California Injury Blog
Bog Soon Seo,71, a Garden Grove woman died of the major head injuries received after she was struck by a car while crossing the street with her 2-year-old grandson in her arms.
According to an article in CBS News’ Web site, the driver of the car saw Seo crossing at the intersection of Garden Grove Boulevard and Yockey Street and swerved to avoid her, but couldn’t do so in time. The toddler was not injured, the article said.
In this case, there were no crosswalk lines at the location, but news reports say it is considered an “unpainted crosswalk” where the driver is supposed to yield to a pedestiran. Clearly this was an extremely dangerous intersection for pedestrians because it did not have a properly marked crosswalk where pedestrians can get across the street safely.
This horrible tragedy could have been avoided had city officials understood the dangers of such an intersection. This is an intersection, which is located in a commercial/business district. Garden Grove Boulevard is a major arterial road in North Orange County and such a busy intersection must at least have a well-marked crosswalk where pedestrians may cross safely. The crosswalk must have brightly painted lines to indicate to the driver that it is a crosswalk and that he or she must stop and yield to pedestrians.
Without these elements, the traffic conditions in this section of Garden Grove were a recipe for disaster. We recently concluded a case against the city of Hanford where the city had to pay a high price in settling a case where a 14-year-old boy suffered debilitating brain injuries while trying to cross the street at a similar busy and dangerous intersection.
It is the responsibility of city government to make traffic safety a top priority. In today’s situation of tight budgets, cities and counties may be tempted to overlook these needs. It would be in the city of Garden Grove’s best interest to install a marked crosswalk with flashing lights at that intersection to prevent such tragedies in the future and to reduce its own liablity risks.
As for the family, although the grandmother was visiting from South Korea and was not a U.S. citizen, California law provides her a set of basic rights including full access to our courts. One of those basic rights is the right to a remedy for damages or loss. Her family would be well-advised to consult with an Orange County personal injury attorney to find out more about their legal rights and options.