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A hit-and-run driver ran a red light and caused a fatal multi-car accident in Temecula. (Photo: SWRNN)

Fatal hit-and-run crash:  Police arrested a Menifee man on vehicular homicide charges after he ran a red light, caused a fatal accident, and fled the scene Monday in Temecula.

•   A driver in a pickup truck ran a red light and crashed into two cars in an intersection in front of a shopping center.

•   The truck driver fled the scene.

•   One woman was killed and two others were seriously injured in the hit-and-run crash. 

•   Police caught and arrested the hit-and-run driver, who was treated for injuries and released. He was charged with vehicular homicide and felony hit-and-run.

The deadly car accident occurred at about 2:45 p.m. at the intersection of Rancho California Road and Town Center, according to a Valley News report.

Witnesses told police that a man — later identified as 63-year-old Travis Hughes Braswell of Menifee — was driving a pickup truck westbound on Rancho California Road when he ran a red light at the Town Center shopping area.

The truck slammed into a gold Pontiac, and then spun out of control and crashed into a gold Saturn. Braswell fled the scene.

The woman driving the Pontiac, 27-year-old Sharina Thomason of Escondido, suffered deadly injuries was taken to a nearby hospital in “full arrest,” Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Jody Hagemann told the Southwest Riverside News Network. Thomason was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Two other victims were taken to hospitals to be treated for moderate and minor injuries, Hagemann said.

Police found Braswell in the shopping center. He was transported to a local hospital to be treated, and then arrested on vehicular homicide and felony hit-and-run charges.  Police booked Braswell into the Southwest Detention Center.

The accident remains under investigation. Anyone with further information is urged to contact the Temecula Police Department at 951-696-3000.

Temecula Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyers

A 78-year-old man was killed in a bicycle accident in Moorpark.

A 78-year-old bicyclist was killed Thursday in a hit-and-run accident on Tierra Rejada Road near Highway 23 in Moorpark. The driver initially fled the scene.

•    An elderly bicyclist was riding on the shoulder of the road when he was hit from behind by a 20-year-old driver.

•   The bicyclist died at the scene.

•    The driver fled the scene but turned around and came back.

•    The driver was arrested on felony hit-and-run charges.

The fatal bicycle accident occurred at around 1:20 p.m., according to a Moorpark Patch news report.

California Highway Patrol officers said 78-year-old Simi Valley resident Bernard Cooper was riding a bicycle eastbound on the shoulder of Tierra Rejada Road when he was struck from behind.

Cooper died at the scene.

The driver of the vehicle — 20-year-old Nicolas Santiago of Ridgecrest – fled the scene but stopped about a mile and a half down the road, turned around, and returned to the accident site.

CHP officers arrested Santiago on charges of felony hit and run, according to a Ventura County Star report. Alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the accident.

Bicycle Accident Statistics

More than 600 cyclists were killed and an additional 52,000 were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2010, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The vast majority (72 percent) of pedalcyclist fatalities occur in urban areas; 67 percent of those fatalities occur at non-intersections.

Share the Road

Drivers of motor vehicles need to share the road with bicyclists.

The NHTSA urges motorists to be courteous—allow at least three feet clearance when passing a bicyclist on the road, look for cyclists before opening a car door or pulling out from a parking space, and yield to cyclists at intersections and as directed by signs and signals.

Be especially watchful for cyclists when making turns, either left or right.

Ride Safe

Bicyclists should increase their visibility to drivers by wearing fluorescent or brightly colored clothing during the day, dawn, and dusk.

To be noticed when riding at night, use a front light and a red reflector or flashing rear light, and use retro-reflective tape or markings on equipment or clothing.

Moorpark Bicycle Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented bicycle accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

An elderly man was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on the street in front of his home in North Hollywood.

Fatal pedestrian accident: Police arrested a suspect in the hit-and-run death of a 72-year-old man who was struck while crossing the street to get breakfast Sunday in North Hollywood.

•   A 21-year-old driver in a black GMC truck ran over an elderly pedestrian who was crossing the street in front of his home.

•  The driver fled the scene, but later was involved in an accident on the I-5 freeway.

•   Police found the elderly victim’s wallet and other possessions in the wrecked truck.

The deadly pedestrian accident occurred at around 5 a.m. in the 8100 block of Lankershim Blvd, according to a CBS News report.

