A shattered family and some 10,000 police officers grieved this week for Ernest Allen, a veteran LAPD Southwest Division detective of 25 years, who lost his life while off-duty, shortly before 2:00 p.m., on Friday, March 13, 2015, in a Beverly Hills accident with a cement truck. The earth-shaking, fatal collision occurred when the cement truck hit a tree and then struck Allen’s pickup truck, after the big truck lost control going down dangerous Loma Vista Drive, where several accidents have occurred just in the past year.

LOMA VISTA DRIVE FATALITIES AND INJURIES

Allen was dead at the scene of the thunderous motor vehicle crash, which one witness, Ingrid Bisu, told reporters she mistook for an earthquake, before she went outside to find the crushed pickup truck, wrecked big truck, and the cement truck driver lying on the ground, his load of gravel spilled out around the crash site. This fatal commercial vehicle accident also injured the cement truck driver, who was transported to a hospital with serious injuries suffered in the wreck.

IS LOMA VISTA DRIVE TO BLAME?

Although police are still investigating the cause of the accident that killed Ernest Allen, some believe that Loma Vista Drive is unreasonably dangerous for commercial vehicle traffic. Another officer, Nicholas Choung Lee, known as Nick Lee, died in a Loma Vista Drive wreck with a dump truck in March, and last week, yet another cement truck crashed out of control through several parked cars on the same street. Beverly Hills officials have prohibited large trucks from using the street for 30 days, until they’ve had a chance to assess safety on Loma Vista Drive.

Still, driver negligence, trucking company negligence, or even the negligence of the city, cannot be ruled out as a cause of Ernest Allen’s death. A full investigation might reveal joint liability for the wrongful death of Ernest Allen, if more than one party’s negligence caused the death. Any combination of the city, the injured truck driver, or the cement truck company, could be found jointly and severally liable for damages in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by those who lost a treasured loved one in this deadly truck wreck.

SEEKING JUSTICE, FINDING ANSWERS

Those whose lives are torn apart by the loss of beloved family members and those who are seriously injured in trucking accidents deserve answers; but in most cases, neither voluntary answers nor voluntary financial assistance will come from wealthy insurance companies. Insurance lawyers and insurance adjustors begin working immediately after an accident, and you need immediate legal help from an experienced attorney who handles accidents involving big trucks and other commercial vehicles. A wrongful death lawsuit or a personal injury lawsuit often turns out to be the best way to obtain justice, the answers you want, and the monetary compensation you need, to help cover losses resulting from death or injury.

Call (888) 853-6696 to speak with an attorney and receive a free case consultation to discuss your legal rights and your options for seeking justice.

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