California Injury Blog
Christina Bird, 11 of Huntington Beach, and 12-year-old Jacob Victor Martinez, of Moreno Valley, were killed in an off-road hit-and-run crash in the San Bernardino County desert.
According to a report in The Press-Enterprise, the fatal crash occurred on the night of July 2. California Highway Patrol officials got a call from a bystander who found the two unconscious children on Stoddard Wells Road within the Stoddard Valley off-highway vehicle area. It is believed that the tragic crash was the result of a hit and run.
Fatal ATV Crash
Investigators learned that the children were riding a Tao Tao ATV northeast on Stoddard Wells Road when the incident occurred. As they were riding, they were struck by an orange UTV that was traveling east on Stoddard Wells Road, east of Central Road. Jacob, the 12-year-old driver of the ATV was pronounced dead at the scene and Christina, the 11-year-old passenger, was taken to an area hospital before being airlifted to a regional medical center. She died from her injuries the following morning.
A family member wrote in a social media post that the two were family friends and that the families were in the desert on a camping trip. She said the children were barely a minute away from the campsite. The family member describes the suspect vehicle as a side-by-side orange Polaris RZR Velocity (possibly a 2019-2022 model year). The vehicle t-boned the children’s quad and dragged them, the post said.
Attempts to locate the unknown suspect driver had so far been unsuccessful, according to California Highway Patrol. Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to contact CHP officials at 760-241-1186.
We offer our deepest condolences to the family members of Christina Bird and Jacob Victor Martinez for their tremendous loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Justice for the Families
We trust officials are tracking leads to find the hit-and-run driver in this case. Hit-and-run laws apply to off-road vehicles in the same way as regular motor vehicles. Anyone who is involved in a vehicle accident in California is required to stop immediately, wait for the authorities to arrive, and render aid to the injured victims.
In such cases, victims’ families would be well advised to contact an experienced California hit and run lawyer who will stay on top of the official investigation and make sure their legal rights and best interests are protected. An experienced lawyer will also be able to advise victims about how their own auto insurance policy might apply to a crash where the driver has not been located or where the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured. Bisnar Chase has experience with ATV accident lawsuits and is here to help anyone who has endured damages or losses from an ATV crash.
Source: https://www.pe.com/2022/07/05/child-12-killed-in-off-highway-vehicle-hit-and-run-in-san-bernardino-county-desert/