By: In a tragic turn of events this morning, an 11-year-old girl was struck by a vehicle as she walked to school. Reports indicate that the child was in the crosswalk at the time the vehicle struck her around 7:00a.m. The girl was seriously injured and was taken to a local hospital. The incident occurred at the corner of Lincoln Ave and Monterey Street near Juliette Low Elementary School in the City of Anaheim.
The vehicle appeared to have significant damage and a shattered windshield. This likely indicates that the driver was traveling above the speed limit when the vehicle struck the little girl. However, even if the driver was going the speed limit, the driver has a responsibility to yield to pedestrian traffic in a cross walk.
The lawyers at our firm handle many cases where pedestrians are stuck by vehicles. Unfortunately, those cases usually result in very serious injuries and are often fatal. Recently, our firm successfully recovered a seven figure verdict for the family that lost their mother after she was struck while using a crosswalk in the City of Santa Ana. The driver in that case had two prior DUI convictions. The driver demonstrated a reckless disregard for the safety of other drivers and pedestrians and as a result, struck and killed a loving family woman.
There is little doubt that the Anaheim Police Department will conduct a detailed investigation into the incident involving this little girl. Once that is complete, this driver will be facing serious consequences. We wish this little girl and her family the best as they focus on her recovery.