Sgt. Larry Jones from the Los Angeles Police Department said the elderly man was walking across the street from his home to get breakfast at McDonald’s when he was struck by a black GMC S15 pick-up truck.

“A pickup truck was seen leaving the scene of the accident, apparently with a flat tire,” Jones said. “[The driver] stopped to change the flat tire.”

The victim, whose identity has been withheld pending notification of his next of kin, was transported to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills where he died, according to a City News Service report quoted in the LAist.

The driver fled the scene in the truck, but two hours later was involved in another accident on Interstate 5. The truck flipped over and the driver — 21-year-old Adrian Cervantes of Panorama City — was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center to be treated for injuries he sustained in the second accident.

Investigators who searched Cervantes’ vehicle found the 72-year-old pedestrian accident victim’s wallet and other personal property, Jones said.

“I haven’t seen somebody run a victim over, come back around and take their property from them, and then leave,” said Jones.

Authorities don’t know why Cervantes had the victim’s possessions, but there was speculation that the suspect may have removed he identifying information when he stopped to fix his tire, according to an NBC News report.

Cervantes was booked on suspicion of felony hit-and-run.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, police are urging anyone who saw the pedestrian accident or helped change a flat tire near Lankershim Boulevard and Sherman Way to call Valley Traffic detectives at 818-644-8034.

Witnesses may also call Los Angeles Police Department tip line at 877-LAPD-247 (527-3247). To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or text “LAPD” followed by a message to CRIMES (274637).

Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented pedestrian accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Police arrested a teen driver for a hit-and-run accident that killed another teen in Rancho Santa Fe (San Diego County).

A 19-year-old driver was arrested Sunday night for a hit-and-run accident that killed an 18-year-old bicyclist Friday morning in the North San Diego community of Rancho Santa Fe.

•   A 19-year-old driver drifted off the side of the road into the bike lane and struck an 18-year-old bicyclist. 

•   The bicyclist died. The driver fled the scene.

•   Neighbors alerted police to the car with damage matching the description of the accident, and police arrested the 19-year-old.

The fatal bicycle accident occurred at about 1 a.m., according to a report in the North County Times.

California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Parent told the Times that 18-year-old Angel Bojorquez of Escondido was riding his bicycle northbound on Via de la Valle toward Paseo Delicias when a vehicle drove up behind him, drifted onto the right shoulder (the bike lane) and struck him.

Bojorquez had been riding home from his job as a grocery clerk at an Albertson’s grocery store in Del Mar. The driver of the vehicle that fatally struck Bojorquez fled the scene and left him to die. A private Rancho Santa Fe security officer discovered Bojorquez’s body at about 2 a.m. by the side of the road.

Neighbors of 19-year-old San Diego resident Jin Jyuk Byun tipped off police that Byun’s car, a black 2008 Chevy Avalanche, had damage consistent with reports of the deadly hit-and-run crash.

Parent said an investigator spoke with Byun at his home on Sunday night, but he refused to cooperate. Officers obtained a  search warrant, arrested him on felony hit-and-run charges, and booked him into the county jail.

UPDATE:

At Byun’s arraignment on Wednesday, prosecutors said that Byun pulled off the road after he hit Bojorquez and tried to hide evidence, according to a Fox 5 News report. Prosecutors further alleged that Byun tried to cover up some of the damage to his Chevy Avalanche and then drove to his parents’ house on a flat tire and tried to hide the Avalanche in their garage.

Byun pleaded not guilty. His bail was set at $1 million.

San Diego Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented hit-and-run accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Police arrested a Vallejo man for a hit-and-run accident that killed a 17-year-old driver on Lakeville Road in Petaluma.

Police arrested a man Monday for a hit-and-run accident that killed a 17-year-old driver near Petaluma.

•  A Ford pickup truck careened off of a two-lane road, down an embankment, and back onto the road facing oncoming traffic.

•   The Ford truck slammed into the driver’s side of an oncoming GMC truck, killing its 17-year-old driver. 

•   The Ford truck driver got out of his wrecked truck, looked into the GMC truck, saw the deceased teen, and fled the scene on foot.

•   Ten hours later, the Ford driver turned himself in to the CHP and was arrested on felony hit-and-run and manslaughter charges.

The fatal car accident occurred at 12:15 a.m., according to a report in the Napa Valley Register.

