Patrick John McIlroy, 70, of Sun Valley, was killed in a Los Angeles car accident, which officials say, involved a hit-and-run driver. According to a CBS News report, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred early morning on August 28, 2011 near the intersection of Saticoy Street near Atoll Avenue. Police say a white, four-door sedan was traveling west on Saticoy when it struck the man. The driver did not stop.
McIlroy died at the scene. The hit-and-run suspect, identified as 21-year-old Alicia Carolina Benites, turned herself to the West Valley police station more than eight hours after the crash. Benites is facing felony hit-and-run charges. An investigation is ongoing.
I offer my deepest sympathies to the family members and friends of Patrick John McIlroy, the victim of this tragic hit-and-run car accident. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Los Angeles Pedestrian Accidents
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were 82 fatalities and 2,630 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles County as a whole, 179 people died and 4,918 were injured due to pedestrian accidents, during the same year.
Hit-and-Run Law
Based on this news report, officials say that Benites not only struck and fatally injured McIlroy, but also left him lying on the roadway without care or medical attention. What kind of a person does that to a fellow human being? Appalling! In my opinion, leaving the scene of a crash is an inexcusable act. “I was scared” or “I panicked” are simply not acceptable.
California Vehicle Code 20001 (a) states: “The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident.”
Holding Wrongdoers Accountable
In such cases, families of deceased car accident victims would be well-advised to contact an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and make sure that their legal rights and best interests are protected. A skilled car accident attorney will also be able to inform families about how their own car insurance policy applies to an incident where the hit-and-run driver is never identified, or, in a case where the at-fault motorist is uninsured or underinsured.