PALM SPRINGS, California – Daniel Otto, 38, a veteran detective with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, was killed Friday morning after he was ejected from the backseat of a gray 2006 Honda Accord in a rollover crash on the eastbound Interstate 10 freeway, according to news reports and a press release issued by the Riverside County Sheriff Coroner’s Department.
Otto, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, was vacationing in Southern California over Father’s Day weened with his family, according to news reports. According to California Highway Patrol officers who are investigating the crash Otto was not wearing his seatbelt when the crash occurred. Police said the vehicle veered off the roadway about a mile east of Red Cloud Road in the Desert Center area at 8:05 a.m. and Otto died about an hour later.
Others injured in the crash included the driver, Daniel Case, 83, who reportedly lost control of the vehicle due to a medical condition, a front seat passenger, Phyllis Case, 82, both of Mesa, Arizona and a 9-year-old child from Columbus, Ohio. Paramedics transported the injured victims to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs where they were treated for undisclosed injuries sustained in the crash.
“Tragically this man’s family will not only have to cope with the emotional pain of losing their father on Father’s Day weekend, but also they will lose his ongoing love and support,” said Attorney West Seegmiller, founder of the Seegmiller Law Firm.
Los Angeles Car Accident Statistics
According to the annual California Statewide Integrated Traffic report there were 554 fatal and 50,817 injury traffic accidents reported in Los Angeles County in 2009. Additionally, there were 2,805 fatal and 163,524 injury crashes in California in 2009.
“Driving in Los Angeles county can be particularly dangerous due to the high volume of cars on the roadways that lead to congestion and ultimately accidents,” said Attorney West Seegmiller, founder of the Seegmiller Law Firm. “Indeed this is a tragedy for the family of Dan Otto as well as the injured victims involved.”
Police investigate every car accident involving a death to determine the cause of a crash and whether there was liability on the part of the driver or other vehicles. In the case of a medical condition causing a crash, the driver’s insurance company may still be obliged to pay for the medical expenses of those injured or passengers killed in a crash. Witnesses are strongly encouraged to call police to report what they saw as it will help investigators determine what exactly happened.
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The Seegmiller Law Firm can be reached at 1-855-ASK–WEST. For over 30 years, the firm has been a staunch advocate for victims’ rights and has fought for clients involved in personal injury and wrongful death cases, including premises liability, product liability, auto accidents, dog bites, nursing home negligence, medical malpractice, at-work injuries and more. The firm has offices in Irvine, Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino, San Diego, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
