Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accidents

Two girls – 13 and 14 years old — were critically injured in a pedestrian accident at a Wilmington intersection when a man hit the girls as they were walking home from school and then tried to get away, the Daily Breeze reports. According to the article, police arrested 19-year-old Rigaldo Guevas after he reportedly swerved around a vehicle that had stopped at crosswalk and hit the young girls who were walking across the street.

Guevas allegedly tried to speed away, but was chased down and nabbed by two witnesses, who held him until police arrived and arrested him. Those two men are heroes in my eyes. They made sure the person responsible for causing this horrible accident would be brought to justice. Officials have not yet filed charges against Guevas.

The girls, whose names have not been released, were taken to an area hospital. The Breeze reports that one girl was unconscious and hooked to a breathing apparatus while the other was being treated for leg fractures. There were apparently several witnesses to this accident who saw Guevas speeding down the street in his black BMW.
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The Old Town Pasadena pedestrian traffic accident of last Thursday that hospitalized 7-year old Jose Gabriel Dela Rosa, has taken his life according to a Los Angeles Times article. A CBS news report stated that his father, Jose Gabriel Dela Rosa, also hospitalized due to the pedestrian accident, remains in fair condition. According to the CBS report an account has been established to help the family with the medical and burial expenses they have incurred. Anyone wishing to donate can send contributions to:

Jose Gabriel Dela Rosa Fund
c/o Comerica Bank 35 N. Lake Ave.
Suite 120 Pasadena, CA 91101
The accident occurred when a Toyota Corolla crashed into the Dela Rosas after colliding with a Nissan Altima at Colorado Boulevard and Fair Oaks Avenue. Officials are still trying to determine who was responsible.

The Dela Rosas were visiting friends and relatives in California from their native Philippines. They had been here for barely a few hours when the auto vs. pedestrian accident occurred. Even though the Dela Rosas are not U.S. citizens or even residents of California, their mere presences here provides them a bundle of basic rights including full access to our courts.
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A young boy is fighting for his life after a horrible crash in Pasadena triggered by a red light runner, which also left the 7-year-old boy’s parents injured. According to a news article in the Pasadena Star-News, the accident occurred at the intersection of Fair Oaks Avenue and Colorado Boulevard when the family was crossing the road.

They were reportedly hit by an out-of-control car that had just collided with another vehicle that had run a red light. The father suffered serious injuries and the mother escaped with minor injuries, the article said. The child was reportedly in full cardiac arrest when taken to the hospital.

Investigators are still looking at what caused the chain reaction crash, but initial investigations reveal that the driver of a Nissan Altima ran the red light and struck a Toyota Corolla, which in turn went out of control and struck the family, according to a report on KNX 1070. That report also said that the family had just arrived in California a day ago. Thankfully, the Corolla hit a light pole, which prevented it from striking other pedestrians at that very busy intersection.
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A 70-year-old Huntington Beach man died after he was hit by a car as he crossed at Bolsa Chica Street and Edinger Avenue. According to an article in The Orange County Register, John B. Carpenter was struck by a 2002 Chevy Impala driven by 83-year-old Shirley Constans.

Officials said Carpenter was walking on a marked crosswalk and Constans was making right turn when the pedestrian accident occurred. Investigators are apparently still looking into whether the traffic light was red or green. But they did tell the Register that Constans didn’t seem to be under the influence. No arrest was made. Carpenter was taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital where he died. Constans reportedly did not suffer any injuries.

This tragic incident raises an important question that rears its head time and again – what should be the criteria for seniors to keep their driving privilege? According to trend studies performed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, traffic collision rates start climbing for both men and women after they reach 70 years of age. These studies also cite that the increase in at-fault fatal accident becomes particularly dramatic when people hit 80. The study also found that senior drivers are significantly more likely than teens and all other age groups to be making a turn before a crash, especially at intersections.
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A 46-year-old man from Massachusetts is in critical condition with severe head injuries after he was struck on a Corona street by a hit-and-run driver. According to an article in the Riverside Press-Enterprise, David Derosier was in town for a motocross event and was going across the street after having dinner with a friend when he was hit by a maroon four-door car.

