A father and his two young children were injured in a Huntington Beach car accident after they were struck by a vehicle while walking in a crosswalk. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the injury collision occurred at the intersection of Central Park Drive and Edwards Street, the afternoon of September 26, 2011. Investigators say the father was holding a 1-year-old child and had another 3-year-old with him who was riding a tricycle. They were all walking across the street in a marked crosswalk when a motorist making a left turn onto northbound Edwards hit them. All three were transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police are looking into why the driver failed to see the pedestrians in the crosswalk.
My heart goes out to these injured victims. I’m relieved to hear that they did not suffer critical injuries. This accident could certainly have been a lot worse. I wish the injured victims the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Pedestrian Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were three fatalities and 58 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Huntington Beach. In Orange County as a whole, 41 people died and 864 were injured due to pedestrian accidents, during the same year.
Right-of-Way Issues
Based on this news report, the intersection where this accident took place had marked crosswalks and was monitored by a four-way stop. Motorists are not only required to come to a complete stop at a stop sign and yield right-of-way to vehicle and pedestrian traffic before proceeding, but they are also required to yield to pedestrians walking in crosswalks.
California Vehicle Code Section 21950 states: “The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.” The same section also states that the driver of a vehicle approaching a pedestrian within any marked or unmarked crosswalk “shall exercise all due care and shall reduce the speed of a vehicle or take any other action relating to the operating of the vehicle as necessary to safeguard the safety of the pedestrian.”
Fault and Liability
In this case investigators are looking into why the driver did not see or stop for the pedestrians in the crosswalk. Was the motorist under the influence, distracted or negligent in some other way? If the driver is determined to have been at fault, then, he or she can be held liable for the resulting injuries. Car accident victims can seek compensation to cover medical expenses, loss of wages, hospitalization, rehabilitation, and other related damages. Victims would be well-advised to contact an experienced Huntington Beach car accident lawyer, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and make sure that their legal rights and best interests are protected.
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Many people in California do not make complete stops when they approach a stop sign and are ticketed on a frequent basis. Do you feel that this deserves a ticket?
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