She was traveling from Missouri or Mississippi to California, her birth name was Kimberly Simmons.

I’m sorry to hear that you lost a friend.

I was unable to find anything with the info you’ve provided, but hopefully you can do better…

1) You need to know the current name, as it will be very difficult to locate her with her birth name (if it has changed).
Also try to find out where the accident occurred. There is a lot of distance between the midwest (or the south) and California. Do you know her home town, and her age?
(I found several accidents regarding a Kimberly Simmons, but I don’t think they have anything to do with your friend – one was a 24 yr old, another 40 yrs old, and both accidents were several years ago.)

The more of this info you know, the better the chances you will find something on the Internet.

2) Here are some tips that have helped me locate such information.
a) If you can find the name of the county or the town, do searches with the name of the town, using
+accident + kimberly+ "name of town"
b) If you cannot find anything that way, look for local newspapers or TV stations:
+"name of town" +newspaper
+"name of town" +media
+"name of town" +TV stations
Then when you find the paper or the TV station, do searches on their site (especially in "archives") to see if you can find articles about your friend.
c) Look for obituaries – these would be in your friend’s hometown paper, but they will not appear until about 3-7 days after the death. These may actually show the birth name, so you may have to keep searching for a week or more.

Good luck to you.

more road rash

Do I need to report the accident to California DMV if I scratched the rental car while backing from really tight parking space (no one was injured, no other car was involved in an accident, this accident happened at the place where I live currently)? I still don’t know the estimate of the damage to their car, but let’s assume it’s greater than $750.

Thanks!

Yes, you have to report the accident to the DMV if the damages are over $750 or if there’s any bodily injury. If the insurance company reports this before you do, the DMV will suspend your license for not reporting it.

If so, what would be your advice for a previous rider who has the itch? What is your advice on managing an accident. Thanks.

Never "lay her down", never abandon the vehicle. Dress for the fall, ride like you’re invisible.

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Accidents.html

Meaning will the driver always serve a prison term regardless of who was in the wrong? Does the "loss of life" mean automatic felony charge regardless of the circumstances?

No. That’s why they are called "accidents". (They’re really called collisions by police.)

If the driver, living driver, is found to be grossly negligent, they will probably face a trial.