California Injury Blog
A woman was seriously injured in a Santa Ana car accident, which officials say involved a hit-and-run driver. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the major injury collision occurred the morning of February 16, 2012 at the intersection of Bristol Street and Elder Avenue. The pedestrian, who was between 50 and 60 years old, was walking north on the west sidewalk of Bristol and began crossing Elder. She was about four to five feet into the intersection when a driver who was traveling east on Elder struck her.
The impact from the collision knocked the victim to the number three lane of Bristol. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene before police arrived. No vehicle description is available at this time. The woman, who was lying unconscious on the roadway, suffered severe head injuries and was transported to Western Medical Center. Anyone with information is asked to call Santa Ana police at 714-245-8214.
My heart goes out to the seriously injured victim of this hit-and-run car accident. I wish her the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
Pedestrian Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were seven fatalities and 145 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Santa Ana. In Orange County as a whole, 41 people died and 864 were injured in pedestrian accidents, during the same year.
Leaving the Scene of a Crash
If the details of the news account are accurate, the driver in this case not only struck a pedestrian who was walking at an intersection, but also critically injured her. The suspect then left the victim lying unconscious on the roadway, without even stopping to help her. Appalling! Leaving the scene of an injury car accident is a serious crime under California law, not to mention an unconscionable and despicable act.
California Vehicle Code Section 20001 (a) states: “The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident.”
Protecting Victims’ Rights
If you have any information, please visit our dedicated hit-and-run web site, www.hitandrunreward.com to offer an anonymous tip and also become eligible for a $1,000 reward. Let us join hands as a community to help police apprehend these drivers and hold them accountable.
Injured victims would be well advised to contact an experienced Santa Ana personal injury lawyer, who will stay abreast of the official investigation and ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected. A skilled car accident attorney will also advise victims about how their own auto insurance policy applies to a hit-and-run crash where the driver is never found, or, in a case where the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured.