Editor’s Note: Coalinga Press has just received these incident reports. Please note that the first states that it is from January. We strive to provide accurate and prompt information. Thank you.
On 1-16-2020, Officers responded the area of Van Ness and Sunset regarding a collision in which a vehicle struck a student crossing Van Ness in a crosswalk. The student was thrown about 10 feet after pushing her younger sister out of the pathway of the vehicle that was turning eastbound onto Van Ness from Sunset.
The student suffered moderate injuries.
On 3-6-2020, Officers responded to the area of Sunset and Washington regarding a student being struck by a vehicle while crossing the roadway in the crosswalk. The student was crossing Washington on Sunset, going to school, when a vehicle traveling eastbound on Washington and stopped at the posted “STOP” sign at Sunset. The vehicle then proceeded through the intersection, striking the student in the arm, and then fled the area. The student sustained minor injuries.
On 3-7-2020, Officers responded to the 400 block of E. Polk regarding a pedestrian struck by a vehicle.
The pedestrian was crossing the roadway when she was struck by a vehicle that was turning into a parking lot. The pedestrian suffered major injuries and was transported to the hospital.
The Police Department would like to remind everybody, whether you are driving or walking, to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Here are just a few tips to keep in mind.
If you are driving, staying off your cell phones, stopping completely at posted “STOP” signs and make sure the intersection is clear before proceeding through or making your turn, making sure the path is clear before making turns into driveways, side streets or parking lots and making sure all of the vehicles lighting is in working condition to help see during times of darkness are all ways of avoiding collisions.
If you are walking, again, pay attention to your surroundings, avoid being on your cell phones, stop and look both ways before crossing the roadways to avoid walking in front of moving vehicles, wear light colored clothing at night to make it easier for motorists to see you, avoid walking in the middle or side of the roadway and use sidewalks when available.
Here are a few California Vehicle Codes that pertain to drivers and pedestrians.
CVC 21950
(a) The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.
(b) This section does not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of using due care for his or her safety. No pedestrian may suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard. No pedestrian may unnecessarily stop or delay traffic while in a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
(c) The driver of a vehicle approaching a pedestrian within any marked or unmarked crosswalk shall exercise all due care and shall reduce the speed of the vehicle or take any other action relating to the operation of the vehicle as necessary to safeguard the safety of the pedestrian.
(d) Subdivision (b) does not relieve a driver of a vehicle from the duty of exercising due care for the safety of any pedestrian within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
CVC 21953
Whenever any pedestrian crosses a roadway other than by means of a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing, if a pedestrian tunnel or overhead crossing serves the place where the pedestrian is crossing the roadway, such pedestrian shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles on the highway so near as to constitute an immediate hazard.
CVC 21954
(a) Every pedestrian upon a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway so near as to constitute an immediate hazard.
(b) The provisions of this section shall not relieve the driver of a vehicle from the duty to exercise due care for the safety of any pedestrian upon a roadway.
CVC 21956
(a) No pedestrian may walk upon any roadway outside of a business or residence district otherwise than close to his or her left-hand edge of the roadway.
(b) A pedestrian may walk close to his or her right-hand edge of the roadway if a crosswalk or other means of safely crossing the roadway is not available or if existing traffic or other conditions would compromise the safety of a pedestrian attempting to cross the road.
Motorists are advised when a school bus is stopped and has its flashing “Stop” sign out, vehicles in both directions must stop and wait for students to load or unload from the bus. Only when the flashing lights are turned off and the “Stop” sign has been pulled back in, can a motorist proceed.
CVC 22454
(a) The driver of any vehicle, upon meeting or overtaking, from either direction, any school bus equipped with signs as required in this code, that is stopped for the purpose of loading or unloading any schoolchildren and displays a flashing red light signal and stop signal arm, as defined in paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 25257, if equipped with a stop signal arm, visible from front or rear, shall bring the vehicle to a stop immediately before passing the school bus and shall not proceed past the school bus until the flashing red light signal and stop signal arm, if equipped with a stop signal arm, cease operation.
(b)(1) The driver of a vehicle upon a divided highway or multiple-lane highway need not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus that is upon the other roadway.
(2) For the purposes of this subdivision, a multiple-lane highway is any highway that has two or more lanes of travel in each direction.
(c)(1) If a vehicle was observed overtaking a school bus in violation of subdivision (a), and the driver of the school bus witnessed the violation, the driver may, within 24 hours, report the violation and furnish the vehicle license plate number and description and the time and place of the violation to the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction of the offense. That law enforcement agency shall issue a letter of warning prepared in accordance with paragraph (2) with respect to the alleged violation to the registered owner of the vehicle. The issuance of a warning letter under this paragraph shall not be entered on the driving record of the person to whom it is issued but does not preclude the imposition of any other applicable penalty.
(2) The Attorney General shall prepare and furnish to every law enforcement agency in the state a form letter for purposes of paragraph (1), and the law enforcement agency may issue those letters in the exact form prepared by the Attorney General. The Attorney General may charge a fee to any law enforcement agency that requests a copy of the form letter to recover the costs of preparing and providing that copy.
(d) This section also applies to a roadway upon private property.
