In a very sad case of a car crash in Orange County, a young man was killed while simply standing next to a stopped car. Cameron Cook was a passenger in a 2001 Chevy Camaro driven by a friend. The friend somehow crashed his Chevy Camaro on the right side of the 57 Freeway in Orange County, just south of Katella Avenue. The Chevy Camaro ended up stopped on the right hand side of the Freeway on a Freeway overpass bridge. It appears that the left front of the Chevy Camaro was still sticking slightly out into the right hand lane of the 57 Freeway.
Cameron got out of the vehicle and was apparently standing between the vehicle and the edge of the bridge. The friend who had been driving the Chevy Camaro had gotten out of the car with Cameron. The friend then got back into the Chevy Camaro to turn on the hazard warning flashers.
Another vehicle, a 1993 Honda Civic, came along and struck the front fender of the friend’s Chevy Camaro. The force of the impact caused the front of the Chevy Camaro to be knocked to the right, striking Cameron Cook. The impact then pushed Cameron over the edge of the bridge and he fell approximately 50 feet to a concrete embankment below. Cameron was taken to the UC Medical Center where he was unfortunately pronounced dead.
No one likes to talk about a sad case like this. The impact on Cameron’s family and their grief is immense.
The question still arises, however, as to who was most responsible for Cameron’s death. There is no indication that the driver of the Honda vehicle which came along and struck the Chevy Camaro hit it on purpose. The case against that driver is thus one of negligence. A negligent driver is usually held financially responsible for all the harm caused by his or her actions.
Then what about the driver of the Chevy Camar in which Cameron had been riding as a passenger? It appears that he may have caused his car ro be stopped on the right hand side of the road because it had spun out. If he had not spun out the car rhe accident might never have happened.
In addition, the driver of the Chevy Camaro also apparently lstopped the Chevy Camaro so that the left front of the Camaro was sticking out into the right hand lane of the 57 Freeway. If he had not done that the accident also might not have happened.
Insurance will usually pay compensation for the harm caused by the negligence of a driver. In this case, the parents and family of Cameron Cook are the harmed persons and they have a claim against the person or persons found responsible for the death of Cameron Cook. Their claim is for loss of the love, care, companionship and any future financial support they might have received from Cameron, the young man who died in this sad and unfortunate case.
John P. Burns, Attorney at Law, San Juan Capistrano, CA