A 17-year-old girl was seriously injured in a Los Angeles County pedestrian versus SUV accident on January 25, 2009, the Whittier Daily News reports. The teenager was walking on Imperial Highway at Meyer Road in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County near La Mirada when she was struck by the sport utility vehicle. The girl suffered head injuries and a broken arm and was taken to the trauma center of an area hospital. The driver of the SUV remained at the scene. California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the accident.
My heart goes out to the young girl who was injured in this accident and her family members, who must be going through a tough time figuring out how and why this accident occurred. I’m relieved that the teenager did not suffer fatal injuries and I sincerely hope her head injuries are not catastrophic. I wish her the very best for a quick and complete recovery and will keep the girl and her family in my prayers.
According to 2006 statistics from the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System (SWITRS), there were six deaths and 11 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in La Mirada. In Los Angeles County as a whole, 212 people were killed and 5,224 were injured during the same period as a result of pedestrian accidents
In this case, although the newspaper report states that the girl was walking near an intersection, it is not clear whether she was walking on the side of the road, in a crosswalk or on traffic lanes at the time of the collision. If she was crossing in a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, California Vehicle Code Section 21950 provides that the pedestrian has right-of-way and the motorist must stop or slow down to allow the pedestrian to cross the road safely.
The family of this teenager would be well-advised to consult with an experienced Southern California pedestrian accident attorney, who will carefully examine accident investigation reports and eyewitness accounts to determine who or what was responsible for this injury accident. If the motorist is determined to have been careless, negligent or impaired at the time of the accident, then he or she will be held liable for the accident and injuries caused to the girl.
If the driver does not have auto insurance or sufficient insurance coverage then the teenager could be covered under the “uninsured” or “underinsured” motorist clause in her parents’ auto insurance policy or any other policy that she may have benefits under. A truly skilled collision attorney will know the ins and outs of both the “uninsured” and “underinsured” provisions of auto insurance polices.