Pacoima Teenager Dies In Bicycle Accident

A San Fernando teenager was riding his bicycle to school on Nov. 15 when he was tragically killed in a collision in Pacoima. The 15-year-old boy was trapped between two cars that collided at approximately 7 a.m. during rush hour traffic.

According to a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, the young man was riding his bicycle when a southbound Chrysler pickup crashed into an eastbound Chevrolet Pickup. The detective further elaborated that one of the pickup truck drivers failed to stop at a red light, and that’s what caused the crash. However, authorities were not certain which of the drivers failed to adhere to the traffic signal.

When the vehicles collided, they ended up in the crosswalk, where the 10th-grade boy was riding his bike, just a block away from his school, Vaughn Next Century Learning Center. Tragically, even though eight passers-by tried to free the teen who was trapped between the trucks, they weren’t able to save him. Paramedics later arrived and freed him, but soon after getting him free of the vehicles, he succumbed to his injuries.

Perhaps the most tragic thing about fatal accidents caused by drivers who fail to stop at red lights is the fact that they never should have happened in the first place. If the at-fault driver had followed the law — or been paying better attention — a death could have been prevented.

California residents who have a family member who died in a bicycle crash, motor vehicle crash, motorcycle crash, pedestrian crash or some other traffic-related incident — due to no fault of their own — may be able to seek wrongful death damages in court. To find out more about the process of filing a wrongful death claim, immediate family members may want to reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney.

Source: KTLA, “Teen Bicyclist Dies in ‘Tragic Collision’ on Way to School in Pacoima: LAPD,” Tracy Bloom and Courtney Friel, Nov. 16, 2016