Pedestrian Killed in Sacramento Hit and Run
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. Hit and runs collisions can have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable of our Sacramento street users: pedestrians and bicyclists.
What Happened?
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported that a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle around 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 27, 2016. The pedestrian was walking along westbound El Camino Avenue, in the vicinity of Howe Avenue in Sacramento.
Pedestrian Found Unresponsive
The pedestrian, who was described only as a male, 57-years-old, was found on the side of the road in an unresponsive state.
Sadly, emergency personnel and officers arrived at the scene and pronounced the man deceased.
Was There A Description of the Hit and Run Vehicle?
Witnesses indicated seeing a dark-colored Sport Utility Vehicle strike the pedestrian. The hit and run driver then pulled into a 76 gas station for a few moments before fleeing the area, according to the CHP.
All westbound lanes of El Camino Avenue were closed for a short time while emergency personnel cleared the scene and authorities investigated the area.
Is There A Yellow Alert System In Place To Help Find Hit and Run Drivers?
Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill in September of 2015 to create a “Yellow Alert” hit-and-run system. The bill would allow California police to broadcast identifying information on highway marquees about vehicles suspected of leaving the scene of serious and/or fatal hit-and-run crashes.
How Does Yellow Alert System Work?
When a hit-and-run crash is reported to local police and there is information about the driver, make and model of the vehicle or their license plate number, they can contact the California Highway Patrol to put out a “Yellow Alert” on the freeways. The Yellow Alert is similar to the “Amber Alert” already in use. Amber Alerts are put out when a child is reported missing. Drivers are encouraged to keep a lookout for specific suspect and vehicle information that may be available. The information is displayed along freeway marquees for motorists to read and report any information to authorities.
Similar Alert Program Working Well in Denver
Medina Alerts, a program used in Denver, Colorado, focuses on hit-and-run crimes. The Denver system is what inspired the Yellow Alert system to be enacted in California. Of 17 cases that have prompted a Medina Alert since its implementation in the year 2014, 13 have been solved! This equates to a 76 percent rate of success.
Hit and Run Collisions as Defined By the Yellow Alert System Bill
A hit-and-run crash, as defined in the bill, is a crash in which the driver involved in the collision leaves the scene before law enforcement officials arrive. Under California law, if someone flees the scene of a traffic collision, does not identify his or herself to all involved in the crash, and if someone else’s property has been damaged, the hit-and-run driver can be charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run. Or, the hit-and-run driver can be charged with felony hit-and-run if someone is hurt or passes away.
Why Are These Crimes So Difficult To Solve?
What makes these crimes so difficult to solve is the lack of identifying information of the vehicle and/or driver. This presents quite a challenge for law enforcement to solve. It is hard to conduct a search and bring someone to justice when you have little to no information to go on.
Sacramento Authorities Asking for Public’s Help
The CHP is requesting the public’s help in locating the driver in the hit-and-run crash that took the life of the Sacramento pedestrian.
We extend our condolences to the friends and family of the man who passed away.
If you have any information about the person behind the wheel of the dark-colored SUV, please contact the California Highway Patrol at (916) 681-2300.
Uninsured Motorist Insurance
Even though the hit and run driver is unknown, Uninsured Motorist Insurance is usually available in these type of cases so long as the pedestrian or someone in his household has an auto insurance policy with uninsured motorist coverage. For more information contact an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Sacramento Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. If you or your loved one has been seriously hurt or tragically killed in a hit and run crash, please contact me promptly at (916) 921-6400 for free, friendly advice. If you are calling from outside the Sacramento region, please dial me toll-free at (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice.
I’ve been helping Northern California families recover compensation for their wrongful death and serious personal injury matters for more than 3 decades.
Read a long list of my customer reviews on Yelp, Avvo, and Google.
Meet my hardworking and dedicated staff members.
I’m honored to belong to the California Million Dollar Advocates Forum. We are a group of experienced trial lawyers who have won case verdicts and settlements in excess of 1 Million Dollars.
See some of my successful Past Verdicts and settlements here.
I have practiced exclusively in personal injury law since 1982.
Image Attribution: Wikimedia Commons [Images in the Public Domain – Anxiety.jpg]
Source of Pedestrian Killed in Sacramento Hit and Run:
- http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-sacramento/pedestrian-killed-in-hitandrun-crash-in-sacramento/40907898
- https://oaklandnorth.net/2015/10/12/high-number-of-hit-and-runs-in-oakland-prompts-new-state-funding/
:bw