A Santa Ana big rig accident at the four-way stop intersection of Saint Andrew Place and Poplar Street has killed a 14-year-old boy riding his bike in the crosswalk, according to a news article in The Orange County Register.
Santa Ana police Cpl. Jose Gonzalez said Santa Ana resident Pedro Martinez, 51, was headed west on Saint Andrew Place in a big rig tractor when he hit Esteban Nunez. Nunez reportedly was riding his bicycle southbound in the northbound lane of Poplar and had entered the street intersection without stopping at the stop sign. The boy, a resident of that neighborhood, was not wearing a helmet when he was hit by the moving big rig and dragged under. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
This is such a tragic and heart wrenching accident. Please keep the boy and his family in your prayers.
The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) estimates that 770 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles in 2006. The most serious injuries among the majority of those killed are to the head, highlighting the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet. In Santa Ana there were four bicyclist fatalities and 107 injuries in 2006. This data comes from the California Highway Patrol.
How did a boy on his bike get killed at a four-way stop intersection by a big rig tractor? According to the news reports, young Nunez was riding his bike on the “wrong” side of the street and may have failed to stop at the stop sign.. Those factors still do not explain this big rig truck accident. There is much more we do not know from the news reports. The boy can’t tell us what happened and I wouldn’t put to much weight upon the truck driver’s statements after killing a boy.
If the big rig was stopped at the four way stop, how did this happen? The Santa Ana Police Department has some fine accident investigators, so the answers may be contained in their traffic collision report, which generally isn’t available until thirty or more after a fatal traffic accident.
The family of Esteban Nunez may want to consult with one of one of Orange County’s premier personal injury law firms to investigate this accident and explain to them their rights and options. If we were representing the family, there are a lot of questions that I would want answered before making any determination of fault. I am sure the trucking company has their investigators all over this accident site gathering everything they can to show them innocent of any wrongdoing.