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Motorist in San Fernando Pedestrian Accident Charged with Murder

A motorist involved in a fatal pedestrian accident in San Fernando last year has been charged with second degree murder.

On September 23^rd 2008, Marcia Roberts was driving a sports utility vehicle that struck 19-year-old California State University Northridge student Johoney Lobos. Lobos was walking in a crosswalk near the university campus, and was on her way to an evening class at CSNU when she was hit. Roberts didn’t stop to offer the seriously injured Lobos any help.  She fled the scene of the accident.

Police later found the white SUV, and Robert was arrested two days later. This week, the motorist was charged with second degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. If convicted, Roberts could face life in prison.

Pedestrians are often at risk from the reckless and negligent driving of motorists like Roberts, who fail to respect pedestrian rights. We have specially marked and designated pedestrian crosswalks for pedestrians to be able to cross streets safely. However, all too often, these people are struck by vehicles when they are walking in a crosswalk as is their right. Every year, approximately 75,000 Americans are involved in pedestrian accidents. A vast majority of these are injured, and out of these, many will suffer devastating injuries that impact their lives. The remaining will be killed as a result of their injuries.

Last year, 620 people were killed in pedestrian accidents in California. That was a drop from 650 deaths in pedestrian accidents in 2007. Pedestrian accidents reached a recent peak in 2005, when 742 people were killed in such accidents. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, every 133 minutes a pedestrian is killed in an accident in America. A pedestrian is injured every 8 minutes in our country. Most of these pedestrians are struck while performing the simple act of crossing a street. An overwhelming majority of these will be crossing the streets in a marked and designated crosswalks as they are supposed to. Yet, many of these people are fatally or seriously injured by motorists, who seem to have little respect for the rights of others on the street.

California pedestrian accident lawyers see that children are at a higher risk of being injured or killed in a pedestrian accident than others. On average, children below the age of 15 account for about 40 percent of all accident fatalities. Many of these children are struck when they are on their way to and from school. This is why it’s so important for motorists to be extra careful when they are driving in a school zone, where many pedestrian accidents tend to take place. Besides children, senior citizens seem to be at a higher risk of being involved in a pedestrian accident. Just like children, these people may misjudge the amount of time it takes to cross the road, with deadly consequences. They may also take a longer time to cross the street, and therefore, have a higher chance of a collision with a vehicle.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of pedestrian accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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