Jackie Autry, widow of the original Anaheim Angels owner Gene Autry, was involved in a fatal pedestrian accident after she struck and killed Jesus Cardova Diaz, 50, on a Palm Springs roadway. According a news report in The Orange County Register, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred the evening of November 25, 2010 on Sunrise Way near Ramon Road in Palm Springs. Based on preliminary investigations, police have determined that Diaz was not walking in a marked crosswalk and that Autry was not speeding in the 35-mph zone. Autry said she did not see the homeless man who was crossing the street with a group of homeless people. An investigation is ongoing.
I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved Jesus Cardova Diaz for their tragic loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were two fatalities and 12 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Palm Springs. In Riverside County as a whole, 30 people died and 338 were injured as a result of pedestrian accidents in 2008. Also, during the same year, 220 fatalities and 8,561 injuries occurred due to Riverside County car accidents.
Laws Relating to Pedestrians
California law requires all motorists to yield right-of-way to pedestrians who are legally crossing in a marked crosswalk. 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.”
Additionally, this section also requires pedestrians to exercise due care while walking on the roadway. Pedestrians have the duty and the responsibility to walk only in areas designated for pedestrians.
Protecting Victims’ Rights
Families of deceased car accident victims would be well-advised to seek the counsel of an experienced Riverside personal injury lawyer, who will stay on top of the official investigation and ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected. A skilled car accident lawyer will also be able to determine whether a dangerous or defective roadway caused or contributed to a car accident. If that was the case, the city or governmental agency responsible for maintaining that roadway could also be held liable. Please remember that any personal injury or wrongful death claim against a California public entity must be filed within six months of the incident.
Lost a family member in a Riverside County car accident? Want to know your rights? Want to know what your case is worth? Want compensation? Want justice? Want to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen to another family?
Call your best friends in the legal industry after a fatal Palm Springs pedestrian accident. Call 800-259-6373 The call is free. The advice may be priceless.
Call a Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys Riverside wrongful death lawyer for a free professional evaluation of your rights by attorneys who have been representing families of deceased accident victims since 1978. You will experience award winning representation and outstanding personal service by a compassionate and understanding law firm in a comfortable environment.
What precautions do you take as a driver when you a approach a crosswalk or drive through a street intersection?
The Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.