California Highway Patrol Officer Jon Sloat said a 1969 Ford pickup truck, driven by a man who was later identified as 41-year-old Michael Scott Harmon of Vallejo, was traveling southbound on Lakeville Road when it ran off the roadway just south of the Stage Gulch Road and struck an embankment.

Harmon lost control of his vehicle, swerved back onto the road into oncoming traffic, and slammed into the driver’s side of a northbound 1985 GMC pickup truck.

The violent impact killed the GMC truck driver, 17-year-old Jahzeel Forsen of American Canyon.

A witness told CHP officers that Harmon got out of his truck, walked over to the GMC truck, and looked inside at the deceased teen, according to the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat. Harmon then ran away on foot, leaving his wrecked truck at the scene.

Sloat said Harmon walked through fields and went to a friend’s home near Stage Gulch Road, Sloat said. He got a ride to Rohnert Park. The truck was registered to him, so police quickly identified him as a person of interest.

Ten hours later, Harmon called the CHP. He was questioned at the CHP office in Rohnert Park, where he was arrested. He faces charges of felony manslaughter and felony hit-and-run, Sloat said.

CHP investigators are trying to determine whether Harmon may have been driving under the influence at the time of the deadly accident. Sloat said he may have fled the crash scene because he is on probation for a prior drug conviction.

Petaluma Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented hit-and-run accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A hit-and-run driver has been arrested in connection with a pedestrian accident that killed a 72-year-old woman in San Ramon over the weekend.

Police arrested a hit-and-run driver Monday in connection with a pedestrian accident that killed a 72-year-old woman Sunday night in San Ramon.

•   An elderly woman was crossing a San Ramon street at 7 p.m., when it was still very light outdoors.

•   A driver struck the woman with an SUV and fled the scene.

•   The woman died a few hours later from injuries she sustained in the accident.

•   Police found and arrested the man, who also was wanted for a burglary.

The fatal hit-and-run accident occurred at around 7 p.m., according to a report in the San Ramon Express.

Police said the elderly woman, whose name was withheld, was trying to cross Bollinger Canyon Road at Canyon Lakes Drive when she was struck by a red Ford Explorer sports utility vehicle.

Witnesses said the vehicle then sped up and fled the scene. They were able to describe both the SUV and its driver to police.

The victim suffered severe injuries. Paramedics treated her at the scene and then airlifted her via helicopter to the Level II trauma unit at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. She died from the injuries she sustained in the accident at about 10 p.m., according to police.

Police tracked down the Explorer and  positively identified Stubblefield as the driver of the vehicle that struck the woman. Stubblefield was on probation and had an open arrest warrant for burglary, according to a KTVU News report.

He was arrested on charges of driving with a suspended license, hit-and-run resulting in death, vehicular manslaughter, and probation violation.

Police are still investigating the accident and urge anyone with any information to call the San Ramon Police Department at 925-973-2700.

Pedestrian Accident Statistics

More than 4,000 pedestrians are killed every year — 11 every day — after being struck by motor vehicles, according to the latest National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics. An additional 59,000 are seriously injured.

The latest NHTSA figures show that:

• 69 percent of pedestrians killed in 2009 were males.
• Almost three out of every four pedestrian fatalities occur in urban areas (72 percent).
• The top four states for pedestrian fatalities are California, Florida, Texas, and New York. These four states make up 41 percent of pedestrian fatalities nationwide while only accounting for 5 percent of the total traffic fatalities across the country.
• Nearly one-half (48 percent) of all pedestrian fatalities occurred on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — 70 percent occur at night (4 p.m. to 4 a.m.).

Alcohol is a major factor in pedestrian deaths, according to the non-profit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In 2009, 37 percent of fatally injured pedestrians 16 and older had blood alcohol concentrations at or above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Fifteen percent of drivers involved in pedestrian deaths had blood alcohol levels at or above the legal limit.

San Ramon Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented pedestrian accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A wheelchair-bound woman was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in El Cajon. (Photo: Channel 10 News)

Police arrested a 36-year-old driver on Saturday for a hit-and-run accident that killed a wheelchair-bound woman Friday in El Cajon.

•   A woman was trying to cross the street in her wheelchair when she was struck by a PT Cruiser. 

•   She was thrown from her chair onto the road and died at the scene. The driver did not stop.

