Investigation ongoing in car versus pedestrian accident
Two children were in stable condition at local hospital on Monday after they were struck by a car while crossing the street at the intersection of 12th Street and Montana Avenue.
The children, ages 7 and 10, were walking in a crosswalk at about 3:25 p.m. when the driver of a ??? struck them, police said. They were crossing the street with their mother.
“Their injuries are not life-threatening,” said Santa Monica Police Lt. Frank Fabrega. “And the driver is being cooperative.”
Witnesses said the 7-year-old was hit first.
“The little kid got hit really, really hard,” said Justin Bauer, an employee who watched the accident from inside the Weathervane for Men clothing store located at the southeast corner of the intersection. “He was thrown up in the air and landed straight down on his head.”
The 7-year-old appeared to be struck by the middle front of the car while the 10-year-old was clipped on the left, front side. A shoe was found underneath the car, which skidded through the crosswalk before coming to a stop several feet west of the intersection.
“The driver was freaking out,” Bauer said, adding the mother was just as upset. “He was really distraught.”
“He was really distraught.”
Bauer said he watched the mother cross the street with her children in tow and the driver of the car appeared to not be paying attention, perhaps looking for a parking space.
“The driver seemed distracted because he had a constant speed through the intersection,” he said.
The 7-year-old appeared unconscious until an ambulance arrived.
“He was out for a while and then he was crying,” Bauer said. “I hope he survives.”
The SMPD, which has numerous pedestrian safety programs, urges people to look both ways before crossing a street. Bauer said he sees many people have close calls.
“When you cross the crosswalk you have a false sense of security,” he said. “When you are in a crosswalk, you are basically jaywalking with a target around you.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 7, 2004. Read the original PDF.