California Injury Blog
Mei Chen, 82, was killed in a pedestrian accident in Rosemead after she was hit by a tour bus while crossing the roadway. According to a news report in The San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred the afternoon of February 10, 2012 at the intersection of Garvey and Walnut Grove avenues. Chen was walking in a crosswalk when the tour bus attempted a right turn and struck her. The elderly pedestrian died at the scene. Police are looking into what caused this fatal pedestrian accident.
I offer my deepest condolences to the family members and friends of Mei Chen for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Los Angeles Accident Statistics
According to the California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), one person died and four were injured in Rosemead pedestrian accidents. In Los Angeles County as a whole, 179 fatalities and 4,918 injuries were reported as a result of pedestrian accidents, during the same year. Also, in 2009, 554 fatalities and 50,817 injuries were reported due to Los Angeles car accidents.
Crosswalk Laws
Based on this news report, Chen was walking in a marked crosswalk when the tour bus that was making a right turn, struck her. California law requires all motorists to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians who are 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.”
Fault and Liability
I trust officials are looking into why the bus driver made the turn when the pedestrian was still in the crosswalk. If the driver is determined to have been negligent or at fault, then, the bus driver and his or her employer, the tour bus company, can be held liable for the victim’s wrongful death. Victims’ families in such cases would be well advised to contact an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and ensure that the negligent parties are held liable.