A man, who was a passenger in a 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse, reportedly died after a traffic collision near the Los Alamitos Race Track in an area, which city officials themselves have admitted is a dangerous intersection. The deceased man has been unidentified as Fernando Flores, but there is no word yet on his age or city of residence, The Orange County Register reports.
Apparently, the intersection where the accident occurred – Siboney Street and Katella Avenue – is an extremely busy and dangerous one where officials have applied for grants to make median and intersection improvements. Flores died after the car he was riding in crashed into a 2004 Chevy Tahoe driven by Ivan Gandarilla of Long Beach.
Officials are still investigating the crash and it is not known if alcohol was a factor in this crash. But Gandarilla was arrested on an outstanding warrant for driving under the influence. Flores was pronounced dead after he was transported to the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Gandarilla escaped with nonlife-threatening injuries. No one else in the Tahoe or the Eclipse suffered serious injuries, The Register reported.
Dangerous intersections and roadways are among the most common reasons for auto accidents and traffic collisions in the city. There are probably more than 100 such intersections in Orange County that have a huge volume of traffic going through them each day. But it takes money for these cities to make those improvements and dangerous roadways often fall on the back-burner when it comes to the city’s financial priorities.
It’s hard to understand why. Isn’t public safety the foremost responsibility of city government? Isn’t fixing potholes, constructing medians and installing traffic lights and stop signs where our tax dollars should go? These are not luxuries for citizens. These are bare necessities that will help save hundreds or thousands of lives each year in this country and will be beneficial for not only motorists, but pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists as well.
As personal injury attorneys, we represent people who have suffered major injuries as a result of a dangerous roadway, highway or street condition. Their debilitating injuries speak volumes for why cities and government agencies must give top priority to traffic safety.