Pedestrian accidents are sadly common on Halloween because the streets are full of children of all ages, walking the neighborhood to trick-or-treat. In the Los Angeles area this normally joyful tradition took a tragic turn when a Sport Utility Vehicle with two men inside struck three 13-year-old girls near an elementary school in Santa Ana, California. This tragic pedestrian accident claimed three victims. The three girls were in a crosswalk when hit. The vehicle was traveling at a "high rate of speed" according to a police spokesperson.
Two of the three girls died at the scene, while another passed away while paramedics prepared to take her to the local hospital. The two men inside the SUV have not been found, but the SUV was found abandoned near the scene of the accident. A crowd of roughly 200 people gathered at the heartbreaking scene to help comfort each other.
Tragedies like this happen every year. To help avoid incidents like this many towns and neighborhoods have switched their trick-or-treat times to be during the day, instead of the traditional night time trick-or-treating. This is to allow drivers to have a much better line of sight and allows drivers to be more alert to oncoming pedestrians. As a parent it is still important to keep an eye on your child to avoid anything catastrophic like this accident from happening. Even if you are not partaking in the holiday festivities it is important to be aware that the streets will have much higher pedestrian traffic compared to a normal day.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured due to someone else's irresponsible actions, a lawyer can seek compensatory damages to help your recovery. You may be entitled to not only compensatory damages but also punitive damages to punish the defendant and deter other people from partaking in the same careless conduct. If you or someone you know wereinjured in a pedestrian accident that you think warrant damages, contact the pedestrian accident lawyers at Dallas W. Hartman, P.C. for a free consultation at 800-777-4081.
Source: KLTA. "3 Girls Killed in Hit-and-Run While Trick-or-Treating". 3 Nov 2014.