Clearly there were witnesses to this pedestrian accident, which happened on a busy street in Corona. Police said the hit-and-run vehicle turned from Main Street and was heading toward Joy Street when the incident occurred. The car reportedly did not have lights on when it was dark outside. The car driver seems to have hesitated for a few seconds, but didn’t stop and drove away, the article said.

The vehicle is described as a 1994 to 1997 Honda Accord and officers are investigating a mirror that was found at the crash scene. Police say the car was being driven by a woman and that there were other passengers inside the vehicle. They also say the vehicle suffered damage to the front bumper area as well as the hood and windshield.
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An Ontario family has started a petition drive to get a four-way stop sign and pedestrian crosswalk at what they say is an unsafe intersection where their 15-year-old son, Paul Roberts, was struck and killed by a car. According to an article in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the family is asking that the city install the stop signs at the intersection of Walnut and Walker avenues in Ontario where the fateful pedestrian accident occurred in November.

The city of Ontario, however, is saying that the particular intersection does not meet state mandates for a stop sign. City officials are saying the most they can do is put up a pedestrian crosswalk and other warning signs at the apparently dangerous intersection. But the deceased teenager’s mother, Yolanda Roberts, says she will be satisfied with nothing less than stop signs.
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A 20-year-old pedestrian died after she was hit by a maintenance sweeper truck at the Ontario International Airport while she was walking across a marked crosswalk. According to an article in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the Ford Dually being driven by an airport employee was traveling at 15 miles an hour, southbound on the rental car lane when it struck Reyna Rivera of Madison, Wisconsin.

Rivera was air-lifted to the Loma Linda University Medical Center, where she died of her injuries, according the San Bernardino County Coroner’s report. The newspaper reports that the airport is investigating the accident to see if their employee was responsible for the fatal accident. Apparently, there were witnesses who saw it happen. The truck driver was released.
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A 34-year-old woman suffered severe injuries after she was hit by a driver on a Costa Mesa street, the Daily Pilot reports. Laura Monteleone was said to be in critical, but stable condition. She had reportedly suffered significant skull fractures to the base and right side of her skull, brain injury and had several broken ribs.

Police found the woman bleeding from her ears and mouth when they arrived on scene, the newspaper said. She was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. Investigators also determined that the driver, 34-year-old Sergio Rico Delgado, was not driving under the influence, but said he was at fault for the accident. He was also cited for driving with an expired license, the Pilot reported.

Pedestrian versus motor vehicle crashes are a serious problem in the United States. In 2003, 4,749 pedestrians were killed in accidents and accounted for 11 percent of the 42,643 auto accident deaths nationwide that year. The total number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities in traffic collisions added up to 70,000 that year.
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Hermino Gonzalez, 27, of Costa Mesa was killed Saturday night when crossing a street in Chino. The driver of the car, Danielle Cheney, 21, was neither arrested nor cited. This is all according to an article in the Orange County Register.

The newspaper quoted Michelle Vanderlinden, a public information officer for the Chino Police Department, as saying Gonzales was pronounced dead at the scene. Gonzalez was crossing Edison Avenue in the 5300 block, not in a cross walk, when he was struck by a white Geo Prism, Vanderlinden said.

Vanderlinden also said that investigators believe alcohol was involved and that toxicology tests have not been completed. She also said Gonzalez was attending a wedding reception on the Chino Fairgrounds in Brinderson Hall, when the pedestrian accident happened.
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By: A Staff Writer
Police last week arrested a man on suspicion of striking and critically injuring a 13-year-old boy who was riding his skateboard Monday night. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the boy, a student at Santiago Middle School, was trying to cross an intersection on a marked crosswalk while riding a skateboard when 28-year-old Robert Quintanilla reportedly struck him and then took off.

Police widely publicized descriptions of the suspect vehicle among the media. And on Wednesday they arrested Quintanilla after getting several tips from the public and witnesses who happened to see the crash. The boy is reportedly in critical condition and has suffered brain injuries and is still on a ventilator. The Register article states that he was not wearing a helmet when he was riding his board.

What a tragedy for the boy’s family! According to the article, police officers have started a fund for the boy to help with medical costs because the family does not even have medical insurance. Of course, the man who is arrested and was allegedly heartless enough to drive away when a young boy was lying on the road, must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
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