On Wednesday, January 22 Shelltown resident, Ana Herrera Rodriguez, 37, was struck and killed by a San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) utility truck.

The SDG&E truck struck Rodriguez on the 3900 block of Cottonwood Street around 7:30 a.m. According to the San Diego Police Department, Rodriguez was trapped under the vehicle for a period of time before being transported to UC San Diego Medical Center. She was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Witnesses speculate that Rodriguez was trying to chase two young children out of the road. The two children, aged four and five, were treated for minor injuries at Rady Children’s Hospital.

SDG&E issued a statement expressing their condolences to Rodriguez’s family and reiterated their commitment to safety.

The attorney’s of Ritter & Associates express our condolences to those affected by this tragic pedestrian accident.

The state of California will be implementing stricter rules and regulations in its bid to prevent drunk driving and distracted driving road accidents.

For instance, transfer of vehicle ownership to a relative will now be disallowed until after the transferee has completely paid all his or her existing obligations, such as parking fines or penalties, to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

Also, the use of hands-free mobile devices for teenage drivers under 18 will also be disallowed. Last year, this practice was accepted. This new rule also clarifies that the use of laptops or tablets are not permissible; last year only cellular phones had this distinction.

Should you ever find yourself or someone dear to you coming to harm’s way due to the negligent actions of other parties, you are likely eligible to take legal action against the party responsible for your losses. Call the attorneys of Ritter & Associates if you live in or around San Diego by dialing 619-296-0123 so we can discuss your case with you.

Though the Opal Gay Vance sudden-acceleration case was supposed to go to trial on January 21, Toyota Motors Corp. opted to settle out of court. Vance filed a lawsuit against Toyota after injuring her neck and back when her 2010 Camry suddenly accelerated and she crashed into a trailer.

Toyota started settlement arrangements to resolve more than a hundred sudden-acceleration cases in federal and state court in California on Friday, December 13 and  recently settled a separate lawsuit in West Virginia to keep the case out of court. To date, the largest settlement case regarding sudden acceleration was a $1.6-billion class action lawsuit from motorists who alleged that the sudden-acceleration issue in their Toyota and Lexus vehicles significantly undervalued their vehicles.

If you are hurt due to the usage of a defective product, like a vehicle, in San Diego, the attorneys of Ritter & Associates may be able to help you file a lawsuit against the manufacturer. Find out more about your legal options by calling (619) 296-0123.

German drug-maker Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH was fined nearly $1 million for withholding files relating to the conditions of the blood thinner, Pradaxa.

On Monday, December 9, District Judge David Herndon ruled that Boehringer executives acted “in bad faith” by not making Pradaxa’s development and marketing documents accessible to physicians and consumers.

Judge Herndon is handling over 1,700 consolidated lawsuits alleging that Pradaxa use resulted in severe and, sometimes, fatal bleeding. Boehringer is set to make an appearance in federal court in August of 2014. Before the federal trial, Boehringer is scheduled for trial in Delaware, Connecticut, California, and Illinois state courts.

Defective pharmaceuticals can jeopardize victims’ health and financial stability. If you have been harmed by your prescription medicine, you could be entitled to compensation. Contact Ritter & Associates for legal consultations in San Diego. Call (619) 296-0123 today to speak with an experienced attorney.

On November 10, California company, Glass Onion Catering issued a recall for around 181,620 pounds of pre-prepared sandwich and salad products with fully-cooked chicken and ham. The recalled products are suspected of containing harmful E. coli bacteria.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the recall of the products, which are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some of the recalled products include:

• 12 oz. packages of delish pan pacific chop salad;
• 13.4 oz. packages of delish California-style grilled chicken salad;
• 9.9 oz. packages of delish uncured applewood smoked ham and cheese wrap;
• 10.5 oz. packages of delish grilled chicken Ceasar wrap;
• 10.9 oz. packages of delish southwestern chicken wrap; and
• 11.5 oz. packages of delish Greek brand low-calorie grilled chicken wrap, among others.

Manufacturers have a responsibility to consumers to only release products that are safe for public consumption. If you have been negatively affected due to someone else’s negligence in the San Diego area, contact Ritter & Associates at (619) 296-0123 to learn about your legal options.

