Callahan & Blaine

A Long Beach Fire Department Captain has pleaded guilty to several counts in connection with a hit-and-run accident that severely injured a bicyclist last April, according to a news report.

John David Hines, 38, was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, driving with a blood alcohol 0.08 percent or more causing injury and hit and run with injury.  He also agreed to sentencing enhancements for causing great bodily injury and having a blood alcohol level more than 0.20 percent.

Prosecutors allege that Hines was drinking at a Long Beach bar before he got into his Chevrolet pickup to drive home.  He lost control of his vehicle on Westminster Ave. in Seal Beach, swerved into the bike lane and crashed into bicyclist Jeffrey Gordon, 47, of Westminster.  Gordon was thrown more than 70 feet, and suffered serious head trauma, internal injuries and injuries to his spine.  He was hospitalized for two weeks and continues to suffer physical and mental impairments.

Hines fled the scene of the crash, and was followed to his home by two witnesses, who called police.  Court records show that Hines’ blood-alcohol content level was measured at 0.24 two hours after the accident.

If you or a loved one is involved in an accident that causes death or serious injury, call Callahan & Blaine, California’s Premier Litigation Firm. We are one of the leading catastrophic injury firms in the state of California. In fact, in the last five years alone our lawyers have obtained over $1.2 billion in verdicts and settlements, including a record breaking $50 Million settlement against the City of Dana Point, which has been certified as the largest personal injury settlement in the history of the United States.  Callahan & Blaine has also recently obtained a $28 Million settlement for a driver who was hit by a runaway truck wheel on the freeway, a $7 million settlement for a bicyclist who was struck by a newspaper delivery truck, and a $7.25 million settlement for a man who was run over trying to board a city bus.

Our success in litigating and negotiating personal injury cases comes from our uncommon approach; we handle each personal injury case as though it were a complex business litigation case, attacking it from every angle possible. While our firm is located in Orange County, California, we handle serious personal injury, wrongful death and product liability cases nationwide.

If you or someone you know has suffered a catastrophic injury or died as the result of a hit-and-run accident, please contact our California law firm for expert legal counsel.