•   Police found debris from the vehicle that led them to the suspected driver’s home.  He was arrested and jailed on suspicion of felony hit and run.

The fatal pedestrian accident occurred shortly after 9 p.m., according to a Channel 10 News report.

California Highway Patrol officer Brian Pennings said a wheelchair-bound woman was trying to cross Olde Highway 80 near Flinn Springs when she was struck by a dark colored SUV-type vehicle.

The impact knocked the wheelchair down and threw the victim onto the roadway. The vehicle that struck the woman fled the scene.

Sheriff’s deputies, CHP officers, and firefighter emergency response crews who responded to the scene found the victim unconscious and unresponsive. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate her, but she did not respond and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased victim as 49-year-old Laurie Susan Whitlow, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. She lived at a residential care home in unincorporated El Cajon.

Witnesses who called 911 immediately after the accident told police that the vehicle looked like a Chrysler PT Cruiser. Investigators found debris from a PT Cruiser that led them to the El Cajon residence of 36-year-old Anthony Olsen, Pennings said.

Olsen was arrested at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday and was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of felony hit-and-run. Bail was set at $50,000. The suspect is scheduled to be arraigned on May 22.

El Cajon Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented pedestrian accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A 3-year-old girl was killed and her mother seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident in Anaheim. (Photo: Orange County Register)

Pedestrian fatality: A 3-year-old girl was killed and her mother critically injured Wednesday when a stolen car struck them in an Anaheim crosswalk and fled the scene without even slowing down.

•   A mother and her 3-year-old daughter were run over in a crosswalk by a speeding stolen car.

•   The driver fled the scene.

•   The little girl died. The mother is still hospitalized. Her condition has been upgraded from critical to serious but stable. She has multiple major injuries.

The deadly hit-and-run accident occurred at around 6 p.m., according to a report in the Orange County Register.

The California Highway Patrol said 26-year-old Lady Audree Rebecca Hernandez of Anaheim was pushing her 3-year-old daughter – Miranda Palacios – in a stroller when the accident happened. They were in the Gilbert Street crosswalk at Guinida Lane.

Witnesses told CBS News they saw a 1995 Nissan Maxima speeding northbound on Gilbert Street and honking its horn just moments before it struck down Hernandez and her daughter in the crosswalk.

Gloria and Jesse Gonzales, who live nearby, told the Register they heard the accident and ran outside to see if they could help. They found Hernandez and her daughter lying in the street. Clothing, stroller parts, and other debris were scattered all around them. A motorist had already stopped to try to help, but the little girl was unresponsive.

“She wasn’t breathing as I lay next to her,” Gloria Gonzales said.

Both of the victims had suffered catastrophic injuries. Paramedics rushed to the scene and took them to the Level II trauma unit at U.C. Irvine Medical Center. Both were in critical condition. The little girl died from her injuries not long after she arrived at the hospital.

Hernandez remained in the hospital. She was in serious but stable condition on Thursday. Her mother, Kim Kirby, said Hernandez had suffered multiple major injuries.

“She has multiple fractures,” Kirby told ABC News. “Her bones are crushed, her back is broken. She has multiple bleeds. They don’t even know what’s going to happen with her.”

The man who was driving the Nissan didn’t stop after he hit Hernandez and her daughter. He didn’t even slow down. He abandoned the car — which turned out to be stolen – several blocks away, near Lullaby Lane and Perdido Street. He fled the scene. Authorities searched for more than five hours, using bloodhounds and a helicopter, but did not find him.

Residents in the area where Hernandez and her daughter were run over expressed outrage after the tragic accident.  They said they had been asking for a new crosswalk for a long time because that one is so dangerous. It is very poorly lit and has a history of accidents.

“We’ve witnessed more accidents than we need to,” Gloria Gonzales said. “When we run out, my children are crying because they don’t know what they’re going to see. We’re just devastated. This is really heartbreaking that this is what it’s going to take for the city to realize the importance of a crosswalk, a light.”

Anyone with information was asked to contact the California Highway Patrol at 714-892-4426 or 949-559-7888. Anonymous tips can be left through Orange County Crime Stoppers at www.occrimestoppers.org or 855-847-6227.

“We need somebody to come forward,” Kirby said. “Please, tell us. Somebody had to see something. We got to find out who did this.”

 Anaheim Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented pedestrian accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.