California Injury Blog
Toddler Julian Ros, 2, and his babysitter Eligia Morales were killed in a Riverside pedestrian accident while crossing a street in a marked crosswalk.
According to CBS, the two were struck and killed on the afternoon of March 15 after picking up Julian’s 7-year-old sister from school.
Riverside police say the fatal crash occurred near Hayes and Roosevelt streets. Preliminary investigations show that a 46-year-old driver of a Range Rover was traveling westbound on Hayes Street when he turned onto Roosevelt Street and struck all three pedestrians as they crossed the roadway.
Fatalities and Injury
According to the authorities, the collision happened around 3:50 p.m. near Hayes and Roosevelt Street on Tuesday. The preliminary investigation learned that a 46-year-old driver of a blue 2020 Range Rover was traveling westbound on Hayes Street when he turned onto Roosevelt Street and struck all three pedestrians as they crossed the roadway. Morales and Julian died at the scene.
Julian’s sister, Margerita, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. She has since been released from the hospital, CBS reports. The vehicle driver was not injured and is cooperating with the investigation, officials said. Riverside police don’t believe drugs, speed, or alcohol were factors. According to CBS, a makeshift memorial continues to grow for the victims of this tragic crash.
We offer our deepest condolences to the family members of little Julian and to Morales’s family. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. We also wish Margerita Ros the very best for a speedy and full recovery.
Laws and Liability Issues
Based on this news report, officials say the victims were walking in a marked crosswalk when the vehicle struck them. California law requires all motorists to stop and yield the right of way to pedestrians walking in marked or unmarked crosswalks.
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.”
We trust officials are looking into whether the driver, in this case, was negligent or inattentive at the time. It is important for pedestrian accident victims and their families to understand that they can file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against the at-fault parties in such cases regardless of whether or not they were cited or are facing criminal charges. A knowledgeable Riverside pedestrian accident lawyer will also be able to advise victims and families about whether a dangerous roadway or intersection may have caused the fatal crash. The governmental entity responsible for maintaining the roadway may also be held financially responsible in such a case.
Source: https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2022/03/16/one-adult-one-child-killed-in-pedestrian-involved-collision/