Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accidents

Child Killed By Ice Cream Truck

Diana Morales, a 1-year-old girl, died in a pedestrian accident in Muscoy on March 11, 2009, after she was struck by an ice cream truck on her first birthday. According to this news article in the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Diana apparently crawled out of her family’s Muscoy home and in front of a parked ice cream truck whose driver, 47-year-old Cleo Tilde, hit the child and drove away, California Highway Patrol officials said. The baby’s siblings located her on the street unresponsive. Diana died soon after her mother took her to the hospital.

Apparently Tilde had been selling ice cream to the children in the 2500 block of West Second Avenue, right in front of Diana’s home. Officials said Tilde did not see Diana crawl up in front of her truck. None of the child’s family members noticed the baby go out of the house either. After running over the baby, Tilde continued driving the 1998 Ford E-350 truck unaware that she had hit little Diana until CHP investigators caught up with her. Tilde was not cited or arrested after investigators determined that this was a tragic and unfortunate accident.

My heart goes out to the family of little Diana Morales for their heartbreaking loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to them. Please keep them in your prayers.
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Victoria Santos, 60, who died in a pedestrian versus truck accident near the Cal State Northridge campus, is one of many victims who have been killed in similar accidents on the dangerous roadways and intersection around the university’s campus. According to a news article in the Los Angeles Daily News, Victoria Santos was trying to cross Zelzah Avenue at Lassen Street early morning on March 9, 2009 when she was struck by a pickup truck driver who was traveling east on Lassen and had turned right on Zelzah.

My heart goes out to the family of Victoria Santos for their tragic loss. I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved Santos. Please keep them in your prayers.

In the last six months, seven pedestrians have been hit by vehicles on streets near the Cal State Northridge Campus, killing two, leaving two others with life-threatening injuries and three others with serious injuries. According to the Daily News, in 2007, the area had 88 pedestrian accidents – a 21 percent jump from 2005. Local residents and neighborhood councils have apparently made attempts to educate pedestrians and motorists in the area about pedestrian safety. Residents are looking at how feasible it would be for the city to install crosswalks with flashing lights. In addition to Victoria Santos, the following pedestrians were stuck by vehicles near Cal State Northridge:

• Olivia Almalel, 33, suffered severe spinal cord injuries in a December 25, 2008 accident at Reseda Boulevard and Devonshire Street
• Three men in their 20s suffered serious injuries on December 12, 2008 at the intersection of Louise Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard
• Yao Lu, a 22-year-old CSUN student from China was in a coma for eight days and suffered internal bleeding after being struck by a hit-and-run driver on November 3, 2008 at the intersection of Reseda and Superior Street
• Johoney Lobos, a 19-year-old student died in a September 23, 2008 hit and run accident as she crossed Lindley Avenue near Devonshire Street.

Northridge apparently falls under the City of Los Angeles’ jurisdiction. The question here is: Why is the City of Los Angeles not doing anything about these dangerous roadways and intersections around Cal State Northridge despite an overwhelming number of catastrophic injuries and deaths relating to pedestrian versus vehicle collisions.
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Argelia Rojas, 49, was critically injured in a March 10, 2009 Thousand Oaks pedestrian accident after she was struck by a car while crossing at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Devonshire Avenue. According to this news report in the Ventura County Star, Rojas who was crossing the street in a crosswalk with a 2-year-old child managed to get the toddler out of the path of a Toyota Corolla driven by 60-year-old Linda Ellsworth an instant before the car versus pedestrian collision occurred. The child, Mitchell Ito, was uninjured.

Traffic investigators apparently measured the skid marks that went across the pedestrian walkway and down to Ellsworth’s Toyota Corolla, which was parked on Westlake Boulevard with its windshield smashed. Officials also say there were no obvious signs of anything that would have obstructed the Ellsworth’s vision as the car approached the intersection.

My heart goes out to Argelia Rojas, who suffered critical injuries in this Thousand Oaks pedestrian accident. I hope she has a quick and complete recovery. I’m relieved that the young child, Mitchell, was uninjured. Rojas and her family will be in my prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2006 statistics, there was one pedestrian accident fatality in Thousand Oaks and 24 injuries related to pedestrian accidents. In Ventura County as a whole, there were 11 deaths and 189 injuries reported as a result of pedestrian accidents.
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Gregory Willis, 46, of Hemet was killed in a Bloomington pedestrian versus big rig accident on March 5, 2009, according to the Inland Empire & Inland Valley Breaking News Web site. Willis was apparently using a crosswalk in the 18000 block of Slover Avenue to the trucking company that he worked for when a big rig driver started the truck, made a right turn and hit Willis. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital where he was taken after the accident. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CAL/OSHA) is investigating the incident.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Gregory Willis for their tragic loss. I offer my deepest condolences to everybody who knew and loved Willis. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2006 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were a total of 316 traffic accident fatalities and 10,514 injuries related to auto accidents in Riverside County. There were 48 deaths and 436 injuries reported in 2006 in Riverside County involving pedestrian accidents.
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Helen Shannon, 87, suffered critical injuries in a Moorpark pedestrian accident after a delivery truck driver backed over her and struck her, the Ventura County Star reports. Shannon was apparently walking down the sidewalk to her senior apartment complex on Park Lane the morning of March 4, 2009 when a truck driver failed to see her as he was backing out of a driveway.

A passerby who saw the Ventura pedestrian accident told the trucker that he had run over the woman. The truck driver then pulled forward, removing the large truck from Shannon’s legs. The injured victim was taken to an area hospital where she was listed in critical condition. Ventura County Sheriff’s Department officials say they don’t suspect the truck driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The 37-year-old driver from Fillmore had just finished making a delivery to a construction site when the pedestrian accident occurred.

