Three people were injured Saturday — one critically — in a car accident caused by an unsafe left turn in Vacaville’s Leisure Town.

•   A pickup truck driver stopped at a stop sign and then turned left in a busy residential neighborhood. Police say she turned into the path of another vehicle.

•   The pickup truck was T-boned by the other vehicle, which crashed into the driver’s side of the truck.

•   The pickup truck driver suffered critical injuries, including broken vertebrae, and was airlifted to a Level II trauma center.

•   The driver and passenger of the other vehicle were hospitalized with minor injuries.

The accident occurred shortly before 8 p.m., according to an article in the Vacaville Reporter.

Vacaville police/traffic officer Rod Neal said 39-year-old local resident Kimberley Woodside was driving her gray 2004 Nissan Titan pickup truck in the Leisure Town area when the accident happened.

Woodside had stopped at a stop sign on Arbor Oak Drive and pulled out to make a left turn onto Leisure Town Drive. She drove into the path of a southbound maroon Jeep Liberty sports utility vehicle driven by 21-year-old Sarah Richardson of Fairfield.

Richardson’s SUV crashed into Woodside’s pickup truck, slamming into the driver’s side.

Woodside suffered major injuries, including fractured vertebrae and a broken ankle. She was airlifted via CALSTAR helicopter to the Level II Trauma Center at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in South Sacramento, where she was listed in critical condition, Neal said.

Woodside’s family later told authorities she was transferred out of the hospital’s intensive care unit on Sunday night. She remained hospitalized but her condition was downgraded to stable on Monday.

Richardson and her passenger, 18-year-old Abigail John, also of Fairfield, both were hospitalized with injuries that were described as minor. The specific nature and extent of their injuries was not known.

All three victims were wearing seat belts, Neal said.

Officials closed Leisure Town Road between Elmira Road and Kingswood Avenue for nearly five hours, Neal said. The accident is under investigation.

Left-Turn Accidents

Left-turn accidents are very common, especially at non-signaled intersections, because it is so easy to misjudge another vehicle’s distance and speed.

Left-turn accidents are often high-impact and can cause severe injury, especially when a T-bone is involved.

California Highway Patrol officer Bill Preciado told the Los Angeles Times that typically the oncoming vehicle has the right of way, so the driver making the left turn should yield.

“Intersection crashes are the most dangerous because it usually involves side impact and most vehicles are not well reinforced around the doors, meaning that you’ll have inward intrusion of metal into the vehicle compartment,” Preciado said.

Side-impact crashes can result in the snapping of the neck and injury to vital organs for the driver who was making the left turn, Preciado said.

CHP public affairs officer Anne Richards said almost 15 percent of all motor vehicle accident deaths occur as a result of unsafe or improper left turns.

Vacaville Car Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented car accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A 4-alarm fire above a San Francisco Walgreens store displaced 14 people. (Photo: KTVU)

Fourteen people lost their homes Tuesday when a four-alarm fire ripped through an apartment building above the Walgreens store in the Lower Haight neighborhood of San Francisco.

•   A fire broke out in the top floor of a three-story building on the corner of Haight and Fillmore Streets and quickly spread.

•   The massive amount of thick smoke made it difficult for firefighters to battle the four-alarm blaze.

•   Fourteen residents were displaced. There were only two minor injuries reported.

The fire was first reported at about 4 p.m., according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The three-story building is on the corner of Haight and Fillmore streets. A Walgreens store is on street level and the top two floors contain 25 residential apartments.

The fire is believed to have started on the top floor. A number of witnesses said they heard several small explosions or “popping” sounds just before the fire broke out, San Francisco Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.

Residents ran out into the street to escape the smoke and flames that engulfed the building. Talmadge said 125 firefighters battled the blaze, which initially was a one-alarm fire but was upgraded to four alarms as the flames quickly spread throughout the top floor.

