A pedestrian was struck and killed last night at approximately 9:45 p.m. The incident occurred on Washington Boulevard in Pasadena between Lake Avenue and Prime Court. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her identity is being withheld pending notification to her family.
The area between Lake Ave. and Prime Ct. on Washington Blvd. is a commercial district with a lot of businesses including retail shops on both sides of the boulevard. This type of area is prone to accidents involving pedestrians crossing the street. The time of day is also significant. The majority of auto v. pedestrian accidents occur in the nighttime and early morning hours due to lower visibility.
It isn't clear from news reports whether or not the pedestrian was in a crosswalk or not. The indication that the collision occurred between intersections would tend to show that they may not have been in a crosswalk. For purposes of legal liability for wrongful death, this may make a difference. Under the California Vehicle Code 21950(a) motor vehicle operators are required to yield the right of way to pedestrians within any "marked" or "unmarked" crosswalk at an intersection. However, because California is a "comparative fault" state (i.e. state where legal fault can be apportioned to multiple parties), there may be civil liability on the part of the driver still depending upon all the facts.
For further information or assistance with motor vehicle accident claims in Pasadena, visit our webpage.