What an unfortunate chain of events for this elderly woman! I understand she’s in critical condition and hope and pray she will have a speedy and complete recovery.
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Cruz Marina Hurtado, 61, of Palm Desert died in a Rancho Mirage auto versus pedestrian accident after she was hit by a vehicle on Highway 111. According to this news report in The Desert Sun, Hurtado tried to cross Highway 111 at Rancho Las Palmas Drive the afternoon of February 28, 2009 when the accident occurred, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department officials said. Police investigators say Hurtado was not using a crosswalk when she was hit by the vehicle, which was northbound on the highway. The investigation is still continuing and anyone who saw this incident is asked to call the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department at 951-836-1600.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Cruz Marina Hurtado for their tragic loss. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2006 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were two Riverside pedestrian accident fatalities and six injuries involving pedestrians in Rancho Mirage. In Riverside County as a whole, 48 fatalities and 436 injuries were attributed to pedestrian accidents during the same period.
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Mohamed Abdirahman Husien, 82, was killed in a San Diego pedestrian accident after he was struck by an unlicensed driver on his way to prayer services at a nearby mosque. According to this news report in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Husien was walking across University Avenue in City Heights the morning of February 28, 2009 when he was hit by a Honda sedan. The driver told San Diego police officials that he did not see Husien because it was dark.

Officials are also wondering whether to consider this a hit-and-run because the driver of the Honda did not stop after the accident. He told officers that he drove home soon after the accident, picked up his wife and drove back to the scene of the accident to explain the situation to officers. It is also not clear whether the driver of the Honda had any auto insurance coverage.

My heart goes out to the family of Mohamed Abdirahman Husien, who was tragically killed in this San Diego pedestrian accident. Apparently, he was a beloved and popular member of Masjid Alnasar, a neighborhood mosque. I offer my deepest sympathies to Husien’s family and friends. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2006 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were 25 fatalities and 518 injuries reported as a result of pedestrian accidents in San Diego. In San Diego County as a whole, there were 65 deaths and 940 injuries related to pedestrian accidents during the same period.
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Wallace “Wally” Bradfield, a 76-year-old Twentynine Palms resident was killed in a San Bernardino County pedestrian accident and 86-year-old Joseph Perez, suffered major injuries after both elderly residents were hit from behind by a motorist. According to this news report in the San Bernardino Sun, Bradfield and Perez were taking a walk on El Paseo Drive the morning of February 23, 2009 near Yucca Avenue when a woman driving a Chevrolet Cavalier drifted across both, the westbound lane and the bicycle lane, striking the two men.

The driver was identified as Peggy Burke. She apparently suffered minor injuries. Bradfield was pronounced dead at the scene. Perez was taken to a local hospital with severe injuries. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials say alcohol does not appear to be a factor in this crash.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Wallace “Wally” Bradfield for their tragic loss. It is heartbreaking to lose a loved one as a result of someone else’s negligence. I also wish Joseph Perez the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep them all in your prayers.

According to 2006 statistics from California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, in Twentynine Palms there were no pedestrian accident related deaths and six injuries relating to pedestrian accidents. During the same period in San Bernardino County as a whole, 57 fatalities and 448 injuries involving San Bernardino County pedestrian accidents were reported.
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A 35-year-old Whittier man was seriously injured in a car versus pedestrian accident February 22, 2009, the Whittier Daily News reports in this article. The incident happened when a compact car driving eastbound on Leffingwell Road collided with the pedestrian as he crossed the road near Kibbee Avenue, officials say. Apparently the man, who has not been identified yet, lost consciousness after being hit by the vehicle. He had suffered a 12- to 16-inch wound ton his arm that was open to the bone. But Los Angeles County Fire Department officials say that he had stable vital signs when he was flown by helicopter to an area trauma unit.

I’m relieved that this man did not suffer catastrophic injuries in this crash. Auto versus Pedestrian accidents can have fatal consequences for pedestrians because the victim gets thrown by the impact and could possibly end up with multiple fractures, leg injuries and blunt force trauma. I wish this injured victim the very best for a quick and complete recovery.

According to California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System (http://www.chp.ca.gov/switrs/pdf/2006-sec8.pdf), there were no Los Angeles pedestrian accident related fatalities reported in Whittier in 2006. There were, however, 20 injuries reported that year involving pedestrian accidents. In Los Angeles County as a whole, 214 deaths and 4,904 injuries were attributed to pedestrian accidents in 2006.
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A 5-year-old girl suffered serious injuries in a La Quinta pedestrian accident after a driver who rolled past a stop sign struck her, according to a news report in The Desert Sun. The girl had apparently gotten off a bus and was walking behind a group of children the afternoon of February 19, 2009. She was walking eastbound on Miles Avenue when a 43-year-old woman driving a Hummer rolled past a stop sign on Seeley Avenue and hit the girl.

Police say the woman told them that she simply did not see the girl walking on the street. Officials also say there is no indication that the woman was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. She was not speeding either, they say.

I’m extremely relieved that this girl did not suffer any catastrophic or fatal injuries as a result of this pedestrian accident. Please keep this little girl and her family in your prayers. I hope and pray that she will have a quick and complete recovery.

According to California Highway Patrol’s statistics, there were two fatalities and four injuries relating to Riverside County pedestrian accidents in La Quinta in 2006. During the same period, in Riverside County as a whole, 48 deaths and 436 injuries were attributed to pedestrian accidents.
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