Witness Neicy Hopkins told told the San Francisco Examiner she saw a women jump from a second-story window when the fire started. Hopkins said the woman walked away from the building.

“Something exploded and broke out all the windows. That’s when the woman jumped,” Hopkins said. “You could see the flames. It was horrible.”

The entire building was quickly evacuated. Only two people were injured. A firefighter suffered a cut on one of his fingers and a resident of the building suffered a minor injury that was treated at the scene. No serious burn injuries were reported.

Large plumes of dark, black smoke billowed out of the building, and a gray smoke-filled cloud covered the neighborhood.  The large volume of smoke in the attic made it difficult for firefighters, Talmadge said. There also were a number of explosions that fire officials said might have come from “firecrackers or paint.”

The fire was extinguished except for a few hot spots by 5:30 p.m., Talmadge said. Red Cross personnel were at the scene to help residents displaced by the fire. But as Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi told NBC News, many of the building residents were still at work when the fire broke out, so they had no idea their apartments had been destroyed.

“Many do not know what has just happened to their housing,” he said.

Emergency officials closed the streets to traffic for a block in each direction. Several bus lines — the 6, 22, and 71 lines — were rerouted, San Francisco Municipal Railway spokesman Paul Rose said.

Damage estimates were not available on Tuesday, nor was it clear how long the Walgreens would remain closed.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Talmadge said there was not yet enough information to consider it suspicious.

Here are more photos of the fire. Click on a thumbnail to see it full-size.

San Francisco Fire Loss Attorneys

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented fire loss victims for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Fatal DUI crash: A 21-year-old drunk driver was arrested in Sacramento on Saturday for fleeing the scene of a car accident that killed one person and injured five others — including two children under 5 years old.

•   A drunk driver crashed into a wall on an elevated section of Highway 50 that is a bridge over railroad tracks.

•   The car caught fire and the driver fled the scene, leaving five passengers — including two young children — in the burning car.

•   CHP officers later found the body of a sixth passenger, who had been riding in the trunk and was ejected on impact. He plunged almost 100 feet to the railroad tracks below and died.

•   Police found and arrested the drunk driver on charges of felony DUI, hit-and-run, and child endangerment. He also may face manslaughter charges.

The deadly hit-and-run accident occurred at about 12:15 a.m., according to a KCRA News report.

California Highway Patrol officers said 21-year-old Jacinto Mendoza was driving erratically in the eastbound lanes of Highway 50 when the accident happened.

Witnesses told the CHP Mendoza was weaving when he lost control of his car and crashed into a retaining wall on the right side of the freeway near 65th Street. That section of the highway is on an elevated bridge over some railroad tracks.

The car burst into flames with five passengers inside — and Mendoza fled the scene on foot.

Paramedics said three of the passengers were between 17 and 22 years old. The other two were under age 5. All five of the passengers were taken to area hospitals to be treated for injuries that were described as not life-threatening. The nature and extent of their injuries was not known. Authorities did not say if any of them had suffered burn injuries.

CHP officers later discovered a dead body lying in a field near the crash site. The body wasn’t spotted until 9:15 a.m. because it was so dark when the accident occurred.

CHP spokesman Michael Bradley told the Sacramento Bee the victim had been thrown from Mendoza’s car when it crashed into the wall. Bradley said the victim had been riding in the trunk of Mendoza’s car.  When the car crashed, the victim was thrown from the trunk and fell 75 to 100 feet to the railroad tracks below the highway.

Police found Mendoza nearby shortly after the accident and arrested him. He was initially charged with felony drunk driving, hit-and-run, and child endangerment. After investigators found the dead body that had been ejected from his car during the accident, manslaughter was added to the list of possible charges.

Mendoza was booked into Sacramento County Jail, where bail was set at $250,000. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call the CHP at 916-681-2300.

Sacramento Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented drunk driving accident victims and their families for more than 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Police charged a drunk driver with felony DUI Tuesday afternoon after she crashed into a car on Highway 101 in Santa Rosa — twice. Two people in the car she hit were hospitalized.

