California Injury Blog
USC Student Killed in Los Angeles Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accident
Adrianna Bachan, 19, a freshman at USC was killed in an auto versus pedestrian hit-and-run accident in Los Angeles, according to a CBS News report. The fatal pedestrian accident occurred at the street intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Hoover Street the morning of March 29, 2009. Bachan and another male student, Marcus Garfinkle, were walking in a marked crosswalk when both Bachan and Garfinkle were struck by a dark-colored car. Los Angeles police officials say, the car stopped and a passenger got out to remove Garfinkle, who was stuck on the hood of the car. The driver then drove away.
Police are describing the hit-and-run driver as a man driving a black Toyota Corolla or a Honda Accord. Bachan, who is originally from Santa Barbara, was pronounced dead at an area hospital. Garfinkle, who is from Scottsdale, Arizona, is still in the hospital in critical condition.
My heart goes out to the family and friends of Adrianna Bachan, for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Adrianna Bachan. I also hope Marcus Garfinkle survives his critical injuries and offer my best wishes to him for a speedy and complete recovery. The driver in this case not only struck and killed a person, but also in an absolutely cold, calculated and despicable act paused while his companion removed one of the victims from the hood of the car and then took off. I pray the hit-and-run driver is apprehended and brought to justice.
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were 90 pedestrian accident fatalities and 2,690 injuries involving vehicle versus pedestrian accidents in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles County as a whole, there were 210 deaths and 5,095 injuries related to pedestrian accidents in 2007.
California law requires all drivers involved in an auto accident to stop at the scene of an accident – whether the accident was the motorist’s fault or not. In this case, it seems to me that the accident was the motorist’s fault. Bachan and Garfinkle were apparently walking in a marked crosswalk.
California Vehicle Code section 21950 provides that a vehicle driver approaching a pedestrian within a marked or unmarked crosswalk shall “exercise all due care and shall reduce their speed and take any other action relating as is necessary to safeguard the safety of pedestrians.” California Vehicle Code section 20001 (a) states: “The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident.”
The family of Adrianna Bachan as well as the injured victim, Marcus Garfinkle, should definitely consult with an experienced California pedestrian accident attorney. A skilled personal injury attorney will also help the victims and their families with uninsured/underinsured motorist issues that may arise in this case. A knowledgeable auto accident attorney will be able to look into whether there was a dangerous condition on that Los Angeles roadway or intersection, which may have caused or contributed to this tragic accident.