Two local teenage girls are in the hospital with major injuries after being hit by a truck in Grover Beach. [KCOY]
The 17 and18-year-old girls were walking in a crosswalk at the intersection of Grand Avenue and 7th Street at about 9 p.m. on Saturday when the accident occurred.
Both teens are listed in stable condition.
No information has been made available as to whether charges will be filed against the driver.
Grand Ave. in Grover is a dangerous street. It is wide, poorly lit after dark (especially at that intersection) and is a long straightaway with a lot of visual distractions.
Even in daylight I’ve seen pedestrians step into a crosswalk from behind a parked car, bringing surprise and consternation to drivers in the lane into which they stepped. Anyone driving on that street needs to exercise great care. Even moreso if you are a pedestrian.
Honestly.. I cross a lot of streets, and I really have a hard time understanding how so many people wind up getting hit by cars. It is not THAT HARD. Look both ways, wait until there are no cars coming, and cross.. PAY ATTENTION while you are crossing. I was in LA for the last couple of weeks, and to get to the convenience store across the street from my hotel I had to cross Topanga Canyon. This street is as busy as a freeway, and even though I was too lazy to walk to the corner to use the crossing signal, I to followed those rules and make it across the street safely.. You simply assume that the next driver that comes may be doing 80mph, (in a 40mph) and use that as your guideline for when to go.
Perhaps the problem is that we have laws giving pedestrians the “right of way” and that we provide crosswalks where cars “have” to stop for pedestrians. There is no “right of way” or other such cliche in nature that can prevent a 3000 pound automobile from smashing a 150 pound human being. If you decide to cross a street, ASSUMING that all vehicles will successfully see you and stop for you, then eventually, you are going to learn this the hard way. If there were no such laws in the books, then when you crossed a street, people would follow the previously mentioned rules, ALWAYS, instead of thinking they were protected by the fact that they were legally “in the right.”
Let’s hope the girls will recover with no problems. I hope this “accident” won’t prove to be another “cover up” like the “accident” that Frank Feitas’ son was involved in. Remember that cover up? Local “officials” did NOT want to bring that driver to JUSTICE because of “WHO HE WAS”…New Times finally brought that “story” to the light of day…
Sorry, it’s the son of FRANK FREITAS (the SLO County TAX ASSESSOR)…That driver KILLED one of the girls HE HIT in a crosswalk.
I agree with “smartmouth”. There has been at least one fatality (a 16 yr. old female on Grand, crossing in a cross-walk, after dark.) The intersections are not well lit, and glare off a dirty windshield can make it hard to see people stepping off the curb. It’s easy on a long “straight away” to find yourself going faster than the 35 mph posted speed limit. And even the stop lights don’t give you enough time to get all the way across. We need some solar powered lights or new power-saving LCD lights which the city may be able to get grant money for. The public can investigate the possibility of finding grants and the city chamber of commerce can find cash in the budget–especially during summer tourist season–to apply some of those profits to putting more streetlights (one by one, if necessary,) at the darkest intersections. Older people have more trouble with night-driving so it is sure to help them, as well as the pedestrians. Until then, no one should feel “relaxed” about crossing Grand Avenue.
You’re right.. it’s hard to see people crossing the street sometimes. I am not sure why pedestrians can’t catch on to this fact and that against a car, they will always lose. It’s not that hard to cross a street without getting hit, unless one just assumes that the law protects them and therefore it must be safe to cross.
Laws are not made to stop people from accidentally doing things.. If they didn’t mean to do them in the first place. They are made so that when such an unfortunate happens, insurance companies, lawyers, police officers, city employees, judges, prison guards and others can take advantage of the situation and make some money.. and then if there is anything left of the responsible party’s destroyed life, give grounds to the victim for a good lawsuit.
There are so many pedestrian accidents/close calls on Grand from 4th to 13th Street!
Oh geez, I wonder who they are. I know most of the kids in that age range. If any of you know who they are please post.
Reporter Karen Velie, (805) 234-1703
Reporter Ben Di Gugliemo
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