Several drivers and their passengers were injured when a pileup accident at a Clairemont intersection occurred. Two drivers were trapped inside of their vehicles when the accident crumpled their cars inward, leading to severe injuries. The accident occurred on Genesee Avenue around 1:30 p.m. Officials reported that a southbound driver did not yield to a line of stationary vehicles at a stoplight, resulting in multiple collisions.

There were seven vehicles involved in the accident, including SUVs and trucks. There were an additional three sedans in the crash. Emergency responders spent half an hour freeing a man and woman trapped in their respective vehicles.

Two victims were taken to a local hospital for treatment of their major injuries, while multiple others received medical attention for more minor injuries. Roadways near the accident scene remained blocked by emergency vehicles and debris until the evening.

At Ritter & Associates, our San Diego car accident attorneys understand that being in a collision creates a high stress situation. If you were left with medical expenses and lost wages due to injuries you sustained in an accident, contact our office to find out if you are eligible for compensation from the responsible party. Call us at (619) 296-0123 today.

The Katz family of Porter Ranch in Los Angeles, California has recently filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles-based Southern California Gas Company and San Diego-based Sempra Energy in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that a leak caused by one of their tanks has resulted in health problems for their family.

According to the lawsuit, the entire family is experiencing severe health problems due to the gas leak, with two-year-old Ava suffering some seizures and having to spend four nights in an intensive care unit of a hospital for severe respiratory problems even though she had no pre-existing conditions that could have triggered such an affliction.

Ava has been described as “listless, suffering from persistent rashes, and painful nausea” allegedly due to the leak. The family’s two dogs were reportedly sick as well.

Victims of negligence often suffer not just from severe physical debilitation but also from emotional stress and financial burdens. That is why we at Ritter & Associates in San Diego work hard to represent individuals who are faced with this kind of suffering, and that is why we do our best to hold the people responsible accountable. Call our offices today at (619) 296-0123 if you are in need of legal help.

Bakersfield, California resident Roy Iversen said he sustained second-degree burns on his body and had to undergo a skin graft surgery as a result of his electronic cigarette exploding in his pocket as he was riding home from work along Interstate 5.

Vincente Garza filed a product liability lawsuit on Thursday, November 19 that claims that the manufacture and the design of the devices did not go through enough checks and balances to ensure their safety. Another person, Gregory Phillips, made the same allegations.

Garza had been smoking the e-cigarette when it allegedly exploded, resulting in severe injuries to his finger, mouth, and tongue, with his left finger having to be partially amputated and his tongue having to be operated on due to the accident.

The lawsuits name several; defendants who made and sold the dangerous products to the victims, including Luxor Café, Fame Vape, and Flawless Vapes and Supplies LLC.

If you had recently been the victim of a defective product, the attorneys at Ritter & Associates want you to know that you do not have to face your recovery alone. Our legal team with work to represent you as we seek justice in the form of compensation for your injuries and suffering. Call our offices at San Diego today at (619) 296-0123 to learn more.

The California Air Resources Board told Volkswagen Group to recall all of its vehicles containing 3-litter diesel engines on Nov. 25. The car manufacturer, which is under fire for releasing thousand of vehicles with illegal emissions software installed, was given 45 days to comply. This recall includes affected VW, Audi, and Porsche models with diesel engines.

Porsche responded to the letter by stating it will “continue its efforts to comply fully with all regulatory authorities” and that it “awaits detailed information from engine supplier, Audi AG, as to specific actions which will be necessary to correct and rectify [the situation].”

Since the revelation that Volkswagen used software technology to cheat emissions tests in approximately 500,000 U.S. vehicles, the company has been attempting to update affected 2-liter, four-cylinder diesel engines. Thousands of other vehicles around the world are still being found to include the emissions software.

If you believe that your vehicle was affected by a recall and the defect is costing you money, contact the product liability attorneys at Ritter & Associates. You should not be held financially responsible for products that came to you defective. Please call (619) 296-0123 today to speak with our San Diego legal team.

Bob Filner, a former San Diego Mayor, was found guilty of sexually harassing two women who filed charges against him back in 2013. The City Council settled the lawsuit with an 8-0 vote, approving the payment of $99,000 to the plaintiffs Michelle Tyler and Katherine Ragazzino. The harassment began when Tyler went to see Filner about securing federal benefits for Ragazzino, who had suffered multiple injuries while serving as a Marine in Iraq.

Tyler, a nurse, was the caretaker of Ragazzino who suffered from a traumatic brain injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. When meeting with Filner in June 2013, Tyler was told she would be given benefits “at a price” of a “personal and sexual relationship.” The two women filed a sexual harassment claim with the city, federal lawsuit, and a claim with the Navy to have the city reimburse Ragazzino’s medical care expenses related to the sexual harassment.

Filner was plagued with sexual harassment lawsuits beginning in July 2013 after being elected into office in November 2012. He was sentenced to three years probation and three months home detention. He was also ordered to pay $250,000 to former San Diego communications chief Irene McCormick Jackson, who also filed suit.

Sexual harassment is a violation of another person’s security and comfort. If you were sexually harassed and want to seek compensation for the emotional and psychological suffering you endured, contact the San Diego sexual harassment attorneys at Ritter & Associates. For more information on how we can help you, please call (619) 296-0123 today.

