Crash with Victorville sheriff’s vehicle injures four children
Four children were injured Halloween night after the vehicle they were traveling in was involved in a crash with a Victorville Sheriff’s patrol unit, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials said Thursday, and some witnesses say the patrol unit did not have its lights and siren on when the collision took place.
Initial information from the sheriff’s department does not indicate the unit had its lights on, but officials couldn’t immediately comment if the deputy ran a red light leading to the crash.
The children were airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center with moderate injuries and two others were taken to local hospitals following the crash which took place in the intersection of Bear Valley Road and Seventh Avenue, according to Cindy Bachman, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department.
Around 9 p.m. Deputy Vanessa Duardo was traveling east on Bear Valley Road to an attempted armed robbery at the Goodwill store on Bear Valley and Hesperia roads, officials said, when her vehicle collided with a 1989 Chevrolet Blazer traveling north on Seventh Avenue.
The impact caused the Blazer to roll over ejecting the two children who witnesses said to be about the age of 5.
Duardo was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, officials said. She is not expected to immediately return to work.
Dozens of witnesses, some children still in their Halloween costumes, gathered at the intersection of Bear Valley Road and Seventh Avenue and watched the scene unfold.
Cause of the Victorville Pedestrian Crash
The cause of the October 31, 2012 accident remains under investigation by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
No details have been released about what kind of call the Victorville deputy was responding to, or how fast she may have been going at the time.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the sheriff’s Region 2 Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT).
Pedestrian Accidents
The laws regarding pedestrian accident cases are complex and include many facets of the law. It is vital to surviving family members to seek the advice of an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer such as Gary A Kessler at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler to protect your rights and those of your loved ones.
The California pedestrian accident attorney Gary A Kessler and the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler are compassionate and fully understand that you are attempting to cope with extreme serious injuries associated with a pedestrian accident. Such accidents can lead to catastrophic injuries or even death. The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler carefully selects its wrongful death and pedestrian/bicycle accident cases so that we may give you (the client) the substantial personal attention necessary to obtain a successful result for your case.
The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler is prepared to front all costs required for a thorough investigation and top expert witnesses to prepare for trial of your case. As in all pedestrian accidents and serious personal injury cases, we advance all legal costs to prepare and present our client’s claim, and receive for our services only a percentage of what we recover for our attorney fees on their behalf. Upon settlement our costs shall be reimbursed to us from the gross recovery. If there is no recovery, no attorneys fees or costs are owed to our firm. Contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today so that we can preserve the evidence and demand compensation and accountability from the responsible parties!
California Pedestrian Law
“Under California Vehicle Code Section 21950 (a) 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, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.
(b) This section does not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of using due care for his or her safety. No pedestrian may suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard. No pedestrian may unnecessarily stop or delay traffic while in a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
(c) 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 the vehicle or take any other action relating to the operation of the vehicle as necessary to safeguard the safety of the pedestrian.
(d) Subdivision (b) does not relieve a driver of a vehicle from the duty of exercising due care for the safety of any pedestrian within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.”
Pedestrian Accident Statistics
Source: California Highway Patrol Statewide Integrated Traffic Report
Pedestrians need to be especially cautious on our roadways because they are more vulnerable to injury or death. There were two pedestrians killed and two injured in car accidents in Twenty-nine Palms in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol Statewide Integrated Traffic Report. In San Bernardino County 39 pedestrians died and 440 were injured in 2009.
In California, there were 598 pedestrians killed and 12,418 injured in 2009, according to the CHP traffic report.
National data compiled by the National Highway Transportation and Safety Authority shows that pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the United States were up 4.9% in 2010 to 4,280 deaths and injuries were up 19% in 2010 to 70,000 people injured.
