Friday, August 26, 2005
SUPERVISOR STONE SUED OVER FEBRUARY ACCIDENT
Supervisor Stone sued over February accident
By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer
AUGUST 2005 - THE CALIFORNIAN
RIVERSIDE ---- A lawsuit has been filed against Supervisor Jeff Stone and Riverside County in connection with a traffic accident the former Temecula councilman was involved in while driving his county vehicle to work last winter. The suit, filed by Elena Satalan of Moreno Valley, seeks an unspecified amount of damages from Stone and the county to cover medical expenses and loss of pay she allegedly incurred, according to court documents. The suit states that she was unable to work following the collision.
The accident occurred at 7:28 on the morning of Feb. 22, near the intersection of Alessandro Boulevard and Barton Street in southeastern Riverside. Stone, reached by telephone Friday, said he was driving from his Temecula home to his office at the County Administrative Center in downtown Riverside at the time. The suit was filed Aug. 5 in Riverside Superior Court. Satalan was driving a 1999 Toyota; Stone drove a 2005 Chrysler 300 owned by the county. Stone said the accident occurred on a cloudy, rainy morning when roads were slick. "It was one of those unfortunate situations where it was raining profusely," he said. "When the light turned yellow, there was plenty of time for the cars in front of me to go through the yellow light, but someone slammed on the brakes."Stone said he responded by slamming on his brakes, but was unable to stop his vehicle in time to avoid skidding into the rear end of the car in front of him."It was a very minor impact," he said, saying the county car was traveling 5 to 8 mph. "It was a slight tap." He said the damage to the woman's car totaled no more than $200 to $300."I feel bad if she was in fact hurt," Stone said. "Unfortunately, accidents happen. This is why you have insurance. This is the first accident I have had in 10 or 15 years." Satalan filed a claim for damages with the county on May 13, and on July 15 county officials denied it. Neither Satalan nor her attorney could be reached for comment Friday. Elected to a four-year term in 2004, Stone has been a member of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors since early January. He represents the county's 3rd District, which stretches from Temecula and Murrieta to Hemet and Idyllwild.Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or ddowney@californian.com.
MY COMMENTS:
A: MUST BE NICE TO DRIVE A NICE FANCY CAR ON THE TAXPAYERS MONEY!
B: WHY WOULD SOMEONE DURING A RAIN STORM BE TRYING TO RACE THROUGH AN INTERSECTION, ESPECIALLY A YELLOW LIGHT? I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DRIVE CAREFULLY DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER - NOT DASH THROUGH YELLOW LIGHTS.
C: WHY WAS THE HIT DRIVERS' MS. SATALAN CLAIM REFUSED BY THE COUNTY? OR, WHY DIDN'T STONE TAKE CARE OF THE PAYMENT FOR THE AUTOMOBILE DAMAGE HIMSELF???
By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer
AUGUST 2005 - THE CALIFORNIAN
RIVERSIDE ---- A lawsuit has been filed against Supervisor Jeff Stone and Riverside County in connection with a traffic accident the former Temecula councilman was involved in while driving his county vehicle to work last winter. The suit, filed by Elena Satalan of Moreno Valley, seeks an unspecified amount of damages from Stone and the county to cover medical expenses and loss of pay she allegedly incurred, according to court documents. The suit states that she was unable to work following the collision.
The accident occurred at 7:28 on the morning of Feb. 22, near the intersection of Alessandro Boulevard and Barton Street in southeastern Riverside. Stone, reached by telephone Friday, said he was driving from his Temecula home to his office at the County Administrative Center in downtown Riverside at the time. The suit was filed Aug. 5 in Riverside Superior Court. Satalan was driving a 1999 Toyota; Stone drove a 2005 Chrysler 300 owned by the county. Stone said the accident occurred on a cloudy, rainy morning when roads were slick. "It was one of those unfortunate situations where it was raining profusely," he said. "When the light turned yellow, there was plenty of time for the cars in front of me to go through the yellow light, but someone slammed on the brakes."Stone said he responded by slamming on his brakes, but was unable to stop his vehicle in time to avoid skidding into the rear end of the car in front of him."It was a very minor impact," he said, saying the county car was traveling 5 to 8 mph. "It was a slight tap." He said the damage to the woman's car totaled no more than $200 to $300."I feel bad if she was in fact hurt," Stone said. "Unfortunately, accidents happen. This is why you have insurance. This is the first accident I have had in 10 or 15 years." Satalan filed a claim for damages with the county on May 13, and on July 15 county officials denied it. Neither Satalan nor her attorney could be reached for comment Friday. Elected to a four-year term in 2004, Stone has been a member of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors since early January. He represents the county's 3rd District, which stretches from Temecula and Murrieta to Hemet and Idyllwild.Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or ddowney@californian.com.
MY COMMENTS:
A: MUST BE NICE TO DRIVE A NICE FANCY CAR ON THE TAXPAYERS MONEY!
B: WHY WOULD SOMEONE DURING A RAIN STORM BE TRYING TO RACE THROUGH AN INTERSECTION, ESPECIALLY A YELLOW LIGHT? I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DRIVE CAREFULLY DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER - NOT DASH THROUGH YELLOW LIGHTS.
C: WHY WAS THE HIT DRIVERS' MS. SATALAN CLAIM REFUSED BY THE COUNTY? OR, WHY DIDN'T STONE TAKE CARE OF THE PAYMENT FOR THE AUTOMOBILE DAMAGE HIMSELF???
// posted by Watchdog @ 6:11 PM 
