Two women leaving a Pico Rivera sports arena were struck by a hit-and-run driver late Sunday night. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department says it happened just before 11:30 p.m. on March 12, 2023.
NBC Los Angeles reported it happened on Rooks Road near Rose Hills Road. Sheriff’s Deputies on the scene discovered that three women had been walking southbound along the curb leaving an event at the Pico Rivera Sports Center when two of them were hit.
Tragically, one of the victims, a 37-year-old woman, died at the scene. The other victim was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.
Investigators say that the driver involved fled the scene. They did not have a good description of the vehicle, but they do have pieces of the vehicle. Anyone who knows anything about the incident or the driver involved should call the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
Pedestrian Accident Dangers in Pico Rivera
California vehicle codes provide for the absolute safety of pedestrians due to their vulnerable nature in any encounter with a car. Drivers are asked to monitor crosswalks and the sides of streets at all times and they must also slow down when they see someone nearby on foot.
Not everyone pays attention to this important duty and pedestrians often suffer devastating consequences.
California’s Transportation Officials monitor pedestrian accidents each year across Los Angeles County. In Pico Rivera, they recorded seven pedestrian accidents involving injury in the city limits of Pico Rivera in 2021. Sadly, at least three people lost their lives in those incidents. In 2020, 10 crashes involved an injury to a pedestrian and at least two people lost their lives in those accidents.
When compared with the accident rates across Los Angeles County, Pico Rivera’s pedestrian accident numbers seem small. Yet, each accident affects the victim’s families and friends, and the entire community of Pico Rivera. To reduce accident numbers even more, it’s critical to make sure drivers are constantly reminded of the duty of care they owe to vulnerable and irreplaceable pedestrians.
A word for families after a devastating Pico Rivera pedestrian accident
If you or a loved one has been the victim of a hit-and-run accident in Kern County, you should be aware of the benefits available to you and your family through an insurance claim. Financial support is often available to victims and families even when a hit-and-run driver isn’t identified.
You can read more about these cases on my page about tragic pedestrian accidents in Los Angeles County.