A 60-year-old Chandler resident was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street at Alma School and Pecos Roads early Wednesday morning. He was taken to a Scottsdale hospital and is recovering after surgery. The man told police in an interview at the hospital that he had a walk sign and was at the crosswalk about 5:15 a.m. when the vehicle hit him, said Detective David Ramer, a police spokesman. The investigation is continuing and detectives have spoken with the driver. It's unclear yet whether any charges will be filed or citations issued, Ramer said. If you have been injured in a pedestrian/motor vehicle collision, do not give a statement to any insurance company before contacting Beauchamp Law Office for a free consultation of your personal injury claim at arizonaaccidentinjury.com

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Blood rushed from the unconscious man's head. A crowd gathered as men pushed and threatened each other and women holding the victim yelled at the man in the Arizona Cardinals jersey who had thrown the knock-out punch. When Chandler police arrived in the first minutes of 2008 at McDuffy's Bar & Grill, 980 E. Pecos Road, there was more fighting before two men left in handcuffs: Levi Pew, 25, who was charged a month later with manslaughter, and Jeremy Self, 36, who was booked on suspicion of disorderly conduct, interfering with a police investigation and resisting arrest. Self of Mesa alleges in a June 27 notice of claim that he was trying to keep the peace and help the injured man, Wallace Murray, 25, when Chandler police tackled him from behind, stung him with a Taser and broke his elbow. The claim is paperwork a plaintiff must file before suing a government agency in Arizona. Self also alleges the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office didn't provide adequate medical treatment while he was in jail for three days after the incident. The Chandler Police Department declined comment for this story. However, Chandler police officers who responded to the fight wrote in their reports they told Self three times to back away from the injured man before they placed him under arrest and he resisted. Reports say it took three officers to take down Self, a personal trainer and construction worker who stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 260 pounds. Officers also wrote in their reports that Self admitted to not listening to them. Some of the witnesses, including his wife, said police were telling him to back away, the report states. Self declined to be interviewed for this story, but his attorney, Joel Robbins, said police were just telling people to step aside and never announced their presence as they arrived to control the mob. If they had done that, Robbins said, Self would have complied instantly. "They just kind of jumped on Jeremy," Robbins said. According to the police report, Self was at the restaurant with a party of 10 while Pew and Murray, brothers-in-law, were there with their wife and girlfriend and some other friends. Self had a brief exchange of words with Pew, but nothing came of it. Pew, Murray and their party were then kicked out of the bar by the manager of McDuffy's and the two men got into a shouting match outside. Pew eventually punched Murray once in the face, causing him to fall and hit his head on the pavement. He suffered a fractured skull and a doctor declared him brain dead the next day. Self was leaving when he saw Murray on the ground and determined he wasn't breathing. He went to Murray's aid but then saw that Pew and one of his friends were about to fight, so he jumped up to intervene. Police wrote that when they arrived Self and Pew were in a pushing match. Self, whose hands and arms were covered in Murray's blood, said he was walking back to Murray when police tackled him from behind. "Jeremy says he did not know it was police when they made physical contact with him," homicide detective Brett Lockwood wrote in his report. If you have been injured by the negligence of another, contact Beauchamp Law Office for a free consultation of your claim at beauchamplawoffice.com

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Chandler settled a police brutality case and won a judgment in a lawsuit in federal court in June. The city agreed to pay $7,500 to Stephen Madrid, 32, who accused a Chandler police officer of beating him with a flashlight while he was handcuffed on Nov. 15, 2005. "One of the reasons we settled was he needed to get on with his life," said G. David DeLozier, Madrid's attorney. Madrid complained of lingering medical problems sustained from the alleged beating, which would have been difficult to prove at trial, DeLozier said. A trial would have cost Chandler and his client much more than $7,500, DeLozier said. According to court documents, officer Mark Olivier went downtown in response to a 911 call made by Madrid. Police had responded to two calls in previous hours involving Madrid, but the victims in those calls refused to press charges. Olivier then arrested Madrid for a false 911 call. Madrid was agitated, talking gibberish and uncooperative, court records say. Madrid kicked Olivier in the face, bruising and cutting his face, and in the ensuing struggle "both parties received further injury," the document states. Madrid was charged with aggravated assault and was acquitted at trial in May 2007. In the other incident, U.S. District Judge John W. Sedwick granted judgment on June 26 in favor of the city and a police officer in a case in which a Chandler man accused police of violating his constitutional rights by ticketing him for parking on an unimproved surface, a misdemeanor violation of the city code. Michael Sembach also sued a city judge for issuing an arrest warrant after he failed to show in court and the police officer who arrested him. Sembach argued that the officer had to possess the warrant when the arrest occurred. Sedwick wrote that there were no constitutional violations. Sedwick refused to grant the city attorney fees, however, saying that "although a lawyer can easily see the lack of foundation," Sembach represented himself. If you or a loved one has been injured by the negligence of another person(s), contact an attorney at Beauchamp Law Office at beauchamplawoffice.

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Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputy and a 20-year-old woman are hospitalized after a car crash Saturday afternoon on Bush Highway in Mesa.

Officials said a deputy was traveling southbound on Bush Highway near Granite Reef Dam Road around 12:30 p.m. when he noticed a speeder approaching in the opposite direction.

The deputy pulled to the side and attempted a U-turn, striking a blue Ford Ranger truck traveling northbound on the highway.

The truck spun around and landed on its side. The driver of the truck, Anne Middents of Tempe, escaped with no visible injuries, but was taken to the hospital for cautionary reasons.

The deputy drove himself to a local hospital with shoulder injuries.                                     

Matteson said the speeder was never identified and did not stop to offer help.

If you have been injured due to another party's negligence, contact Beauchamp Law Office for a free evaluation of your claim at http://arizonaaccidentinjury.com/

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