California Injury Blog
West Hollywood Fatal Pedestrian Accident Victims Identified
Officials identified the two women killed in a West Hollywood crosswalk pedestrian accident as Alina Sheyman of West Hollywood and Maria Velasquez of Glendale. Both women were in their 70s, according to a KABC news report. One other male pedestrian was critically injured in this March 31, 2009 pedestrian crash. He has not yet been identified.
The fatal auto versus pedestrian accident apparently occurred at the intersection of Fountain and La Brea avenues. It happened when one car, a Toyota, clipped another, a Honda, at the intersection while making a left turn from La Brea. The Honda spun out and hit Sheyman, Velasquez and the other man, who had just stepped into a marked crosswalk. Both drivers also suffered major injuries in the collision. No one has been arrested yet in connection with this accident, pending a police investigation.
Several neighbors say La Brea is not only an extremely busy corridor, but there are also constant problems with drivers speeding or running red lights. There are photographs from the traffic cameras at that intersection, which traffic investigators are looking at closely to piece together the facts of this fatal accident. Obviously, this is a dangerous intersection. The question is what the city of Los Angeles did to improve the dangerous condition on this roadway.
The reader who responded to our earlier blog says she can’t believe she wasn’t hit at that dangerous intersection before. Many drive through the red light, turn on red and disregard simple traffic laws, she says. Also, there is no left turn arrow at that intersection, which worsens the situation. Apparently, the city recognized the problem of red light running at that intersection and installed cameras, but that alone, clearly, has not solved the problem. Has the city performed traffic studies at La Brea and Fountain to look into what other improvements may be made there? If not, NOW is the time.
The injured victim as well as the family of the deceased victims would be well-served to consult with an experienced California auto accident attorney, who will make sure that the facts come out in this case. Law enforcement agencies often do not have the resources or the time to focus on traffic accident cases. It is important to get a skilled Los Angeles personal injury attorney on your side as soon as possible to make sure that your legal rights are protected.