Six people were injured Monday when a car crashed into a tutoring center in Fountain Valley.
The accident happened about 12:27 p.m. A 2011 Buick sedan, driven by 76-year-old Huntington Beach resident Peter Hauk, crashed through plate glass at the front of the Tutoring Club, located at 9985 Ellis Ave.
The driver and five people inside the Tutoring Club were injured. Injury victims inside the Tutoring Club included a 67-year-old grandmother who was picking up her grandchild, two 15-year-old boys, a 20-year-old man, and a tutor at the Club, 32-year-old Matt Martinez. Preliminary information indicates that Martinez suffered the most serious injuries. He underwent emergency surgery Monday. All of the injury victims were transported to Western Medical Center.
According to Dave Hill, owner of the Tutoring Club, after the accident, the driver kept saying, "I'm sorry, it was an accident."
When a single driver is responsible for injury to multiple victims, it is very likely that the driver will not have enough auto insurance to cover all of the victims' injury claims. Assuming the driver had insufficient coverage, the injury victims can make an underinsured motorist claim under their own auto insurance policies (or the policies of their parents if the injury victims are minors). In order for an injury victim to be able to make an underinsured motorist claim under their own policy, their underinsured motorist policy limit must exceed the at-fault driver's policy limit. If it is equal to or less than the at-fault driver's policy limit, then underinsured motorist coverage will not apply.
McGee, Lerer & Associates is a Long Beach personal injury law firm that specializes in serious injury claims. Lawyers Daniel McGee and Catherine Lerer are a husband and wife team with over 38 years of experience. The firm handles only personal injury cases. Our clients include victims of car crashes, motorcycle collisions and bike accidents. Many of our clients are victims of accidents caused by elderly drivers. Call us for a free consultation with a lawyer, 24-7.