California is often regarded as having some of the most breathtaking landscapes across the North American continent. From ocean to mountain, the Golden State seemingly has it all. Despite its beauty, it is but a pretty cover over the brutal reality of the dangers that pedestrians face in California.
In 2018 alone, over 14,000 pedestrians were injured – with almost 1,000 more losing their lives completely. The result is a 25% higher fatality rate for pedestrians in California than the national average. The Law Office of John B. Richards wants to uncover the deadly reality of traveling by foot in Santa Barbara while providing concrete options to seek justice with one of our Santa Barbara pedestrian accident attorneys if you or a loved one find yourselves implicated in a pedestrian accident.
Cottage Hospital gained a new patient on June 28th, 2021 when a midnight hit and run occurred in Santa Barbara. Taking place on West Carrillo Street, the driver of the car involved in the incident immediately fled the scene with no concern for the wellbeing of the victim. As a result, the police arrived to find the victim lying on the ground with serious injuries. The crash was unfortunately brutal enough that the collision with the pedestrian caused the Toyota emblem attached to the front of the car to dislodge and fall to the ground.
Reports add that one of the headlights was also damaged during the crash. The car was no small sedan either – police are led to believe that the vehicle was in fact a pick-up truck, belonging to the Tacoma or Tundra makes from the early to mid-2000s. As any form of specific identification of the vehicle or operator is unknown, police are still on the lookout for the truck’s owner. They have enlisted the help of the public to help find the car as it is still on the run.
With such a high prevalence of pedestrian deaths in California, news of perpetrators fleeing the scene is an even worse wake-up call to the public. A complicated legal battle is guaranteed to follow suit, causing disdain and mass concern for the Santa Barbara community.
In this specific case, the police requested that the operator of the vehicle come forward so that they can gain his or her side of the story. If the driver is eventually found to be responsible for striking the victim, it is likely that they will be charged with a hit and run. In practical terms, this is often viewed as a “disregard for life” and can certainly lead to a heavier sentence than if one was to simply follow correct and proper procedure. In any case, there are a number of other consequences that can follow a pedestrian accident:
These are just some of the consequences that a driver could face when unjustifiably hitting a pedestrian and jeopardizing their life. Following the recent series of events that occurred in the community, it is not surprising that this is oftentimes commonplace in Santa Barbara.
The carelessness of drivers is not reflected by our lawyers as our legal expertise at the Law Office of John B. Richards is here to take care of all of your Santa Barbara personal injury attorney needs. By clicking here or calling 805-683-2736 for a free consultation, you can be confident in the help and legal counsel that you will receive. Although the stain of pedestrian injuries and deaths in Santa Barbara and California continues to run deep, our firm finds motivation in the prospects of a brighter and better future for residents of Santa Barbara and surrounding communities.