West Sacramento, CA – According to KCRA with additional reporting from The Sacramento Bee, a man was killed and a woman left seriously injured after a fire truck responding to a brush fire ran over them in West Sacramento on Friday morning, October 18, 2024.
The man’s identity remains unreleased, but the injured woman has been identified as Katie Petrina Mota, who has been living without stable housing for about 15 years, according to her son, Jerry Delgado.
The incident occurred near the 500 block of Jefferson Boulevard when a West Sacramento Fire Department truck, called a “brush rig,” responded to a vegetation fire near the Union Pacific train tracks. As the fire truck navigated a debris-filled area, it drove over a carpet, unknowingly running over two people hidden beneath it. The man died at the scene, while Mota was rushed to UC Davis Medical Center, where she is now in stable condition.
The man who died has not yet been identified, pending notification of his relatives by the Yolo County Coroner’s Office. However, several people who knew him visited the scene to pay their respects.
Fire Chief Steve Binns expressed deep sadness over the incident, saying, “We are grieved any time that an emergency response results in a death or injury of someone we are sworn to assist.” Authorities are investigating the accident, and the firefighters involved are on paid administrative leave while the investigation is underway.
Wrongful Death Claims
Determining fault in an accident can involve many factors. One key way a personal injury attorney can support families after the loss of a loved one is by helping to establish legal responsibility.
If someone else is found even partly responsible for the death, the family may be able to file a Wrongful Death claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance. This can provide compensation to help cover medical bills, funeral expenses, and the loss of income to support the family of the deceased.
Partial Liability in Pedestrian Accidents
California Law does not consider pedestrians to have the right-of-way under all circumstances, such as if they attempt to cross outside of a crosswalk. However, motorists are never relieved of the expectation to provide pedestrians with a Duty of Care toward their safety.
It may therefore be determined that a motorist is held only partially liable in a pedestrian accident. If that is the case, they would be financially responsible for the victim’s recovery costs in proportion to their degree of liability.
