an alarming revelation. The article titled “O.C. can be dangerous place for pedestrians” noted that between 2000 and 2009 Orange County lost 454 lives due to vehicles colliding with pedestrians. With summer here and the increasing use of cell phones by motorists, there could not be… read more
June 30, 2011
Victory for Orange County Residents in Fairgrounds Case
Pro Bono Cases Matter. Never was that more clear than when Wylie and Ashleigh Aitken helped secure a victory in the long-foughtcase concerning the future of the Orange County Fairgrounds. On June 7, 2011, a California Court of Appeals held that the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds to Facilities Management West could not go… read more
May 31, 2011
Pedestrians, Please Walk with Caution
A recent article in the Orange County Register highlighted an alarming revelation. The article titled “O.C. can be dangerous place for pedestrians” noted that between 2000 and 2009 Orange County lost 454 lives due to vehicles colliding with pedestrians. With the increasing use of cell phones by motorists, there could not be a better time… read more
May 11, 2011
Drivers Using Hand Held Cell Phones May Face Increased Penalties
At Aitken * Aitken * Cohn, we handle numerous catastrophic injury cases caused by someone driving a vehicle or operating heavy machinery while talking on their cell phone or sending text messages. One of the worst accidents involving text messaging was the Chatsworth Metrolink Disaster that occurred on September 12, 2008. In that accident, a… read more
April 28, 2011
Injuries Due to Dangerous Conditions of the Public Property
Injuries occurring on public property such as certain roadways are often the result of our own or another person’s failure to exercise reasonable care. For instance, if you are injured in a car accident and the injury was caused by another driver’s failure to obey a red light traffic signal, you would have a strong… read more
April 12, 2011
It’s Not Bad Faith If…
Although advertized to be “like a good neighbor” or keeping you in “good hands,” insurance companies are in business to make money. The easiest way for them to do this is to not pay claims on the policies they have sold. Increasingly insurers are marketing specialized products that appear, based on their name, to provide… read more
April 5, 2011
Waiver and Release of Liability Forms: Understand What Rights You Are Signing Away
This past weekend I took my daughter to her friend’s birthday party located at an indoor playground facility. I am sure anyone who knows or is closely related to a toddler or young child is familiar with these types of places. These establishments are located in neighborhood warehouse-like buildings and are geared towards hosting birthday… read more
March 28, 2011
Car Seat Safety
A recent study found that A One-year-olds are five times less likely to be injured in a crash if they are in a rear-facing car seat than a forward-facing seat, according to a 2007 analysis of five years of U.S. crash data. As a member of a firm that has significant experience helping young children… read more
March 18, 2011
Are there Design and/or Maintenance Issues with the Beechcraft Super King?
The recent tragedy at the Long Beach airport in Long Beach, California on March 16th, 2011, resulting in the death of five occupants, including the pilot, continues to raise questions regarding the safety of the Beechcraft Super King Aircraft involved. This incident is erringly similar to litigation being handled by this office arising from a… read more