Fatal accident on the 57 freeway
Orange County’s former chief executive officer ran into a disabled vehicle while driving on the 57 Freeway, a crash that killed two people, the California Highway Patrol reported.
According to a preliminary report, Thomas Mauk, 69, rear-ended a disabled vehicle on the 57 Freeway near Diamond Bar late Sunday.
Anubhai Patel, 67, and his wife, Shardaben Patel, 68, were inside the vehicle at the time of the crash. The Anaheim couple died from their injuries.
Police said Mauk and his wife, Denise, both from Whittier, were southbound on the freeway when their 2008 Cadillac Escalade slammed into the back of the 2006 Toyota Prius north of Pathfinder Road.
The Prius had been reported as disabled in the No. 3 lane just minutes earlier, according to a CHP report.
Mauk and his wife suffered minor injuries and neither was arrested after the crash, which remains under investigation.
Mauk resigned from his Orange County post last summer amid heavy criticism on how county executives handled an internal investigation into a fellow executive’s alleged misconduct.
Automobile Collisions and Wrongful Death Liability
While the accident on April 24 remains under investigation, the family members of the victims in the minivan would be well-advised to seek immediate consultation from an experienced wrongful death lawyer. An experienced attorney can advise the victims of their legal rights and decide the best course of action in recovering the maximum compensation for their injuries, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Also, in unique and complex situations such as this one, an attorney can hire a highly skilled independent investigator to reconstruct the scene of the accident to determine who is at fault.
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