A woman was killed in a Los Angeles car accident after one of two drivers involved in a street race the night of August 9, 2009 struck the woman's car. According to a CBS news report, police are looking for the two drivers who apparently fled after the crash, which occurred at Normandie Avenue and 106th Street in South Los Angeles. California Highway Patrol officials said the woman died at the scene. Witnesses told officials that the two drivers were racing and one of the vehicles, an SUV, hit the woman's car while the other kept going. The driver of the SUV was reportedly carried away from the scene by two other men. Officials are searching for the drivers of both vehicles and are trying to contact the registered owner of the SUV, which was abandoned at the scene.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of this woman for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Obviously, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved this woman. Please keep her in your prayers.

Los Angeles Car Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 260 fatalities and 27,110 injuries involving car accidents occurred in the city of Los Angeles. In Los Angeles County as a whole, 712 fatalities and 56,475 injuries were reported as a result of car accidents in 2007.

If eyewitness accounts and this news report are accurate, the woman's death was caused by the negligent driver who seems to have been involved in a street-racing contest. I sincerely hope that the reckless drivers who caused this California car accident are apprehended and brought to justice. If they in fact raced on the street and brought about this woman's death, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Street racing is irresponsible, illegal and shows a callous disregard for the safety and well-being of others on the road.

California Car Accident Laws

In California, racing on a public street or a highway is illegal. California Vehicle Code section 23109 (a) states: "A person shall not engage in a motor vehicle speed contest on a highway. As used in this section, a motor vehicle speed contest includes a motor vehicle race against another vehicle, a clock, or other timing device. For purposes of this section, an event in which the time to cover a prescribed route of more than 20 miles is measured, but where the vehicle does not exceed the speed limits, is not a speed contest."

This incident also involved parties who fled the scene of the accident. In fact, according to witnesses, the men carried the driver of the SUV away, abandoning the vehicle and of course, the woman who was struck and killed by that racing SUV. Despicable! California law prohibits drivers from leaving the scene of a car accident. California Vehicle Code section 20001 (a) states: “The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident.”

In such cases, victims and/or their families would be well-served consulting with an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who will stay on top of the official investigation, analyze all aspects of the car accident and make sure the victims receive fair compensation for their tragic and irreparable loss.

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