Distracted driving or alcohol-related incidents are often the target of campaigns that aim to reduce traffic accidents. However, there are many instances in which San Diego drivers make a simple mistake that results in fatalities. It could be failing to put on a turn signal or momentarily taking their eyes off the road to change the radio station. In one recent situation, a driver simply did not see a pedestrian, causing a fatal outcome.
There have been 14 deadly pedestrian accidents in San Diego this year, which is a record, according to a spokeswoman for Circulate San Diego. The agency hopes the city will eliminate traffic-related deaths through providing education, infrastructure and enforcement. Yet those tools may not have saved the pedestrian killed recently.
A 62-year-old woman had been walking along the sidewalk on San Diego Mission Road in Grantville. A 21-year-old active duty military service member pulled his vehicle out of a driveway and turned right to go to work. According to law enforcement, he struck the woman but did not realize it until he had driven a few hundred feet. He was having car trouble and stopped the vehicle, which is when he saw the woman in the street. The driver stayed on the scene and was upset, according to investigators.
No matter what causes a pedestrian knockdown, it is important for injured parties to get the treatment they need to properly heal. In some circumstances, victims’ survivors have the right to pursue a lawsuit seeking compensation for items such as funeral expenses. An attorney can outline how a personal injury or wrongful death claim works and how it may benefit people following such an incident.
Source: NBC San Diego, “Woman hit by car, killed in Grantville,” Nicole Gomez, Monica Garske, July 31, 2014