Toyota Motor Corp. reached a settlement on October 25 with the victims of a 2007 fatal crash, which included a woman who died and another one who was badly injured, after an Oklahoma jury found the company liable for sudden acceleration issues on October 24.

The jury was the first one to hold the company responsible for fatal accidents regarding these mechanical issues, as the Brooklyn, New York, and California juries sided with Toyota.

The Oklahoma trial was the first instance in which the plaintiffs argued that a car’s electronics – in this instance the 2005 Camry’s software connection to the electronic throttle-control system – caused the sudden acceleration.

The company began the recall of its vehicles in 2009 for these issues.

Legal experts said that the Oklahoma trial loss for Toyota might cause the company to prepare a broad settlement for the other lawsuits that have been filed against it.

At Ritter & Associates, our lawyers fight for people in San Diego who have been injured in car accidents due to vehicle defects. If this has happened to you, call us at 619-296-0123 to get the legal advice that you need.

A Los Angeles jury determined that Toyota Motor Corp. was not at fault for the death of 66-year-old Noriko Uno in 2009.

Uno’s death was blamed on the driver of a speeding car that collided with Uno’s 2006 Camry, causing her to drive on the wrong side of a one-way road and crash into a tree.

The jury rejected the prosecuting panel’s claims that the lack of a brake-override system in the Camry was the cause of the vehicle’s crash.

The other driver was ordered to pay $10 million in damages to Uno’s husband and son.

Toyota is facing around 85 personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits in relation to its 2009 and 2010 vehicle recalls due to acceleration-related concerns, such as sticky pedals and floor mats getting stuck under gas pedals.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an auto accident due to a defective vehicle, you may seek legal representation. Please contact our experienced attorneys at Ritter & Associates in San Diego by calling (619) 296-0123 to discuss your case today.

A Los Angeles jury found Toyota Motors Corp. not responsible for a 2009 car accident that claimed the life of a 66-year-old Noriko Uno after she crashed her Camry in 2009 in a decision released on Thursday, October 10.

The lawsuit is one among the 85 personal injury and wrongful death cases against Toyota in California due to complaints of sudden and unintended acceleration that prompted a wave of vehicle recalls in 2009 to 2010.

The jury decided that the design of the 2006 Camry was fully-functioning and “did not contribute to this unfortunate accident”. The Camry was not included in the list of recalled vehicles that Toyota released.

This verdict may predict the outcomes of other cases.

If you or a loved one were harmed due to a defective product, you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact our lawyers at Ritter & Associates in San Diego by calling (619) 296-0123 to discuss your legal options today.

On Tuesday, September 24, the San Diego City Council approved an $18.5 million settlement for a personal injury claim filed on behalf of a boy who suffered internal injuries and whose left leg was amputated when a garbage truck slammed onto him in November 2011.

Now an 11-year-old, Luke Acuna was skateboarding in the North Park neighborhood when the incident happened. Acuna’s attorney argued that the truck driver was making an illegal turn on the road where Acuna was playing, which made the driver hit the boy in the first place.

The council gave an affirmative answer to the settlement without making a comment after deliberating the situation during a closed-door meeting.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in an accident due to the recklessness of another person in San Diego, do not hesitate to get in touch with our lawyers from Ritter & Associates. Our bright and compassionate attorneys are dedicated to helping victims so they can get the justice and compensation they need. Contact us by calling 619-296-0123 today.

A man fell from an elevated walkway during a San Francisco 49ers game at Candlestick Park on Sunday, September 8.

The 32-year-old man, whom the police did not identify to the public, fell to the sidewalk at around 1:03 p.m. as he was making his way across the overpass, which leads to the stadium from the parking area, San Francisco Police Lieutenant Laura Knight told the Los Angeles Times.

Knight said off-duty emergency medical personnel were able to give the man first aid, but the man died either in the hospital or on the way there. Police were not sure yet where he died.

In a statement published on NFL.com, the San Francisco 49ers released the following statement: “The San Francisco 49ers…would like to express our deepest condolences to the family during this difficult time.”