

Fleeing Hit-and-Run Driver Injures 4

Four people were injured in Woodland Hills on Saturday in a multi-vehicle car accident involving a hit-and-run driver.

The accident happened about 11:30 a.m. The driver of a red Chrysler Sebring was eastbound on Ventura Blvd., near Peralta Ave., when he rear-ended a van driven by Tom Dennin. According to Dennin, his van spun up onto the sidewalk , where it took out a parking meter. The Chrysler driver then fled the scene of the accident. At Ventura Blvd. and DeSoto Ave., the Chrysler driver rear-ended a second vehicle, this time a Mercedes, causing it to spin out of control into oncoming lanes, where it slammed into a Toyota Avalon.

Four people were injured, including two men in the Chrysler, a 60-year-old and a 40-year-old. The 60-year-old suffered head injuries. The 40-year-old was ejected from the car and suffered injury to his chest. The Toyota driver, 47-years-old, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

Two people had to be extricated from the wreckage. 50 firefighters and six ambulances responded to the crash.

Dennin and his 12-year-old daughter, who was a passenger in his van, were not injured.

In an accident such as this, there is a good chance that the driver who caused the collisions will not have enough insurance to pay all of the victims' injury and property damage claims. The only way to protect yourself from being at the mercy of someone else's liability policy limit is to make sure you have plenty of uninsured (underinsured) motorist coverage. At our Santa Monica personal injury law firm, we recommend to all our clients that they have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of at least $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident. Even better: $250,000 per person, $500,000 per accident.