California Injury Blog
A 45-year-old woman and her 17-year-old son were critically injured in a Los Angeles car accident involving a hit-and-run driver. According to a City News Service report, the major injury pedestrian accident occurred at the intersection of 80th Street and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, the morning of August 21, 2011. The two pedestrians were using a crosswalk when a dark, late-model car, possibly a Toyota, struck them. Both victims have been listed in critical condition. The driver, an African American woman in her 50s, fled the scene of the accident. Authorities are asking for the public’s help to locate the hit-and-run driver. Anyone with information is asked to contact Los Angeles police officials at 323-421-2500.
My thoughts and prayers are with the injured victims of this horrific hit-and-run car accident. I wish them both the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 82 people were killed and 2,630 were injured in Los Angeles pedestrian accidents. During that same year, 179 fatalities and 4,918 injuries occurred due to Los Angeles County pedestrian accidents.
Los Angeles Hit-And-Run Accidents
Based on this news report, the driver involved in this crash not only struck the pedestrians who were walking in a crosswalk, but also left the scene without stopping to help the injured victims. Appalling! Not only is leaving the scene of an injury crash an inhumane, irresponsible and inexcusable act, but it is also illegal. 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.”
If you have any information about this accident, the driver or the vehicle, please visit our web site, www.hitandrunreward.com. Our site allows witnesses to provide an anonymous tip and also become eligible to receive a $1000 reward.
Protecting Victims’ Rights
In the aftermath of a hit-and-run car accident, it is the victims who are left holding costly medical bills and facing financial burdens such as lost earnings. In this case, two members of the same family have been critically injured. I can only imagine the emotional and financial burdens that have been placed on this family. Injured victims or their families, in these types of accidents, would be well-advised to seek the counsel of an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who will stay on top of the official investigation and ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected. In cases where the hit-and-run driver is not identified or found, a skilled lawyer will inform victims about how they may seek compensation through the uninsured motorist clause of their own car insurance policy.