Darlene Johnson, 65, was killed in a San Bernardino car accident after she was struck by a vehicle the evening of November 10, 2009. According to a news report in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Johnson was walking on Southwood Lane near the corner of Westwood Lane in Highland, California, when she was hit by a pickup truck. The driver of the pickup was apparently making a left turn onto Westwood from Southwood, when the collision occurred. The driver stopped and called emergency personnel. Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Darlene Johnson for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Please keep them in your prayers.

San Bernardino Pedestrian Accidents

According to California Highway Patrol's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there was one death and four injuries reported in the city of Highland as a result of pedestrian accident cases. In San Bernardino County as a whole, 50 deaths and 432 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of pedestrian accidents. Also, countywide, car accidents claimed 308 lives and injured 9,920 during the same year.

Based on this newspaper report, it is hard to tell where exactly Johnson was walking on that Highland street. It seems as if she was walking right at the intersection when the driver of the pickup truck, who was making a left turn, struck her. California law requires that motorists yield right-of-way to pedestrians walking in crosswalks and at intersections.

California Car Accident Laws

California Vehicle Code Section 21950 states: "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." The same section also states that 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 a vehicle or take any other action relating to the operating of the vehicle as necessary to safeguard the safety of the pedestrian."

If I were a member of Johnson's family, I'd want to know whether the driver was negligent in this case. Was he or she impaired? Was the driver distracted for some reason? Was he or she speeding, driving recklessly or otherwise negligent? If that was the case, then he or she should be held liable for Johnson's fatal injuries. In such cases, if the at-fault driver was on-the-job or running an errand for someone, the employer or the person he or she was running the errand for, could also be held liable.

If there was a dangerous condition at that intersection that caused this tragic collision, the city or governmental agency responsible for maintaining that roadway could also be held liable. Any claim against a California governmental agency must be filed within six months of an accident or injury. An experienced and knowledgeable California personal injury settlement attorney will analyze all aspects of a car accident and help determine whether there was any negligence or wrongdoing involved.

The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.

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