Pedestrian Death Near Discovery Park Hit and Run
A March 1 accident involving a pedestrian and motor vehicle caused the death of a woman near Discovery Park. I would like to extend my prayers and sympathy to those who lost their loved ones in this accident.
What Happened?
According to a spokesperson for the Sacramento Police, the incident happened around 11:00 in the evening. A man and woman walked along the bike lane west of Garden Highway near Natomas Park Drive. A minivan, described as a silver in color, that was traveling east entered the lane reserved for bikes, struck the woman, and then left the scene of the accident.
Pedestrian Dies at the Scene
One passerby attempted to use CPR on the woman. However, when police arrived at the accident scene, she had expired from her injuries. The identity of the deceased woman has not yet been released by the coroner’s office for Sacramento County.
Hit and Run Driver Detained
Supplied with a description of the vehicle that struck the woman by witnesses, police located the vehicle near the intersection of Truxel Road, where it crosses El Camino Avenue. The driver suspected of causing the hit-and-run accident was identified as Raul Sanchez, age 28, of Carmichael. The driver was taken into custody and faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident with injury, which is a felony offense. Police reported that alcohol was not deemed to be a factor in the crash.
Pedestrian Fatalities
California leads other states in pedestrian accidents, as does Florida and Texas. Most pedestrians killed are male. Thirty-three percent of pedestrians have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher, which represents the legal limit for alcohol. On the other hand, drivers involved in a pedestrian crash were not impaired about 80 percent of the time. Hit-and-run accidents occur about 20 percent of the time in pedestrian crashes. Older pedestrians and males are the most likely to die in such an accident. Although more pedestrian deaths occur in clear weather, sleet is singled out as a significant weather factor, followed by fog.
Sacramento Statistics
In 2015, the last year for which the Office of Traffic Safety provides data, 228 pedestrians were injured or killed. This places Sacramento midway between similarly sized cities in the state for pedestrian accidents. Of these, 27 percent were classified as adolescents under 15, and 30 percent were 65 and older. Alternately, in Sacramento County, 535 pedestrians were injured or killed in 2015, making the county only 24th out of 58 similarly sized counties in California. Countywide, 71 out of the 535 pedestrians killed or injured were minors under 15, and 55 were 65 and older.
Reasons for Pedestrian Accidents
Darting out into traffic is a leading cause of pedestrian accidents, with roughly 78 percent of people killed in non-intersections. About 66 percent of pedestrians are killed in cities. The worst days of the calendar year for pedestrian deaths are January 1 and October 31. Overall, the weekends have a higher risk for pedestrian fatalities than other days of the week. Most pedestrian accidents occur between 6:00 p.m. and midnight. The absence of light and witnesses in a late-night crash can complicate the case.
Sacramento Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento pedestrian accident lawyer. Families that lose a loved one to a negligent driver face the death of the person they love, but sometimes the income provided by that individual as well. If you lost a family member because of a pedestrian accident and would like my free and friendly advice, call me at (916) 921-6400. Our toll-free number is (800) 404-5400. You can also contact me online.
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