A man in his 20s was killed when he was struck by a pickup truck that rolled over in an incident that police are investigating as a street takeover crash early morning on Oct. 22 in Costa Mesa. According to an NBC Los Angeles news report, the pickup truck rolled over at the intersection of Sunflower and Hyland avenues during the early morning hours. It appears that the victim was pinned under the pickup truck, which came to rest on its side.
Two Related Crashes Reported
Family members, who arrived at the scene, told media outlets that the victim and the driver are cousins. Police said the victim was apparently watching drivers perform stunts at the intersection. Several vehicles were in the area as drivers performed donuts at the intersection at the time of the deadly crash. The driver remained at the scene and was arrested. He will face criminal charges, police said.
Costa Mesa police said they got a tip about the unauthorized event from Anaheim police who responded to a similar event in that city earlier in the day. In that case, a woman was struck by a driver performing donuts in the parking lot of a shopping center. Anaheim police responded to the Anaheim Plaza Marketplace where several hundred cars were participating in what appeared to be a car meet-up. Video showed a woman flipping into the air before landing on the pavement. The driver was later arrested. The woman’s condition is not known.
The Menace of Street Takeovers
Street takeovers involve hundreds of cars and occupants arriving in a coordinated manner at a pre-identified intersection, blocking the roadway and conducting exhibitions of speed and other dangerous maneuvers such as donuts or a circular skidding maneuver called “drifting.” In addition to being extremely disruptive, street takeovers are deadly as we’ve seen in several cases around Southern California in recent months. When the police show up at the scene, crowds disband and head to another location, in most cases.
In these types of incidents, typically, it’s bystanders who get seriously injured or killed. Sometimes, the victims are spectators. Other times, it might be an innocent passer-by. These actions are an example of brazen negligence and reckless disregard for other people’s lives. Our Orange County personal injury lawyers are extremely concerned about these events. If you or a loved one has been injured due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, you deserve quality legal representation to help you secure maximum compensation for your losses.
Source: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/costa-mesa-fatal-pickup-crash-anaheim-street-takeover/2447824/