Sydney Ramirez, 16, died from injuries sustained in an Orange County car accident. According to The Orange County Register, the fatal pedestrian accident took place the morning of November 1, 2010 at the intersection of Crescent Avenue and Watson Street in La Palma. The John F. Kennedy High School Student was using a marked crosswalk to cross the street when a car hit her. She was transported to an area hospital where she died two days after the accident. It is unclear if the driver will face charges, but an investigation is ongoing.
I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved young Sydney Ramirez. Please keep her grieving family members and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
Pedestrian Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), three people were injured in La Palma pedestrian accidents. In Orange County as a whole, 31 fatalities and 785 injuries were reported as a result of pedestrian accidents during the same year.
What Caused This Tragic Pedestrian Accident?
If the report is accurate and the pedestrian was crossing the street in a crosswalk at an intersection, then, it appears that the driver failed to yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian. 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.”
Liability Issues
If the driver is determined to have been at fault here, then he or she could be held liable for the victim’s wrongful death. I trust officials are also looking into why the driver failed to yield right-of-way. Was the driver under the influence, distracted or speeding at the time of the fatal car accident? In cases where negligence or wrongdoing is involved, the family of a deceased car accident victim can file a wrongful death claim seeking compensation for medical and funeral expenses, lost future income, loss of love and companionship, and other related damages. An experienced Orange County personal injury lawyer will stay on top of the official investigation and ensure that the family’s legal rights and best interests are protected.
Lost a family member in a Orange 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 La Palma pedestrian accident. Call 866-310-5252. The call is free. The advice may be priceless.
Call a Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys Orange County 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.
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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.