Driver Pleads No Contest in Fatal 4th of July Accident That Killed a Fireworks Spectator

Source: http://bit.ly/vkMVQn (KTLA)

SAN FERNANDO, Calif. (KTLA) — A Canyon Country woman who allegedly killed one person and injured several others when she drove into a crowd watching Fourth of July fireworks in 2010 pleaded no contest to charges Monday in court.

Prosecutor Richard Quinones said Melissa Brigette Brown, 23, pleaded no contest to one count of vehicular manslaughter. A judge dismissed an infraction against her for failing to stop at a red light.

Brown is expected to be sentenced Nov. 9 in San Fernando Superior Court, according to prosecutors. She faces up to six years in state prison.

Prosecutors say Brown crashed into another vehicle July 4, 2010 after running a red light. She then lost control of her car and careened into the crowd of spectators gathered for the fireworks display. 

Matilda Garnica, 43, who was standing on a sidewalk, was killed in the crash. Several others sustained minor injuries.

 

If you or someone you know has been involved in any type of car accident, contact the Friedman Law Offices today!

Ari Friedman
Personal Injury Lawyer
Los Angeles
www.AFriedman.com

Defend Your Money!

Source: DefendYourDollars.org, a project of Consumers UnionThe banks are doing it to us again!

Bank of America just announced it will charge customers $5 a month for debit card purchases beginning in January. That’s right, $5 a month to spend your own money. Even if you swipe your card only once – say for a $2 cup of coffee – you’ll still get hit with the fee, making that cup a whopping $7!

And it’s not just BofA. Wells Fargo and Chase are testing out similar fees to decide if they want to follow suit.

It wasn’t that long ago that taxpayers had to rescue Bank of America because their get-rich schemes emptied their coffers and drove our economy to the brink. Now they’re whining that they don’t make enough money off electronic transactions that cost them almost nothing to process.

If you are outraged by these new fees, take action now. It’s time consumers fight back!

If you shop with your debit card (why else have one?) you will pay BofA $60 a year to access your own money. This is ridiculous, particularly since the banks already charge retailers a fee that more than covers the cost of the electronic transaction every time you swipe your debit card.

Congress should investigate if these fees reflect the true cost of processing customers’ debit card transactions – and if the answer is no, do something to stop them.

Even if you don’t use one of these banks, you can still help hold banks accountable for the fees they charge. Ask your members of Congress to get to the bottom of these new fees right now, before we all get soaked again!

Send your message now, and also get tips on how to safely change banks.

The more consumers Congress hears from, the better chance we have of swift action. Please click on the link to send your message now, then forward this (or share it on Facebook) with others so they can do the same.