A Taco Bell marketing executive has lost his job after a video of him drunkenly assaulting his Uber driver went viral.

Costa Mesa police identified the passenger as 32-year-old Benjamin Golden and arrested him on charges of assault and public intoxication. The driver, Edward Caban, has since quit his job with the ride-sharing service and is now seeking $25,000 in damages in a civil lawsuit.

The dashcam video taken by Caban reveals Golden in the backseat appearing intoxicated, even toppling over at one point when the vehicle turns. Caban eventually pulls over and repeatedly tells Golden that the ride was over because he seemed to drunk to give him directions. Golden refuses, starts an argument, and then violently hits the Uber driver multiple times.

Golden has since said he is “hugely remorseful” and is now seeking counseling.

At Ritter & Associates, our San Diego personal injury lawyers are dedicated to finding justice for victims of assault. Our legal team can help you fight for your right to compensation after a traumatic incident like an assault. Call our San Diego office at (619) 296-0123 today to speak to a member of our team.

Nearly two dozen people have fallen ill due to E. coli linked to the fast food restaurant Chipotle. This is the third outbreak this year for the food chain. Due to the most recent outbreak, Chipotle has voluntarily shut down 43 of its locations in Washington and Oregon. Three people in Portland and 19 people in Washington have fallen ill from consuming Chipotle in the last few weeks. Of the two dozen affected individuals, eight have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported so far.

The Washington State Department of Health is currently investigating the cause of the outbreak. It is believed to be the cause of a fresh food product that was sent to various restaurants. Chipotle announced they are not planning on closing any other chains without evidence of the contamination spreading further.

Washington and Oregon state health officials are urging anyone experiencing intestinal symptoms that has recently eaten Chipotle since mid-October to see a doctor and get tested. Earlier this year, Chipotle was also linked with a salmonella outbreak that sickened dozens of people in Minnesota and norovirus that caused nearly 100 people to fall ill in California.

Chipotle food samples will continue to be tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine the source of the outbreak. If you have contracted a foodborne illness and are interested in compensation for the pain and suffering you experienced due to a dangerous food product, please contact the San Diego product liability attorneys of Ritter & Associates today. For more information on how we can help you, please call 619-296-0123.

Missouri-based multinational agro-chemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto Co. has been collecting lawsuits in relation to its herbicide, Roundup, which plaintiffs have said causes cancer in individual exposed to an ingredient in the product, glyphosate, a report from Reuters stated.

A new lawsuit was filed in the Delaware Superior Court on Wednesday, October 16 by three law firms representing three plaintiffs. One plaintiff is 24-year-old Joselin Barrera, a child of a migrant farmer who alleges that her non-Hodgkin lymphoma was the direct result of exposure to Roundup. Joining Barrerra in the suit is former migrant farm worker and landscaper Elias de la Garza, who was diagnosed with the same ailment.

At Ritter & Associates, the majority of our cases are centered around complaints against manufacturers and sellers of defective products. We understand how damaging a defective or faulty product can be, and we are here to help you pursue a compensatory claim in the wake of your injuries. To learn more, call us at (619) 296-0123 today.

Brazilian model Amelia Racine filed a negligence lawsuit last Wednesday, September 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court in California against the producers of a commercial for Indonesian cigarette manufacturer Djarum, and Bob Gordon Films and Selekt Media & Management, who hired her as an independent contractor for the commercial. Racine claimed she had been wounded during filming when her head slammed into a personal watercraft during a flyboard sequence.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages to the injuries.

According to the suit, Racine was hired to appear in the commercial in May 2014. The commercial involved her riding a flyboard, which is a water jetpack attached to a personal watercraft, at Lake Powell, a reservoir in the Colorado River.

Racine complained that a BGF employee directing the shoot told her not to wear a life vest or a helmet; she refused to heed the order and was allowed to wear a life vest, but not a helmet.

Our personal injury attorneys at Ritter & Associates in San Diego can be counted on for legal guidance and representation when it comes to filing claims for personal injury suits such as wrongful death, above ground pool dangers, premises liability, and motor vehicle accidents, among others. Call our offices today at (619) 296-0123.

California prosecutors did not approve a request for bail reduction on Friday, September 25 for 13 individuals who have declared their innocence in a $150 million fraud scam headed by Dr. Munir Uwaydah.

Fifteen people have been charged in the fraud scheme that involved marketers and workers’ compensation lawyers directing patients to Uwaydah’s clinic, where they would undergo unnecessary surgeries and medical procedures so that the suspects could bill insurance companies more. According to the prosecutors, “Hundreds of patients were cut and scarred by these fraudulent practices… Between 2007 and 2010.”

It has also become apparent that fraudulent claims and billings have been posted even after the 15 defendants were arraigned in court, illustrating the scope of the conspiracy.

When medical professionals abuse their patients’ trust by engaging in fraudulent practices or conducting unnecessary procedures, patients have a right to hold those licensed medical professionals accountable. At Ritter & Associates, our legal team can help you build your claim to compensation after suffering injury at the hands of a negligent individual or group. Call (619) 296-0123 to discuss your case today.