•   An extremely drunk driver came barreling up Highway 101 at 80 mph and crashed into a car in front of her.

•   Both cars stopped. Then the drunk driver pulled forward and hit the car again, apparently unintentionally.

•   The two people in the car she hit were hospitalized with moderate injuries. The drunk driver was arrested at the scene.

The DUI highway crash occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m., according to a report in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

The California Highway Patrol said 49-year-old Sergio Munoz of Santa Rosa was driving his Jeep Cherokee northbound on Highway 101 at the time of the crash.

Munoz was traveling just under the speed limit approaching Todd Road when a Honda Accord driven by 24-year-old Katelyn Jane Leon of Rohnert Park drove up behind him at more than 80 mph, the CHP said.

The Accord struck the Jeep from the rear. Both vehicles stopped. And then, when a witness apparently tried to speak to Leon, she drove forward and hit the Jeep again.

Both Munoz and his passenger, 25-year-old Meseal Valderon of Windsor, were injured. They were taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital to be treated. The exact nature and extent of their injuries was not known, but CHP officers described them as moderate.

Leon was not injured. The CHP said she appeared to be extremely intoxicated, but information about her blood alcohol level was not released. She failed a field sobriety test and was arrested on the spot. She was charged with felony driving under the influence.

Santa Rosa Car Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented car accident victims and their families for more than 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A 6-year-old girl was killed and five others were injured in a hit-and-run road rage crash in Salinas. (Photo: Monterey Herald)

A 6-year-old girl was killed Wednesday in a high-speed SUV rollover crash fueled by road rage on Highway 101 in Salinas.

•   A man driving an SUV with five family members inside spotted a pickup truck carrying his stolen motorcycle.

•   A high-speed chase ensued. The SUV driver went onto the shoulder to try to pass a vehicle and the SUV rolled over.

•   The SUV driver’s daughter died and his wife was airlifted to a hospital with major injuries. Three of his children also were injured.

•   The pickup truck fled the scene. Police were still looking for the truck.

The highway crash occurred at about 4:30 p.m., according to a report in the Monterey Herald.

California Highway Patrol officer Robert Lehman said 33-year-old Luis Armando Molina of Salinas was driving a 2000 black Chevrolet Suburban SUV northbound on Highway 101 when he spotted a pickup truck in front of him that was carrying a motorcycle in the back. The motorcycle belonged to Molina and had been stolen, Lehman said.

Molina started chasing the pickup truck on the highway. Both vehicles were traveling at very high speed, Lehman said. Molina tried to pass slower traffic by driving on the shoulder, but his SUV went out of control near the Boronda Road exit and rolled over several times.

Molina’s 6-year-old daughter, Xitlali Molina, was ejected from the vehicle. She suffered catastrophic injuries.

Paramedics rushed the little girl to Natividad Medical Center, where advanced life-saving measures were attempted, but her injuries proved fatal. She was pronounced dead just after 5 p.m., the coroner said.

Molina’s wife, 32-year-old Maria Molina, was airlifted to a Bay Area trauma center with moderate to major injuries, KSBW News reported.

CHP officers had to clear the highway so the CALSTAR helicopter could land on the northbound lane. The chopper left with the injured woman at about 5:20 p.m., the CHP said. It is not known if she had been notified of her daughter’s death at that time.

Three other children also were injured in the crash — 2-year-old Aurora Molina, 5-year-old Marilu Molina, and 10-year-old Luis Molina. Their injuries were described as minor to moderate and were not believed to be life-threatening.

Molina himself sustained only minor injuries. The CHP said he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol but could face involuntary manslaughter charges for the death of his 6-year-old daughter.

Police were still looking for the pickup truck. The accident remains under investigation.

Salinas SUV Rollover Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented SUV rollover crash victims and their families for more than 35 years.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.