A pedestrian was struck and tragically killed along the Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura County on Wednesday morning. The California Highway Patrol responded to the scene near Solimar Beach, northwest of Ventura, sometime after 9:22 a.m. on August 10, 2022.
1590 KTVA Radio said that fire and ambulance crews were called to the scene after reports that a black Chevy pickup had struck someone on foot. The victim was located and then pronounced dead at the accident site.
California Highway Patrol officers say the driver of the truck involved stayed at the scene to cooperate with them. Investigators have not released exactly how the accident occurred and if any charges will be filed.
Pedestrian Accident Dangers on Highway 1 Along the Ventura County Coast
The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)/Highway 1 along the Ventura County coastline can be a busy place. Drivers and motorcyclists provide constant traffic on the roadway.
Cyclists and pedestrians also utilize the route or travel close by. Some drivers use beach parking spots just a few feet off the PCH and when they get out of their cars, they become pedestrians. This puts those on foot dangerously close to the fast-moving traffic traveling the highway.
California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) tracks the pedestrian accident dangers in Ventura County each year. Ventura County recorded 199 pedestrian accidents involving injury across 2021. Eight people were tragically killed in those collisions.
In 2021, the Pacific Coast Highway through Ventura County registered three pedestrian crashes involving injury with two tragic deaths recorded. Highway 101 was the scene of four pedestrian accidents involving injury and one tragic fatality.
These heartbreaking incidents show that drivers must stay alert for pedestrians even along major highways like Highway 101 and along scenic beachside routes like the PCH. A little more caution shown can prevent the loss of life and the pain these accidents cause the families left behind.
A note about Ventura County pedestrian accidents…
A loved one lost in a tragic pedestrian accident can never be replaced. Family members of the victim will be grief-stricken. At the same time, they may also be unfairly subjected to enormous funeral and burial costs and leftover emergency response fees.
Insurers are unlikely to inform you of what is called a “Wrongful Death Claim”.
A spouse or a child of the deceased can often file a wrongful death claim against an at-fault driver’s insurance company on behalf of the rest of the family. This claim seeks support to protect the family and help replace the guidance and income the victim will no longer be able to contribute to the family.
According to Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, a personal injury law firm in Ventura County, “When the life of a family member is suddenly taken through the carelessness and negligence of somebody else, justice can be sought in both the criminal and civil courts. The criminal courts have the authority to punish a wrongdoer, while the civil courts have the authority to award damages to the family of the deceased through a wrongful death lawsuit.”
